Alaska magazine cover article

wanafish · 03-10-2004, 06:17 AM

I don't know if this the right forum for this but have any of you read this months Alaska magazine cover article? "Sport or Cruelty? don't play with your food, catch and release critics say" and then,"From plate to play thing" I was shocked that a magazine of this nature would publish something like this as their main article in their annnual fishing issue. They do present both sides and bring up some interesting facts. It just seems slanted one way.I'm interested in hearing your opinions.

03-10-2004, 06:43 AM

C&R being "Playing with your food" is a common feeling in village and rural Alaska.

Ty · 03-10-2004, 07:14 AM

Quote:

C&R being "Playing with your food" is a common feeling in village and rural Alaska.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Trust me don't go there!!! Alaska is a different place.... And much of the land that I work on in Western Alaska is owned by the Natives... They are entitled to ther own believes and opinions...

judyfish99 · 03-10-2004, 08:03 AM

Geez, Now I know why my X moved there. [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img] judyfish

SandySteel · 03-10-2004, 10:00 AM

I think sometimes we get myopic with our view of catch and release. I bonk fish where it makes sense. I also catch and release when it is necessary. Catching and releasing fish is really antithetical to the spirit of fishing in the first place though. It is designed as a means to harvest food.

I think that managing a stream entirely for no harvest and all catch and release is somewhat perverse. Tricking the animal into impaling itself on a hook and then getting dragged to the shore only to admire it and release it goes against the purpose of fishing and the ideal of wildlife observation. If all that the angler is there for is to observe the wildlife then get some binoculars and watch the birds. Imagine birders armed with hooks and rods hooking birds, dragging them to them admiring them and releasing them.

When I fish I am there to enjoy being in the out of doors and see some wildlife. But my first purpose is to catch fish to keep. If I know that all of the fish I catch must be released I probably won't fish there. I am happy to catch and release fish and don't begrudge catching a non-keeper as it benefits the fishery.

But fishing for the sake of catching only goes against my grain.