Humans should stop eating all meat fish and animals in fact maybe get rid of the human population. Eh??
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Why? We're talking about fishing here and those are my opinions on the subject. Last time I checked you were still free to voice your thoughts in this country.
If you don't like my opinions feel free to ignore them or refute them.
You may find the following article useful if I was able to post the link correctly
http://webapps2.ucalgary.ca/~bgs/pub...e_Collapse.pdf
That article isnt the be all and end all of papers on the subject but I thought it posed some interesting ideas.
I'm not for shutting down all fisheries but I think even in healthy ones we should be greatly reducing what we keep. There are just so many anglers targeting the same waters that we need to limit what we do keep.
Something to think about is a lot of fisheries aren't self sustainable and rely heavily on stocking to keep them going
I fish for trout and there is a difference between fishing for a naturally occurring population and stockers dumped into a river or lake.
Anyway that's my take. I think with populations expanding continually it will take a change in the way we think about fishing to keep the sport healthy.
You are absolutely correct in the fact that you are entitled to your opinion. I'm playing the devil's advocate here, but if that is your position that most if not all fishing should be strictly catch and release in order protect a fragile fishery why fish at all? Every time you wet a line in pursuit of a fish there is a chance that fish may not survive. Maybe it was hooked too deep, maybe it was played out and went belly up, any number of things could occur where that fish may not survive. Why risk it then if that is your mindset?
Sometimes things take care of themselves - for instance - if a lake is being fished out people won't be catching many fish and therefore won't go there anymore - as time passes and the lower fishing pressure the number of fish increases again - fish are a renewable resource - they just have to be taken care of - it seems as though most of the discussion centers about fishing for walleye because so many fishermen target them - if we all started enjoying eating other kinds of fish a lot of the problems would eventually go away - each fish has a distinct taste - which should be recognized and enjoyed - bullheads, bluegills, crappies, perch, rockbass etc. are all good eating - some are easier to clean than others and some have less bones to contend with - you can make just about any fish taste good if you know how to cook it - one time a guy gave me a couple pieces of a sheephead fish which was breaded - I didn't believe it that it was a sheephead because it tasted so good - most people don't want to take the time to prepare the food because it takes too much time - it's a lot easier to fillet a walleye and put it into the pan - actually - variety is the spice of life - so they say -
I look at fishing as a sport or outdoor activity.
I enjoy the act of catching fish. I like to do it over and over again. For me there is real pleasure in stalking a trout in a stream or river and landing it
I know there is a risk I may accidentally kill a trout but that risk is minimal.
If you look at catch and release studies, when it's done properly, the same fish may be caught over and over again.
I think that if a fishery can support catch and keep, I'm Ok with that. I really think most can't without harming the fishery, at least not in the numbers we allow today. A lot of fisheries can only support the fishing they do because of massive restocking efforts.
For what I fish for, there is a real difference between fishing for a wild trout and a pale, tank raised domestic fish.
Does anyone see fishing pressure decreasing in the future? Does anyone see urbanization decreasing? Those two things go hand in hand in affecting fishing quality.
I just think it's unrealistic to think our fisheries can maintain any quality if we keep removing tons of fish from them every year.
I think that you're viewing things through a clouded lens. The trout fishing is far above what it was in the 70's or 80's same with the walleye, musky as well. The majority of anglers out there use common sense and respect the resource, I really do believe that. Sure there are your exceptions, but I don't think it is as rampant as you think. Twenty five years ago Erie turned on with the walleye fishery, now the trout are better than ever as well as the perch. How many people go out and bring home a limit of bass every time out? Very few. The biggest concerns would be overharvest by commercial means ( Colpoys Bay near Wiarton would be a good example or Nipissing) Pollution is another concern as well as fluctuating water levels which can affect spawning grounds. Baitfish numbers rise and fall which also affect game fish size and numbers, just like deer or rabbit numbers there is a cycle.
You say leave the natives alone as we have plenty of options to catch fish. Guess you don't know that nets are now being found in Lake Nosbonsing and Talon Lake. There is no lake here that can handle commercial fishing. Once they kill of Lake Nipissing they will move over to the next lake and the next lake.