Practical Issues > Fishing/Hunting > Fishing - Index

See also the Advocates for Animals' infos relating to fish, and their campaign 'GLASS PRISONS, EMPTY LIVES', on:

 http://www.advocatesforanimals.org/  also visit: http://www.pisces.demon.co.uk/

Just put yourself in the place of the other, like the fish. You wouldn't want a hook to go through your lips when you are hungry and take a bite out of a sandwich or something. Many say that fish don't feel pain when they are hooked. But the fact is they have nerves throughout their body just the same as we do. So, a fish feels pain just as you or I would. Man is doing way too well thriving as a species. You probably won't accept my view on this, but I clearly see the evidence everywhere that man will grow and grow until man destructs himself by destructing this Earth. Having a war with animals (they don't even get to choose whether or not to be in it) isn't going to help stop mans self destruction. I personally have had animal friends that were much better to me than many people I have known. I also think it's only subtle circumstance that I was born a human animal instead of any other animal species. So, when it comes to any other animal (including humans), I could be that animal if things had went slightly different. It's unfortunate that so many people want to inflict tyranny on non-human animals in such a seemingly unstoppable way, that those who want to try to undo this injustice have to resort to war methods. But you know so many wars have been waged over so many causes. AR people didn't invent war or violence. I'm not going to apologize for this, especially when so many other wars against injustice are seen by most as very noble causes.

No, of course I thought all along that fish are real bad-asses and want to look cool to their friends by purposely biting on a sharp metal thing above their head in the water. Wolves eat rabbits, fish eat fish, etc etc... Some animals eat other animals, SOME DON'T. That seems to be conveniently over-looked by dedicated omnivore humans. It's such a bunch of crap for many reasons, the biggest being that all those animals eat meat raw and unseasoned. But humans can't stand to do that (a few exceptions- don't give me that "oh, I love sushi" crap). And humans can't seem to eat meat unless it's been seasoned with herbs (PLANTS). This "I'm just doing what the animals are doing" is total shit. Animals don't use hot water and live in an insulated house with climate control and all the luxuries one could want. If animals couldn't reason, they couldn't survive. Just because an animal doesn't want to live his or her life the way you live yours, doesn't mean they can't reason. You can't decide what the thoughts of another being are. If so, then you are god, and if so, prove it! The only being that is dangerously over-populated is man. I see people everywhere I go. I don't see many animals compared to how many people I see. Even in the forest. I've been to forest from Yosemite California to the forest of Germany, and didn't see that many animals. It's disappointing how few animals I've seen. The extreme opposite of over-population. Animal population balanced itself just fine before man came along. It's man who can't play by the rules. It is much more likely that I would be killed by over-populated humans (for money or my flesh) than by a hungry animal. As far as that scenario with the bear, me and a hunter: I'd walk away, the bear would have a full stomach, and the hunter? What hunter?

It would be great if it was just about different opinions, but there are real victims, millions, billions, trillions. Innocent VICTIMS! As far as breaking laws goes: If the laws are not just or those who make laws won't make laws to protect those who are treated unjust, or excludes some from being protected by laws, you can either do nothing or do what you can to change that, by legal and illegal means. If the legal ways work, you concentrate on that more, if they don't, you turn your back on a corrupt system of laws. The USA started by some people refusing to listen to laws. Slavery was protected by laws until a war was fought. I could go on and on. If you don't accept animal rights, you refuse to see the logic in what I mean. I personally see animals as being more important than humans. Because of the tyranny that they have lived under for all this time, it is necessary to see them as more important. Many AR people see animals and humans as being equal. Some even still find humans a little more important than animals. I hope you remember what I said about fishing. And I forgot to mention that it has to be a very traumatic experience for a fish to be pulled out of his or her habitat abruptly by a hook and not be able to breath while out of the water. I went fishing 2 times as a kid, I'm glad I didn't catch anything.

Leading scientists prove fish intelligence

A group of leading scientists have decreed that fish are not the "dimwits of the animal kingdom" but are socially intelligent creatures. They are not instinct driven but are "cunning", "manipulative" and "cultured".

Writing in the journal Fish and Fisheries, biologists from Edinburgh, St Andrews and Leeds universities dismiss the infamous "three-second memory" theory. Rather, fish have been observed pursuing strategies of manipulation, exhibiting stable cultural traditions and co-operating to inspect predators and catch food. They recognize individual shoal mates, use tools, build complex nests and exhibit longterm memories. The scientists added: "Although it may seem extraordinary to those comfortably used to prejudging animal intelligence on the basis of brain volume, in some cognitive domains, fishes can even be favourably compared to nonhuman primates".

These latest findings raise serious issues about keeping fish confined in small bowls and tanks. Advocates for Animals believes that fish should be left to live in their natural habitats.

From the Advocates for Animals Winter 2003 campaigns update, pp. 7.