| ANGLERS
have hit back at animal right activists who renewed calls for
the sport to be outlawed after new research proved fish do feel
pain.
Chris Logsdon, manager of Mid Kent Fisheries,
based at Chilham near Canterbury, said if angling was banned
it would drive the sport underground.
“If angling was banned who would
police the lakes and look after the river systems? If people
think by banning angling they are looking after the fish they
live in cloud-cuckoo-land - people would fish illegally,”
he said.
“Anglers are the first line of
defence for our rivers and lakes. If it wasn’t for angling
lakes and rivers would be in very poor condition because most
enhancement works are carried out and funded by angling organisations.”
However animal rights groups have renewed
the campaign to have angling banned after evidence of pain
perception in fish was revealed today(April 30) by a team
from the Roslin Institute and the University of Edinburgh.
They found 58 pain receptors on the head
of the trout that responded to stimuli and when researchers
injected bee venom into the trouts’ lips they rubbed
their lips on the gravel and rocked about.
Mr Logsdon said: “It is my opinion
that fish could feel stress when being caught, but we cannot
relate what fish feel to human pain, because we are not the
same. My opinion is that fish cannot feel pain in the same
sense as humans, otherwise they wouldn’t take the anglers’
bait, which they would associate with pain.”
The vast majority of anglers are “conservation
minded”, taking great care when handling their fish
and also taking care of the environment around them. Mr Logsdon
said: “There is no way that anglers would chance hurting
the fish because they are then destroying their own quarry.
They take great care in making sure the fish are in good condition.
If they find any sores they would treat them with antiseptic
on the bank before releasing them into the wild.”
Anglers insist they have taken great
steps to improve fish welfare and environmental practices
in recent years. Anglers have banned the use of lead shot
and live baits. The majority of anglers now do not use keep
nets and if they are used for competition fishing they are
monitored very closely. Fish are no longer laid on the bank
when handled - unhooking mats are compulsory on most waters
- and every care is taken to ensure the welfare of the fish.
|
If angling was banned who would police
the lakes and look after the river systems
we cannot relate what fish feel to human
pain, because we are not the same
The vast majority of anglers are “conservation
minded”, taking great care when handling their fish
and also taking care of the environment around them
|
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