Recreational Fishing

And The Research Says, Animal Rights?

By and large, traditional animal rights -- as a movement, that is -- has given little, if any, focus to the area of catch and release fishing. The campaigns of the animal rights activists have historically focused on a variety of issues, including but not limited to, laboratory testing of animals, factory farming, vegetarianism / veganism, abolition of fur, rodeo and circus brutality, urban and rural animal overpopulation, and recreational hunting.

In fact, conventional wisdom seems to only add to the notion that catch and release fishing does not compare to 'real' animal brutality. For example, according to a survey of animal rights activists participating in the 1996 ìMarch for Animalsî in Washington, D.C., when asked about the types of animal use that cause the greatest amount of suffering each year, 60% of the participants indicated agriculture, 34% said animal research, 3% said hunting, and 3% indicated either trapping, dissection, or other.

Additionally, these same activists indicated that the animal rights movement should focus most on animals used for food (48%), animals used in research (38%), animals used for clothing or fashion (5%), animals used in sports or entertainment (5%), animals in the wild (3%), and animals used in education (2%). While a significantly smaller percentage than agriculture and research, hunting is still seen as one of the most cruel animal exploitation activities and one that animal rights groups believe needs attention.

Why then have activists' shied away from recreational fishing. All indications are that a campaign focused on putting an end to recreational fishing is not a winnable campaign. Yet each and every day, millions of fish are needlessly harmed for no reason other than for the recreational enjoyment of human beings.

More Thoughts To Follow Soon!