I love to fish but I rarely ever eat what I catch. Instead, I pierce my fish and then throw them back. This is not cruel and unusual. In fact, it really doesn't hurt the fish at all. There are many reasons that catching and releasing a fish can be a good thing.

If everyone in the world kept and ate all the fish they caught, fish would be extinct. If we continue to throw them back into the water, they are around longer for someone else to catch, or for us to catch again later.

Smaller fish can get bigger. If we catch all the babies, what's going to be left? Throwing a fish back into the water gives it a chance to grow into a larger fish. It may even turn into record size for the area it is caught in. If a person keeps that fish, then it will never grow to its potential.

In most cases, it isn't always easy to tell when a fish is pregnant. I have known many people to be surprised when cutting the fish open and discovering an egg sack. Although caviar is a delicacy in some places, it is a mother's babies. Would you want someone to eat your baby?

All day fishing trips can be exhausting for a fish you caught first thing that morning. Keeping a fish on a stringer all day is almost inhumane. There is no sense in torturing a fish by stringing it. It can't go very far at all. It has to just lay there in the water and wait for the inevitable.

Fish are pretty good to eat but a lot of work to prepare. You have to clean and scale the fish. In some fish, there are even tiny bones that make them even more awkward to deal with.

Let's face it, fish aren't the cleanest creatures around. They swim around in their own urine and wastes. Some lakes are even polluted. This may mean that the fish aren't as healthy as they should be. You may not even know that there is something wrong with the fish until you get sick after eating it.

We've all heard fisherman's tales. There are fish that set records we could only dream of. Some fishermen like to tell their stories and embellish the truth a little. If they release the fish they are talking about, they can make it as big or as small as they want to in their heads.

I don't think that everyone should throw back every fish they catch. I know that keeping some fish prevents overpopulation. There are even some people who fish to feed their families. I don't hold that against anyone. I think it is a matter of choice. However, if a person has the option they may want to consider throwing them back in. Yes, there are other fish in the sea. Let's keep it that way.

Learn more about this author, Laura Leigh Fields.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Reasons to support catch and release fishing methods ?
We want to hear your view. Write now!