Is it ok to go fishing...

[bakerboi]

i regularly go fishing and i am an avid fish keeper and i often wonder the same thing but i never wanted to post it in case everyone turned on me

 

[hairyadam]

i go fishing to catch big pike in river

 

[simonbrown403]

I love my carp fishing, its the thrill of the unknown not knowing if your going to catch or not, (man against fish, the fish wins most of the time lol)

I think some people can be a little hypocritical and almighty, if it was all about the fishes and not our enjoyment, we would of left the things in the ponds, rivers an sea from which they came.

 

[Macracantha]

Ok...so how about another slant on this?

Which is crueler?

a) To catch fish, and dispatch fish, as humanely as possible for food which is perfectly natural, or.....

B) To keep fish couped up in a small tank space for the rest of their lives which isn't very natural.

ENJOY!!!!

 

[RandomWiktor]

I think another question to add to yours is, "is it morally acceptable to keep wild caught fish, and non "domesticated" fish species?" As we know, very few fish are domesticated in the sense of being modified from thier wild form physically and behaviorally such that they would probably not survive well wild and "need" man to continue. The only ones I can really think of are fancy goldfish, and some betta tail types (maybe some guppies, but I'm disgustingly uneducated about them). Is it ok to keep species other than these, particularly if they are wild caught, as you are essentially keeping a captive wild animal? And, especially in the case of ocean fish, that you are keeping a captive wild animal that may be threatened in the wild, and yet was wild-caught?

 

[jungle king]

I do like fishing but also like keeping fish and going to aquariums. I like fishing because I can see what the fish look like in the wild and not just see a picture in a book or magazine. what I think is bad is over-fishing which can lead to fish becoming endangered or extinct. Think of the types of fish that have vanished.

 

[annka5]

IMO, perfectly acceptable to keep tropical fish, wild caught or otherwise, (so long as no ecological damage results) in appropriate conditions, because they are perfectly capable of adapting. They simply don't pine away if they are kept in captivity. They are not like Nemo in the film.
I think there was a discussion on this a couple of weeks back.

 

[benzonar]

I think keeping tropical fish helps to garner an interest in fish. It means you research the fish you are keeping and through that research learn about the wider issues of that fish in its natural habitat.

From this the ecological issues facing all fish can then come about.


I also think that to some extent this happens with angling. I know in the UK some of the strongest groups fisghting pollution in our waterways are fishermen. Anglers spend a lot of their time on riverbanks and can often be the first ones to notice if something is wrong with the ecosystem. Anglers have been responsible for getting many of the UK's waterways cleaned up (if only the small minority would learn to take their litter home with them).

Both of these pastimes help provide respect for fish and education for the wider community. I am a diver and I would say that my interest in aquaria as a young boy helped provide me with an appreciation of the animals and lifeforms that can be found in water bodies. I know for example that if I accidently touch or break some coral whilst diving, I can kill at least ten years growth of that organism.

 

[RedShark]

I also enjoy fishing as well, although i feel that when it is done for sport and not because it will eventually be someones meal that fish and life on some level is being taken for grantid. I think we all know what that leads to, right? I find it extremely difficult arguing or discussing ones ethics and morality when it comes to whether or not life on some level seems to be taken for grantid, especially since i myself am powerless to do anything about anyone elses actions but my own.
I know another response of this sort is exactly what the forumadmin didnt want but i saw a chance to vent so i took it. Not many discussions like this one here in the Sates. Shame.