PETA angling for fishermen to be kind to fish
January 25, 2006
BY GARY WISBY Environment Reporter
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If we must kill fish, we should do it with kindness, PETA believes.
To alleviate the finny critters' pain and suffering, Illinois should require fishermen to follow a "Code of Angling Ethics" before they're issued a license, the animal rights group said Tuesday.
"Just like dogs and cats, fish feel pain, so if you wouldn't hook dogs through the mouth and drag them behind your car, you shouldn't hook fish through the mouth and drag them behind your boat," said Karin Robertson of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
'Do we have to have a paramedic along?'
Robertson, PETA's fish empathy project manager, said more than 500 research papers attest to fish intelligence. "They use tools -- there is a South African fish that lays its eggs on a leaf and transports them around on it to protect them from predators and strong currents," she said. "Fish socialize with each other and have very long-term memories."
The code, established by the National Marine Fisheries Service, urges careful handling and release of any unwanted fish.
Being hooked and lifted out of the water is a "horrible, painful, traumatic" experience for fish, Robertson said. Fishermen should use barbless hooks and handle fish with wet hands. Catch-and-release anglers should move quickly. "The longer fish are out of the water, the less oxygen they get and the more likely they are to die," she said.
Jack Vadas, owner of Vets Live Bait & Tackle on the Southeast Side, asked, "Do we have to have a paramedic along so fish can survive when we put them back in the water?"
Animals were put on this Earth for a purpose, he said. "The good Lord knew we were going to eat them. Who killed the fatted calf? What were those 12 apostles?"
Fish feel no pain, Vadas said. "How could you prove it?" he asked. "Fish can't say 'ouch!'"
Field Museum fish expert Philip Willink essentially agreed. "Fish react to stimulus, but so do plants and bacteria," he said. Is wounding a fish any different from mowing your lawn? "It doesn't appear to be -- but that doesn't mean it isn't."
A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which issues fishing licenses, said, "We did receive the letter from PETA and are currently reviewing it."
PETA angling for fishermen to be kind to fish
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Originally Posted by MoonsEcho
