Shane at the Quiet Pool blog isn’t one to hide his feelings. In this thought-provoking post, he rips into “outdoorsmen” who value their own interests over what might be termed the greater good:
A fisherman in Newport Beach, California stabs a sea lion to death with a steak knife for stealing his bait…and on the top NW fishing forum he is applauded! One neanderthal even likened this guys killing of the sea lion to the civil disobedience of Rosa Parks!!!! On a fly fishing forum a thread about native Americans netters on the Columbia runs for several days with the majority of posters railing against the tribal harvest with some posts bordering on racism. My God!!! what is wrong with these people? Are we so self absorbed that the ends justify the means no matter what?
Are we so selfish that we can’t see past our own interests? I’ve witnessed fly fishers doing some pretty rank things to “less desirable” species in the hopes it would “improve” the trout population, as if trout were the only link in the great chain that mattered…
[tags]fly fishing, fisheries[/tags]
This is a very important insight. I’ve often been disturbed by how some outdoorsmen treat the environment. These are people who should be concerned with sporting ethics. Locally, there are fishermen who toss shad on the bank to die when deemed “too large for bass to eat.” Some bowfishers (not all by any means) indiscriminately kill fish, apparently for the sheer pleasure of it, and leave the carcasses to rot at public boat ramps. If you’re going to kill something, please have a good reason for it, like to eat it for crying out loud!
And I’m not trying to imply that I’m totally without blame here. This topic raises some interesting questions about tailwaters, for instance. Are some trophy tailwater fisheries (including the power they generate and other benefits) more valuable than the stream in its natural state, which might only support smallmouth bass and shiners? As a trout fisherman, part of me wouldn’t want to lose, say, the Hiwassee tailwater in Tennessee, but that river’s natural state might actually be more valuable for “the greater good.” Would we as fly fishers be willing to “take one for the team?” An interesting topic…
hawgdaddy
hawgdaddy(Quote)
This often plays out in the West when non-native species are poisoned out in favor of native species, but we’re seeing it in other areas too.
There has been resistance among some sport fishers to reducing dependence on hatchery stocks of salmon in favor of wild fish because limits shrink as a result.
It’s hard to argue that hatchery salmon are anything but damaging to wild fish populations, yet the resistance remains.
Tom Chandler(Quote)
Whether you’re talking about the population of a city or a group like “outdoorsmen,” there will always be people that behave in a way contrary to that group’s beliefs.
As hawgdaddy suggests, we all need to look beyond our own interests to take one for the team… but this also suggests that everyone would agree what that exactly is…
Greg at Ultracrete9000(Quote)