Anglers fear ban on 'cruel' live bait will spread

[The Straight Story]

Anglers fear ban on 'cruel' live bait will spread

By Jasper Copping, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:30am GMT 07/01/2007

Anglers are to be banned from using live fish as bait after politicians decided it was cruel.

The ban, which will apply in Scotland, has angered fishermen south of the border who believe it has handed a major victory to animal rights campaigners calling for similar legislation in the rest of Britain.

Steve Greenway, a leading angler from Staffordshire who has been on 105 fishing trips to Scotland, said: "If I thought live bait was cruel, I wouldn't use it. Where will it all end? Do you stop using maggots and worms as well?"


Mark Barrett, the general secretary of the Pike Anglers' Club of Great Britain, said: "To have the law change like this on your doorstep is going to be a concern for people in the rest of the UK."

The blanket ban was a last-minute amendment to the Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill, which has just passed through the Scottish Parliament without any objections.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/07/nangle07.xml

[pocoloco]

1. Beer, Bait, and Ammo

Well I guess two outta three ain't bad?

[dipsydoodle]

2. There is an issue with this

which isn't always obvious. It's to do with taking live bait to a water from elsewhere and hence risking transferring disease. Spinning or using herring as dead bait ,for example, are just as effective anyway.

[Totallybushed]

7. Now there you are wrong.

Live bait is far more effective than either.

[alarimer]

8. That is a great concern

Exotic species, however their introduction can wreak havoc on ecosystems.
I think you could just ban non-native bait types then perhaps.

[sandnsea]

9. A boat can do that

I think boats are the culprit here because any time I've known a river to have a foreign disease in it, they ban boats and that sort of thing, not live bait.

[BoneDaddy]

3. And this is what we spend energy on

come on people.

[aquart]

4. Can't wait till they deal with feeding pet snakes.

[jody]

5. Next they'll ban flatulence. n/t

[nickynoo]

10. UK angler here....

This has been expected for a while here. Its not a major issue apart from the pike anglers club (PAC), who see it as an important method. However, deadbaiting (usually sea fish like herring and mackeral) has been shown to be as good if not better, and lure fishing is pretty effective as well.
Very few freshwater fish (apart from trout) are taken for the table (conservation is a top priority in UK angling), so it seems good sense to avoid unnecesary pain and damage to fish of all size and species. I believe the official reasoning IS fear of disease through the transfer of fish from one water to another, although the obvious pain and cruelty to the baitfish is probably at least as important (in the eyes of the public at least).
Dont forget that we have only recently banned fox and stag hunting here (personally, I was very pleased to see the end of these nasty "sports") :- fishing is the next obvious "target" for the anti-cruelty league.

[newyawker99]

13. Hi nickynoo!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[alarimer]

6. They try to pass something like this in Texas every session

But NOT out of animal rights concerns. It is because some powerful fishing interests (especially some members of the CCA) think people who use live bait catch too many fish. Sometimes live bait is more successful, but it is also easier. Inexperienced people are not going to stay in the sport if they are not successful (success means different things to different people but generally when people are starting out, it means just catching a few fish for the dinner table). Lures are more difficult to learn how to use (not always but often) and tend to catch fewer fish.

So in a roundabout way of getting to my point, some elements of the fishing lobby would prefer to see all live bait banned as well as catch and release only. But, even though their wants dovetail nicely with some animal rights groups, it is not out of concern for animals but rather to keep the fishery for themselves. Fly-fishing catch and release only is one goal, which effectively would limit the fishery to only those who can afford to do that. You can forget about beginning anglers, about introducing new people to the sport (which incidentally would help pay for the enforcement of laws through their license fees- if the number of anglers declines so does the amount of money available for enforcement and research).

[flvegan]

11. It is cruel. Good call!!!

I love it when "a leading angler" starts talking about his/her ethics against cruelty.

[Zhade]

12. I'm not a vegetarian or fervent animal-rights supporter...

...but live bait seems unusually cruel. I have issues with live seafood, too.