Are there any vegetarians who go fishing for fun and release their fish?

Question

I've been a veggie for a year now. My family always goes out in the summer to fish though. I don't know how I feel about fishing for fun if I release the fish just yet.... I think the chance of the fish getting the hook stuck in their gills, and me being the cause of their death, would probably bother me. (Since I don't eat them!)

What do you think? Would it be cruel? Weird, etc?

Thanks for the advice!

Answer 1

if your conscience is telling you that it's wrong, listen.....

why would you do anything you feel guilty about because it might be fun?  you'd regret it later.....and keep in mind that even though fishing might be fun for you, fishing isn't fun for fish =(

Answer 2

No I don't go fishing.

Although I did once, but I just sat on a little cliff and threw worms in the water and watched the fish eat them.

Answer 3

No.

Answer 4

Yes there are people that are vegetarian and fish for fun.

It causes the fish shock, increases the change of infections through scars etc, and some fish will die when hooks cannot be retrieved.

Some think those risks are acceptable and a decent trade off for thier entertainment and so fish.

Answer 5

It is not cruel and it is not weird.  Whether you are vegetarian or not this is common practice in some countries such as the UK,  to catch fish,  weigh them,  take a snap holding their catch,  and then releasing the fish back into the water for some other fisherman to do the same all over again.

Answer 6

A lot of the fishes end up dying even with the "catch and release" system. The stress to their little bodies is often too much for them to handle, not to mention fish have very sensitive nerve endings around their mouths.  Think how it must feel to have a hook slice through your mouth and then you get hauled up by that hook and kept out of water where you slowly suffocate.

Answer 7

Well, I guess it depends on your reasons for being vegetarian. There might be some people who are vegetarian just for health reasons and fishing wouldn't bother them.

Personally, I think catch and release is still cruel. It causes extreme stress and suffering for fish to be impaled by a hook and pulled out of the water. (Imagine if you were pulled into an environment where you couldn't breathe.) Many of the released fish die from their stress and injuries.

It seems unnecessary to harm animals just for the sake of some entertainment. It's your decision to make, though.

EDIT:

You're very welcome and thanks (on behalf of the fish) for making a compassionate decision!! :-)

Answer 8

It doesn't matter if you throw it back or not, you're stabbing the poor thing with a hook that hurts and that's cruel.

Answer 9

i used to be a vegetarian until recently and before i went on holiday in the japanese countryside once and they had this festival where they close off a part of a river with nets and visitors can attempt to catch fish with their hands!!!! it was really fun and if you are a vegetarian you could put it back in the water, maybe you could always go fishing wwith different tools that doesnt get stuck in their gills, like a small net or something....

hope that helped :D