Off topic fishing Ban Mailcopiesto: never

um. I'm not going to argue the matter here (it was done to rest in uk.environment.conservation some years back,and since then research has done more to support my case) but for the record: I will not support anglers. I regard sport fishing, particularly 'catch & return', as being completely and utterly barbaric, on a par with foxhunting in terms of cruelty to animals. Fish feel pain: researchers have done as much to demonstrate this as is possible, given that fish can't actually *speak* to tell us what they feel. Fish produce the chemicals that activate pain receptors, they show stress when subjected to events that we would regard as painful (ie a hook inserted in their jaw), and they actively avoid places in which they've experience pain... for as long as they remember it. If fish had better memories, sport angling would be much, much more challenging. If fish were mammals, fishing would be banned. As things stand: if you catch it, eat it. That's the rule. Stuffing the poor sods into a keepnet to be judged on total weight caught is too cruel for words. If the lake doesn't support enough fish for everyone's 'sport', issue licences based on the number of fish it produces.

regards sarah

-- Think of it as evolution in action.