Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Foss
I still guarantee a group of individuals will feel that if, according to government regulations, average joe who drags a fish up on the rocks, steps on its head to hold the fish down while he gets the hook out, then holds it up for a photo shoot that lasts longer than a kardashian marrage (yes this is for dramatic effect) then they(the tournament anglers), as responsible catch and release anglers who do their best to minimize fish stress, should have rights to fish that same water for the tournament.
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Is the desire to win a tournament by catching weakened and vulnerable fish greater than the desire to keep the fish population stable, healthy, and sustainable for years to come?
Wouldn't a spawned out fish trying to recover suffer a lot of stress on the line as well as when it's handled? Seems to me it's not just the pose for the pic that causes stress.
The key difference here between the people causing stress on the fish - the "half-wit angler-Joe" likely doesn't understand the extent the stress he's causing. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of weekend recreational fishermen don't even know when walleye spawn. Those tournament anglers with the "superior fish handling skills" do understand the stress yet still do it (regardless of how minimal you claim the stress to be).
Seems to me that as users of a resource, we should all be stewards, advocates and protectors of the resource as well. If we don't look out for it, who will?