Would you Kill your Catch?

[Tog]

So here's an argumentative thread continuing on the 'Greens' theme.

If angling were to be turned into a 'food gathering' only pursuit would you continue angling?

Answers on a postcard please to.... oh yes I must put my point of view!

I started as a game angler - & don't have a problem with 'knocking them on the head' - but only because I ate them, Don't want to kill for fun. Therefore I would go back to game / sea if any such arrangement were law.

[awaaar]

I knocked a trout on the head once, never felt so guilty in all my life....wouldn't do it again unless my life depended on it...

 

tight lines

 

[ 04. June 2004, 01:36 PM: Message edited by: awaaar ]

[Paul_D]

Coarse fish - Definately not!

Game fish - Brown Trout very rarely, Rainbows etc. definately!

[Adz]

Hmm... something of a mixed bag eh?

 

It's one of those emotive topics where people lose sight of the real issue.

 

Andy said he felt guilty about knocking a trout on the head, a view a lot of people would share I'd expect - but unless they are vegan/strict vegetarians I'd be willing to bet they don't feel in the slightest bit guilty about buying cod and chips or lamb chops from the butchers - at the end of the day something died so they could eat it, at least if you kill it yourself you can be sure it was killed cleanly and humanely.

 

Paul wouldn't kill coarse fish, but is happy to take the occasional brownie and very happy to take rainbows. Why the differentiation? Some coarse fish taste every bit as good as trout, grayling is nice, so is pike, perch is positively fantastic. So long as you're not endangering the population balance by taking a limited harvest - why not take coarse and game or both or neither as your need takes you?

 

There's a great phrase often seen on waters in the US - 'limit your catch, don't catch your limit' - wise words perhaps.

[awaaar]

True Adz, I don't feel the slightest bit guilty about buying a nice piece of cod from the chippy, and I don't mind other people knocking fish on the head - it's just not for me thats all

 

Personal preference mate

 

tight lines

[RUDD]

Toggle

 

what about size limits?

It is illegal to kill most sea fish you catch from the beach these days as most tend to be under the legal size limit.

 

I dont have any qualms about killing anything as long as I have good reason, eg I am going to eat it or to put it out of its misery if injured.

Would these people give a mixi rabbit a quick death ot let the thing suffer?

 

If angling were turned into a 'food gathering' only pursuit it would be quite suprising how many fish slipped from my hands back into the water before I could give them a knock on the head!

[Lid]

I was brought up on a a farm and from an early age shot, gutted and ate my own quarry - mainly pigeons and rabbits. We also reared quality livestock later to be slaughtered and regularly ate our own selected animals.

 

I have been lucky enough to catch, kill and eat my own salmon (just two so far, but only been twice). I have also eaten pike and perch in Sweden where they were naturally present in large numbers (or at least when I went in 70's they were).

 

So I would not have a problem killing and eating my fish. Come to think of it, I wonder why we need to kill them, because fish don't feel pain do they?

 

However I thoroughly enjoy fishing for pleasure and returning my captures, so I would carry on doing this regardless of some stupid little law.

[Mister Toad]

I do coarse and fly fishing. The lakes where I do my fly fishing are, I suppose, technically put-and-take fisheries and all fish caught have to be killed (there is no catch and release). This suits me as I get to enjoy the fishing and if I'm lucky I take home something nice to eat. Others may not agree with this but I have no problems with it as the fish are specially bred and its no worse than eating chicken.

 

I've just read Adz's post and had to edit my own. I was going to say that I would never kill coarse fish or brown trout but, given the chance, I might take the odd salmon or sea trout. Adz's point about taking a imited harvest from a sustainable resource is a good one. The trouble is, with so many anglers in this country, I don't think that wild fish would be sustainable for very long. The population density in the USA is far lower than here.

[Mat Hillman]

I've killed sea fish, codling etc for the pot, I've also taken small coarse fish for bait when fishing for pike / cats.

 

but to systematically kill everything I catch ? no thanks.

 

Were such a law to be passed here, I'd ignore it.

[Paul_D]

quote:

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Paul wouldn't kill coarse fish, but is happy to take the occasional brownie and very happy to take rainbows. Why the differentiation? Some coarse fish taste every bit as good as trout, grayling is nice, so is pike, perch is positively fantastic. So long as you're not endangering the population balance by taking a limited harvest - why not take coarse and game or both or neither as your need takes you?

---

I'm not a particularly great fish eater. If I take a Trout it's usually because it's one of my Wife's favourite meals. I've eaten and enjoyed Perch and Zander on the continent (the Perch I caught myself too), but I'm not of a mind to do it over here, besides, currently, wouldn't it usually constitute theft anyhow?