Against WAB endorsing bloodsports

[Polecat]

HI All,

It is with sadness that I make this post. I find it inconceivable that 'wild about britain' supports a pro stance for fishing.

People argue that fishing is not a bloodsport, but I disagree with those people. Fishing for sport harms and often kills these creatures.

If this forum is about the love and interest of UK's wildlife and its conservation and a platform for like-minded individuals to share this interest, it should be a place where all forms of cruelty towards wildlife are despised. perhaps I don't understand what this forum is about?

I would not visit a forum that endorsed fishing as, IMO, it is a cruel sport which causes a great deal of harm and suffering to a lot of wildlife, not just fish. for example, every fisherman gets his hook and line stuck underwater at times whilst fishing, upon trying to retreive that line, it often snaps leaving the hook and line snagged underwater. Many waterfowl die from subsequently getting that hook caught whilst swiming/diving.

I didn't realise that WAB had a specific forum for fishing, and now that I do, I no longer wish to be a member of this forum. I would appreciate a manager removing my membership totally from this site as soon as is possible because I do not wish to be associated with any form of cruelty to wildlife.

...........If WAB ceases to endorse this bloodsport I would be happy to return.

If any other members don't like WAB supporting fishing it might be worth signing this thread.

....

[UB4 gardener]

am i missing something? where does it say WAB "supports a pro stance for fishing."

I hope you only eat organic food and disown any friends that use pesticides or own cats. I hope you didn't vote Labour as they continue to get the badger cull going, drive a car as they wipe out millions upon millions of invertebrates not to mention mammals and birds. I better not mention the Rothampstead traps the the CEH use for thier research. I could go on.


In the bigger picture I personally think that fishing produces a love of nature that no other hobby can. And also man made lakes and gravel pits kept open for fishing, that would normally have been filled and developed, are great havens for wildlife. just look at the lakes in the Colne Valley during winter.

I only really started posting yesterday and it would be a shame to see anyone go over a single thread.

Regards
Chris

[Bushcraft]

Originally Posted by Polecat

HI All,

It is with sadness that I make this post. I find it inconceivable that 'wild about britain' supports a pro stance for fishing.

People argue that fishing is not a bloodsport, but I disagree with those people. Fishing for sport harms and often kills these creatures.

If this forum is about the love and interest of UK's wildlife and its conservation and a platform for like-minded individuals to share this interest, it should be a place where all forms of cruelty towards wildlife are despised. perhaps I don't understand what this forum is about?

I would not visit a forum that endorsed fishing as, IMO, it is a cruel sport which causes a great deal of harm and suffering to a lot of wildlife, not just fish. for example, every fisherman gets his hook and line stuck underwater at times whilst fishing, upon trying to retreive that line, it often snaps leaving the hook and line snagged underwater. Many waterfowl die from subsequently getting that hook caught whilst swiming/diving.

I didn't realise that WAB had a specific forum for fishing, and now that I do, I no longer wish to be a member of this forum. I would appreciate a manager removing my membership totally from this site as soon as is possible because I do not wish to be associated with any form of cruelty to wildlife.

...........If WAB ceases to endorse this bloodsport I would be happy to return.

If any other members don't like WAB supporting fishing it might be worth signing this thread.

....

Polecat,

I do respect your views. But I must say this, many people I know including myself became interested in nature from fishing. I began fishing at an early age and it was this and seeing what some anglers did to our environment that pushed me into the career im in today. Im now in my final year at university studying for a degree in conservation and environment and I teach bushcraft which is all about respecting our environment, taking what's needed and protecting what we have for our future. While I don't class fishing in the same league as fox hunting, I will say this, if we were to ban fishing and other forms of hunting we would lose a lot of our countryside to development as the land would not be used by humans, and in turn this would lead to lots more wildlife not only being made homeless but it would cause local populations of certain species to be lost forever. While I respect your opinions it is always worthwhile looking at these things from both sides of the fence.

