Fishing The Fly Scotland Forum

Sandy Nelson

Catch and release, the issue?
« on: 09/12/2006 at 20:01 »
I have been reading the article in T&S by Stan Headley.
When i started to read i was all set to dissagree quite vehemently  :mad:
However as i progressed through i found i had to agree with what he was saying.
Catch and release when wild fish are involved should be actively encouraged, but when it comes to stocked fish then what do we agree with?

Is catch and release really neccessary for fish stocks when the trout are introduced, or is a a way for fishery owners to make money. I know that due to the cost of trout if C&R was not allowed then the ticket prices for everyone else would have to go up to support the constant replacement of fish.But there is substance in the fact that C&R means fish are being bred purely for sport, I am a little uncomfortable with this as an angler. I like to return fish because i'm loathe to kill beautiful creatures, however do i feel the same way about a creature bred for the purpose of angling.
In theory this fish is helping to protect the wild trout that i love so dearly, so is it right to accept it as a sacrifice for that cause? :shock:
Perhaps it is , if you take the fish and eat it.

I find myself thinking that if i pay for a 2 fish ticket and then return them all because i don't feel like taking any of them home, satisfies my guilt over the preceding issue.But that means paying more for my fishing, no-one likes to spend more than neccessary, So i resolve that C&R is not so evil, i don't intend to keep any fish, but i dont regard the fish as a commodity, i still see them as beautiful creatures that i wouldn't want to kill.Conscience clear?

Today i picked up a copy of FlyFisherman magazine from the states.
In it i found a small article that re-stimulated the doubts i thought i had :z6 Apparently the university of missouri have done a year long study into trout fed with a supplement of Creatine. (Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid). The tests found that the fish showed a 5 fold increase in stamina. the quote that completed the piece was as follows "Researchers are not aware of any hatcheries currently using creatine as part of a trout feeding programme, but they haven't ruled out the possibility that it might one day be used to improve performance of fish raised for sport fishing."
Suddenly the whole issue took on a different possibility. This idea of breeding the fish to perform better for the sport, is fundamentally wrong.
If we can say that breeding fish for sport is justified on the grounds that it helps remove pressure from natural stocks, then enhancing the fish to improve the sport surely must be wrong?
Then i thought about Triploids :z6

 :z5  :z6  :shock:  :sad:  :z5

Sandy :z6

wildfisher

Catch and release, the issue?
« Reply #1 on: 09/12/2006 at 21:36 »
On the rare occasions I fish for stocked fish I return them for two main reasons.

1. I don't want to eat farmed fish. I am not too keen on trout and salmon anyway and this is the same reason I return most of the hundreds of wild trout I catch every year when I really should be killing more of them – some places anyway.

2. I have a bit of a problem with industrial fishing / pollution / escapes from fish farms so if I don’t kill them I am not creating unnecessary  demand, however small that might be.

As far as breeding  fish to perform better for  sport goes – we do that  with horses, dogs etc  and as you say triploids. Two wrongs  do not make a right though.

Basically I agree with most of what you say and these are some of the reasons I prefer to fish for wild trout. It is all a bit of a minefield and is perhaps angling's  Achilles heel.

Hamish Young

Catch and release, the issue?
« Reply #2 on: 10/12/2006 at 00:18 »
Quote from: "wildfisher"
.... I return most of the hundreds of wild trout I catch every year ....


Jings Fred, not all bandies I hope  :wink:   :grin:

wildfisher

Catch and release, the issue?
« Reply #3 on: 10/12/2006 at 09:17 »
Quote from: "HAMISH"

Jings Fred, not all bandies I hope  :wink:   :grin:


Don’t' be ridiculous Hamish. Of course they are.   :grin:

Actually, that's more of a relevant  point than some  who only fish for stockies might realise. Many lochs might benefit from  an annual "harvest", so in some cases killing wild fish is a more sustainable practice than killing farmed fish.

Things are seldom black and white.

