(Author's note: This is the third and final part of my investigative report about the anti-fishing movement. Scroll down to read the first two parts. This package was published originally in B.A.S.S. Times.)
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Recreational fishing as we know it no longer exists in portions of Western Europe.
Even more disturbing, the seeds of its destruction are well established here.
Don?t be misled by the fact that 9 out of 10 Americans approve of legal fishing and support using fish for food.
When people are asked whether they approve of recreational fishing for sport, answers change dramatically. Twenty-five to 30 percent view angling for sport as cruel in more urbanized states such as Colorado and Arizona,? while about 20 percent feel the same way in more rural states, including Alaska and the Dakotas.
Those disturbing revelations come from researchers in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States, who recently compiled their findings in a report entitled, ?A Primer on Anti-Angling Philosophy and Its Relevance for Recreational Fisheries in Urbanized Societies.?
Such attitudes, the authors say, raise the possibility ?that extremist positions (or elements thereof) influenced by animal liberation or animal rights arguments might find their way into nongovernmental organizations, science, politics, and ultimately legislation.
?Such a development is particularly challenging for recreational fishers when it occurs where they have little political support. Without sufficient support, radical claims portraying anglers as cruel sadists who play with fish for no good reason can be rhetorically effective.?
Why is this happening?
Basically, the answer is that attitudes change regarding fish and wildlife as people move away from nature and into more urban settings. Their beliefs become guided more by what they see on television and in the movies than what they personally experience.
Anglers and hunters view fish and wildlife as resources to be used, while being managed wisely and treated with respect. Traditionally, most Americans have agreed with that ?utilitarian? philosophy.
But as people become more urbanized (and often more affluent), some begin to favor a ?mutualism wildlife value orientation, viewing wildlife as capable of relationships of trust with humans, as if part of an extended family, and as deserving of rights and caring.?
Mutualists, the authors say, ?are more likely to view fish and wildlife in human terms, with human personalities and characteristics.?
What?s coming down the road in the United States if mutualism prevails?
The Swiss Animal Welfare Act of 2008 highlights the nightmarish possibilities. The legislation makes catch-and-release illegal because ?it is in conflict with the dignity of the fish and its presumed ability to suffer and feel pain.?
A similar rule has been in place since the 1980s in Germany, where anglers also must take a course in fish handing before they can obtain a license.
?The argument runs that it is legally acceptable to go fishing only if one has the intention to catch fish for food,? the study says.
?Wider economic benefits created by angling are usually not considered a sufficient justification --- it all boils down to the individual benefits experienced by the angler, and here food provision is currently the only acceptable reason.??
In other words, recreational fishing as millions of Americans now enjoy it is not allowed.
What would imposition of such a system in the United States mean?
?It would mean that a majority of the nation?s more than licensed 30 million anglers would stop fishing.
It would mean an end to family outings and buddy tournaments, and depressurizing for a few hours after work at a local lake or pond.
It would mean the collapse of economies for coastal communities and cities along the Great Lakes, as well as hundreds of towns near popular inland lakes and reservoirs.
In the United States, more people fish than play golf and tennis combined, and, in doing so, they support more than one million jobs.
Through license fees and excise taxes, recreational anglers contribute $1.2 billion annually ?to preserve, protect, and enhance not just their sport, but also the environment that makes such sportfishing possible,? the American Sportfishing Association says. ?Across much of the country, angler dollars are the primary source for improving fish habitat, public access, and environmental education.?
All that could be gone if we allow a minority who believe fishing is cruel to dominate the conversation and dictate policy.
?Powerful intervention is needed to counterbalance such tendencies in a society where hunting and fishing are becoming less prominent and where an increasing percentage of the public has lost contact with wildlife and nature,? say the authors of the study.
What do we do about this? We go fishing, of course, and, at every opportunity, we introduce someone new to the sport. We practice good stewardship through individual actions, as well as club activities --- and we publicize accomplishments. Also, we make certain that decision makers at every level of government know about both the calculable and incalculable value of recreational fishing to individuals, families, and society.
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