Best wishes
Kris

[Bushcraft]

Originally Posted by UB4 gardener

am i missing something? where does it say WAB "supports a pro stance for fishing."

I hope you only eat organic food and disown any friends that use pesticides or own cats. I hope you didn't vote Labour as they continue to get the badger cull going, drive a car as they wipe out millions upon millions of invertebrates not to mention mammals and birds. I better not mention the Rothampstead traps the the CEH use for thier research. I could go on.


In the bigger picture I personally think that fishing produces a love of nature that no other hobby can. And also man made lakes and gravel pits kept open for fishing, that would normally have been filled and developed, are great havens for wildlife. just look at the lakes in the Colne Valley during winter.

I only really started posting yesterday and it would be a shame to see anyone go over a single thread.

Regards
Chris

I agree Chris

[Polecat]

This post isn't about calling anybody names or picking out individuals or attacking their own stance on what they understand is a passion for wildlife ( etc ) .

I also have no itention of entering into a debate on whether or not fishing is cruel.
I have the uptmost respect for All members I have chatted too here ( which includes several fishermen )

fishermen DELIBRATLEY harm fish in order to have their recreational fun. I feel this is cruel to the fish . Such cruelty on a forum which I UNDERSTOOD ( mistakenly until today ) represented wildlife LOVERS has left me with no choice.


WAB supports fishing by merit of having its own forum about the sport.

[StuartDH]

Hi Polecat,

Sorry, but I'm not quite sure what you're referring to when you say that Wild About Britain endorses bloodsports. Please could you point me to the specific thread or webpage where you read this information.

As a charity, Wild About Britain doesn't take a stance on any particular sport or activity within wildlife and the natural environment. The opinions of the charity's trustees, administrators, moderators, editors and members do not necessarily reflect those of the charity.

Originally Posted by Polecat

If this forum is about the love and interest of UK's wildlife and its conservation and a platform for like-minded individuals to share this interest, it should be a place where all forms of cruelty towards wildlife are despised. perhaps I don't understand what this forum is about?

Wild About Britain aims to provide a facility that will present every angle of every debate on all wildlife and environment issues. This website attracts an eclectic mix of visitors from all over the UK and from all walks of life. As a wildlife education charity, we feel that we can only best serve the interests of education if we can openly present the facts from both sides of the debate.

We allow open discussion on hunting, badger culls, fishing, game shooting and any other legal activities, as long as the debates are civil, and all parties are respectful of each others point of view. From this freeflow of information we hope to provide members and visitors with all the available material to make their own decision about the ethics of these activities.

Wild About Britain doesn't aim to take a stance in support of either side of these debates, as there are many groups that already provide these facilities. However, we are happy to provide external links that will enable members and visitors to further their interests and support for these groups (as long they're legal), either for/against the above activities.

Originally Posted by Polecat

I would not visit a forum that endorsed fishing as, IMO, it is a cruel sport which causes a great deal of harm and suffering to a lot of wildlife, not just fish. for example, every fisherman gets his hook and line stuck underwater at times whilst fishing, upon trying to retreive that line, it often snaps leaving the hook and line snagged underwater. Many waterfowl die from subsequently getting that hook caught whilst swiming/diving.

As I mentioned above, we're more than happy to include your opinions on the site, however, we will also be happy to hear from any members who disagree with your opinions and support fishing or any other legal wildlife activities.

Originally Posted by Polecat

I didn't realise that WAB had a specific forum for fishing, and now that I do, I no longer wish to be a member of this forum.

We don't currently have a forum dedicated to fishing, but I couldn't discount the possibility that we may have one at some time in the future.

Originally Posted by Polecat

I would appreciate a manager removing my membership totally from this site as soon as is possible because I do not wish to be associated with any form of cruelty to wildlife.

...........If WAB ceases to endorse this bloodsport I would be happy to return.

If any other members don't like WAB supporting fishing it might be worth signing this thread.

....

I appreciate that this can be a very emotive issue, and so you may not wish to take part in the forum as it could openly include conversations about fishing, hunting or any other wildlife activities. To this end, if you no longer wish to be a member of the forum, please PM me and I will close your account.

