by Author Name Withheld 231

Created on: August 27, 2008   Last Updated: September 09, 2008

Yes, of course it should be legal. Have we really gotten to this point, where we're debating whether the catch and release of a fish should be legal? Has anyone ever heard that an idle mind is the Devil's workshop? People have hobbies, some different than others. Fishing happens to bring peace and tranquility to a lot of people's lives. Where would Stephen King's ideas manifest, if he wasn't able to put it on paper? How much more dangerous would Mike Tyson have been, if he wasn't able to fight for a living? This is a relaxation device for many people, and most of these these people, I'm sure, feel they're being humane by releasing the fish; the fish gets to live another day. Fishing, like writing, martial arts and any other hobby, might be what is keeping some people from committing horrific atrocities.

I like a lot of people, do understand animal rights; nothing deserves to be badly hurt; I agreee-especially when it comes to animals which have an attention span greater than that of a fish; after scouring the internet for information regarding the intelligence of fish, I found they have an Einstein-esque attention span of anywhere between 4-26 seconds. Amazing. So if you catch and release a fish, then recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the fish you caught and released will already have forgotten about it's own capture and release. It's really very inhumane. There is no reason to keep over-worked Americans from enjoying whichever hobbies they may have, as long as they're not harming anyone else. Do you really want to stop the twenty-four million yearly fishing trips in Florida? This is a past time for a lot of families, passed down generation to generation. Tradition should be left alone.

Florida, 1997, Boca Grande researches tagged twenty-seven Tarpon with sonic transmitters and found that twenty-six of these hook-and-line caught Tarpon survived. Scientists also repeatedly caught Bonefish being kept in a large pond. Ninety-six percent of them survived, and the few fish which perished, were caught anywhere from 5-10 times a piece. This information is very positive feedback, considering the doomsday portrait some people are painting. Instead of telling Americans that another one of their freedoms are being stripped away, how about we teach to them proper catch-and release techniques, such as:

*Using the proper bait and test, so you can land the fish as quickly as possible

*After landing the fish as quickly as possible, remove the hook while the fish is still in the water.

*Avoid the use of gaffs and never remove large fish from the water

*If a hook proves difficult to remove, opt to use long-nosed pliers, or some sort of hook-removal device

*Wet your hands or gloves, before handling the fish

*Putthe fish back into the water head first

In a time and era where our Civil Liberties are being taken out of citizens hands, the dollar is crashing and people are being over-stressed, the last thing we should do is take from them one of their relaxing hobbies. Also, think about it, if this is made illegal and legislation is passed on it in virtually every state, how much money are tax payers going to have to fork over? Fish have a much bigger problem than catch-and-release fisherman; have you seen the Hudson River, in New York? Pollution, my friends. That's what fish truly have to worry about. True story: I have seen catfish with buck teeth, liver spots and more than two eyeballs. I'm not even trying to be humorous.

Let people live their lives. Please.

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