Sandy Nelson

Catch and release, the issue?
« Reply #4 on: 10/12/2006 at 15:40 »
Unlike a zebra
:lol:

Sandy Nelson

Catch and release, the issue?
« Reply #5 on: 10/12/2006 at 15:42 »
Quote
I return most of the hundreds of wild trout I catch every year


I take it they aren't from the Don :z4

Sandy

wildfisher

Catch and release, the issue?
« Reply #6 on: 10/12/2006 at 15:50 »
Quote from: "spiderman"
Quote
I return most of the hundreds of wild trout I catch every year


I take it they aren't from the Don :z4

Sandy


Now you are being even more ridiculous than Hamish  :lol:

Derek 365

Catch and release, the issue?
« Reply #7 on: 10/12/2006 at 19:36 »
What would happen if C&R was banned :shock:  and after an hour or so you had your 2 fish which you paid for :?: Can you imagine an angry :mad:  fishery owner chasing you with a loaded gun or even worse flicking a barbed size 6 around your ears :lol: ,incase you caught another of his fish.

moffty

C+R
« Reply #8 on: 10/12/2006 at 19:56 »
Food M8...Food!

Hamish Young

Catch and release, the issue?
« Reply #9 on: 10/12/2006 at 20:12 »
Quote from: "Derek 365"
What would happen if C&R was banned :shock:.

You mean like it used to be pretty much everywhere up until maybe a decade ago :?:
I remember being at a "well known" trout fishery in darkest Hampshire, eagerly I tackled up and in three casts had my two fish limit  :shock:  so my day went from hopefully a few hours to about 30 minutes including tackling up/down and a cup of tea in the hut... come to think of it the tea didn't last long as I had the 'bare faced cheek' to suggest that the fishing was a wee bit easy and not what I had expected.
Would I had enjoyed the day any better if I'd gone on to catch 20+ fish :?: who knows.......
Quote from: "wildfisher"
Many lochs might benefit from an annual "harvest", so in some cases killing wild fish is a more sustainable practice than killing farmed fish.

Undeniably Fred  :wink:
Quote from: "moffty"
Food M8...Food!

 :z4  :z4  :z3

wildfisher

Catch and release, the issue?
« Reply #10 on: 10/12/2006 at 20:31 »
I have read that it is still quite usual to find "no C+R"  fisheries down south. When you get your limit you buy another ticket or go home. In  Arthur Daley speak it's  "a nice little earner"  :shock:

Sandy Nelson

Catch and release, the issue?
« Reply #11 on: 10/12/2006 at 21:21 »
I guess this is where Mike has the right idea in letting people choose which fish to take. That way you can C&R until you catch something you wish to keep, much more like fishing for real fish.
I must confess the idea of paying for a day and catching the limit in 20 mins and having to stop would keep me away from any water, in fact it probably did for a long time.
I reckon it was the advent of C&R that actually encouraged me to go to fisheries more often but i used to keep some too.

This leads me to the little voice in the back of head again, What is so wrong with a close season? I am finding it more and more hard to fish out of season, it dont feel right. :z6 I can happily go and play, try out new gear etc   talk fishing but i just dont seem to want to fish.
I miss not being allowed to go, it seems to have devalued the excitement and anticipation you get before the season starts.
Then again i suppose thats up to me. :shock:
If i want to self impose a closed season then fine, but at least the choice exists for others. (and i'll still succumb now and then :roll: )
But winters for tying flies and planning adventures.
Perhaps the new generation are missing something.
I dont know :z6

Sandy

wildfisher

Catch and release, the issue?
« Reply #12 on: 10/12/2006 at 22:31 »
Quote from: "spiderman"

This leads me to the little voice in the back of head again, What is so wrong with a close season? I am finding it more and more hard to fish out of season


I know exactly what you mean Sandy. I certainly need a close season.  It rests me and the fish and gives me time to do other     things.  Sharpens the appetite again to the extent that , by March  I am even looking forward to getting back to the Don!  :grin:  The weather this winter has been pretty grim, so far anyway. Not too cold more a perma-gale than a permafrost and not too inviting for getting out there with the rod.

Having said all that ………………..if the lottery ticket comes up  a wee trip to New Zealand may well be on the cards – rest or no rest!  :grin:

 




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