Me thinks some education is called for

[*Ant*]

"We believe it's quite cruel to hurt the fish, to cut the fish and then to put this poor little thing back to the water, dying there somewhere lonely."

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/5342000.stm

Edited September 13, 2006 by *Ant*

[Guest Ferret1959]

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=67110

[Steve Walker]

"We believe it's quite cruel to hurt the fish, to cut the fish and then to put this poor little thing back to the water, dying there somewhere lonely."

 

That attitude was something which was mentioned in the big discussion about eating coarse fish; that Joe Public may actually find catch and release harder to understand than catch and eat.

[ColinW]

Who's kidding whom?

These immigrants manage to negotiate the complexities of this country's social security system with enough ease. You can't tell me they can't understand when someone tells them to get a licence and put the damned fish back in the water!

[D Dawis]

US anglers (at least in MN) have had issues with new migrants before. Most of the time, education has worked. The Hmong (ethnic group from Laos and Cambodia) arrived in my state in the mid 1980s and came from a tradition of hunting/fishing where there were no rules. A few Hmong fishermen were caught when hauling a 7 gal pail of fish that spilled out onto the parkway - Something like 300+ fish they had taken from the local lake - well over the legal limit of 10 to 15 fish per angler for crappie and sunfish. After the uproar had subsided, our DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) realized that this could be a problem if it continued. They made a stronger effort to educate the newly arrived Hmong, and now, there are a number of new Hmong officers. While I'm sure there may still be a few transgressions, there are a lot less problems now. More and more Hmong embrace catch and release fishing. Being a 2nd generation yank of Filipino extraction, I have witnessed first hand the fact that immigrants initially bring their old world customs/values, but education (along with strict enforcement) can change habits that are not suited to the new country. A lot of 1st generation Filipinos honestly don't understand the concept of sport fishing - it's a total mystery to them why I would throw back a perfectly tasty morsel, especially when I could legally keep it. I have to explain the concept a little bit, and if I take them fishing, they get it.

On a different note, it's a little ironic that here, most American anglers would welcome migrants fishing for carp, as carp are not viewed with the same esteem as they are in Britain (though there are a growing number of carp anglers). Even bowfishing for them is legal. There is no limit to the number of common carp one can keep in Minnesota.

 

Dave D

[Ken L]

(along with strict enforcement)

 

No chance of that here matey. The limp wristed brigade rule everything.

[D Dawis]

No chance of that here matey. The limp wristed brigade rule everything.

Does your EA have an enforcement branch, or do they rely on the local constabulary?

[GlennB]

That attitude was something which was mentioned in the big discussion about eating coarse fish; that Joe Public may actually find catch and release harder to understand than catch and eat.

"Many migrants see carp, perch and roach as part of their diet and struggle to understand the concept of fishing for pleasure without eating what you catch"

 

I quite sympathise with their view. OK, it's culturally "wrong" (??) over here to catch+eat. Gasp!! Eat the fish you catch? Whoever heard of such a thing ...

 

Yes, education is in order here. We don't systematically kill bulls in a bullring, we don't shoot songbirds for target practice, we (mostly) don't eat coarse fish. But is there a cause for moral outrage here, or is it just a question of our ways?

 

US anglers (at least in MN) have had issues with new migrants before. Most of the time, education has worked. The Hmong (ethnic group from Laos and Cambodia) arrived in my state in the mid 1980s and came from a tradition of hunting/fishing where there were no rules. A few Hmong fishermen were caught when hauling a 7 gal pail of fish that spilled out onto the parkway - Something like 300+ fish they had taken from the local lake - well over the legal limit of 10 to 15 fish per angler for crappie and sunfish. After the uproar had subsided, our DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) realized that this could be a problem if it continued. They made a stronger effort to educate the newly arrived Hmong, and now, there are a number of new Hmong officers. While I'm sure there may still be a few transgressions, there are a lot less problems now. More and more Hmong embrace catch and release fishing. Being a 2nd generation yank of Filipino extraction, I have witnessed first hand the fact that immigrants initially bring their old world customs/values, but education (along with strict enforcement) can change habits that are not suited to the new country. A lot of 1st generation Filipinos honestly don't understand the concept of sport fishing - it's a total mystery to them why I would throw back a perfectly tasty morsel, especially when I could legally keep it. I have to explain the concept a little bit, and if I take them fishing, they get it.

On a different note, it's a little ironic that here, most American anglers would welcome migrants fishing for carp, as carp are not viewed with the same esteem as they are in Britain (though there are a growing number of carp anglers). Even bowfishing for them is legal. There is no limit to the number of common carp one can keep in Minnesota.

 

Dave D

Dave - thanks for the very rational reply. The "carp" comments would shock many UK anglers, which pretty much illustrates how subjective the whole business is.

 

cheers

[*Ant*]

Surely ignorance is no defense, isn't it a good idea to familarise ones self with what is and what isn't acceptable when deciding to up roots and migrate to another country?

 

When in Rome....

[ayjay]

Surely ignorance is no defense, isn't it a good idea to familarise ones self with what is and what isn't acceptable when deciding to up roots and migrate to another country?

 

When in Rome....

 

Only if you actually plan to try and integrate.

 

I've worked with enough East Europeans now in the building trade to know that many of them are only here for three to four years while they make enough money to become a rich man back home.