Stop Catch and Release Fishing in WV
Stop Catch and Release Fishing in WV
The Issue
Catch and Release Fishing is a cruel practice disguised as a harmless sport. Fish are penetrated with hooks--ripped, bleeding, suffering severe psychological and physiological stress--then thrown back into the water where they often die from predators, shock, or both. This worsens the global issue of overfishing, adds to the depletion of biodiversity, and encourages cruelty to animals. Marine biologists agree that without enough fish the water systems will be unable to perform many of their essential functions, threatening all life on this planet.
A reform to catch and release fishing in West Virginia will be the shining example for the rest of the United States. We've polluted, dried, and intentionally drained an immensity of aquatic space. Imagine the feeling of invasion by hooks. Imagine how you feel when you suffer a cut or puncture wound. Fish feel pain in a similar way. Studies in physiology increasingly demonstrate that their neurologic system is similar to mammalian pain receptors.
Catch and release fishing is a form of torture.
In a sense, "catch and release" is as brutal as the matador slaying the bull in the ring. A scientific and cultural juxtaposition of the two "sports" can open eyes to the fact that both are inherently brutal practices. But, out of the two, only bullfighting is illegal in most nations.
As humans, we possess the unique prefrontal cortex consciousness to protect nonhuman animals, their ecosystems, and this planet's biosphere. This is a moral obligation. Switzerland, Germany, Columbia, and the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand have already banned catch and release fishing. Multitudes of fish are abused, brutalized, and overfished in West Virginia. We must urge lawmakers to create a law of conscience on behalf of our fellow creatures.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
References:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/12/there-is-ample-evidence-that-fish-feel-pain
https://www.peta.org/about-peta/why-peta/catch-and-release-fishing/
193
The Issue
Catch and Release Fishing is a cruel practice disguised as a harmless sport. Fish are penetrated with hooks--ripped, bleeding, suffering severe psychological and physiological stress--then thrown back into the water where they often die from predators, shock, or both. This worsens the global issue of overfishing, adds to the depletion of biodiversity, and encourages cruelty to animals. Marine biologists agree that without enough fish the water systems will be unable to perform many of their essential functions, threatening all life on this planet.
A reform to catch and release fishing in West Virginia will be the shining example for the rest of the United States. We've polluted, dried, and intentionally drained an immensity of aquatic space. Imagine the feeling of invasion by hooks. Imagine how you feel when you suffer a cut or puncture wound. Fish feel pain in a similar way. Studies in physiology increasingly demonstrate that their neurologic system is similar to mammalian pain receptors.
Catch and release fishing is a form of torture.
In a sense, "catch and release" is as brutal as the matador slaying the bull in the ring. A scientific and cultural juxtaposition of the two "sports" can open eyes to the fact that both are inherently brutal practices. But, out of the two, only bullfighting is illegal in most nations.
As humans, we possess the unique prefrontal cortex consciousness to protect nonhuman animals, their ecosystems, and this planet's biosphere. This is a moral obligation. Switzerland, Germany, Columbia, and the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand have already banned catch and release fishing. Multitudes of fish are abused, brutalized, and overfished in West Virginia. We must urge lawmakers to create a law of conscience on behalf of our fellow creatures.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
References:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/12/there-is-ample-evidence-that-fish-feel-pain
https://www.peta.org/about-peta/why-peta/catch-and-release-fishing/
193
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Petition created on July 27, 2023