Kind regards

Stuart

[UB4 gardener]

I don't disagree that fishing is cruel, but the suffering of coarse fish is nothing compared to sea fish. I know a lot of fishes swim bladders expand and pop into thier mouths as it's dragged up through the depths in a trawlers net.

some people can be wildlife lovers and yet put down slug pellets or kill off the greenfly on thier roses in the garden. do they deserve a gardening forum? maybe not a blood sport but i'm sure if you were to tally up the amount of wildlife killed or made to suffer just because its in the wrong place at the wrong time then i'll bet you fishing comes nowhere near top.

I wonder if anything would have been mentioned if it was signal crayfish being crunched or himalayan balsam being burnt. if you say they are aliens and don't belong, then in theory you could say the same to all stocked lakes (which the vast majority are). i apologise if i am sounding aggressive, i don't meant to, just at work and in a hurry

In theory "fishermen DELIBRATLEY harm fish in order to have their recreational fun" could read Conservationists DELIBERATELY harm wildlife to conserve wildlife. the vast majority of habitats that make up our nature reserves,if not all, are interferred with, e.g. coppicing and woodland clearing for woodland butterflies and dormice, grazing for grasslands, scrub clearing for heaths. and for species that might only be endangered in this country but plentiful in europe. Do you still join the trusts and societies? where does the line get drawn?

if you still choose to leave then fair enough, would have been a good debate

best wishes
Chris

[matt_xyz]

Hi Polecat,

I hope you don't leave WAB. As StuDH points out, this forum should be a platform for all viewpoints and your viewpoint is as legitimate as anyone elses. For what it's worth, I fall firmly on the anti-bloodsport side of the fence and am well aware that there are many WAB members who don't share my views (a debate on fox hunting some time ago confirmed this), but I think it's more important that we concentrate on the things WAB members do have in common. Namely, a deep interest in Britsh wildlife and a concern to protect it (although clearly protection means different things to different people ).

Matt

[Polecat]

Thankyou for the trouble taken in your replies.

Allowing pro-fishing threads in the 'water life' forum is what I mean regarding WAB having its own forum. This is then further degenerated by the allowing of adverts for fishing on those pages.

running another, bigger forum, i do know how difficult it is to keep the integrity of a site intact.......with interests of members conflicting and running costs to bear in mind.

No matter that fishing is legal, it is cruel to that particular form of wildlife.

I find myself feeling hypocritical just by having my thread, which could be about the 3 hours it took me to save a mouse, next to one that endorses killing a fish for fun.......in fact it makes me feel horrible............

And my interest must be different in substance to the ethos of this site. I want to be a member of a forum that does NOT welcome a pro- discussion on grouse shooting, pheasant shooting, rabbit shooting, fishing etc....any form of blood sport....even if it's legal to do so in Britain.

Thanks



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[cherrybee]

It was interesting reading this thread as I often go to the reservior on our commons and regularly meet some very nice people including fishermen.I have spoken to a lot of them there and every one I spoke to explained about why they fish.I also found out that each and every one of the ones I spoke to have great respect for the fish they catch.They showed me what they do when they put them back in the water once they have had a quick photo and I must say they care a lot about them.I watched one man with a type of cradle which he held for a long time in the water until the fish was ready to swim gently away.In no way did he hurry the fish and also they carry antiseptic and other stuff to put on there mouths.Another one said they sometimes have spawning sores which they also treat before putting them back.If ever they see anyone just chucking the fish back in willy nilly they also have a word and show them how they should do it.Some of them also refuse to use barbed hooks and still enjoy their sport.May be there are some who dont take as much care and whenever I have been there I have never seen any discarded fishing line etc.There is a strict rule that all fishermen make sure it is cleared and also they cannot fish there without a licence.It is a very popular place for fishing very tranquil and very friendly .Until I started my wildlife walks I would never have known this and I found it very nice to hear they care about the fish they catch.