Is fishing cruel?

[Hotzone417]

When I was growing up, my dad took me fishing a few times. Thought it was incredibly boring. I'd catch a few fish, then we'd eat them, but still boring. My dad still fishes a lot, and sends me photos of his catches. I normally say something along the lines of "nice catch" or "cool". I feel bad because I'm probably encouraging my dad to continue fishing. It's just cruel to me. Putting the fish through the trauma of a hook being pireced through their mouth, and dragged out of the water. What do you think about fishing? Is it cruel, or not?

[Oliverlogan263]

Dude, that's a really tough question. Fishing is definitely a controversial topic when it comes to animal cruelty. I can totally see both sides of the argument.

On one hand, you're right that it does put the fish through a lot of trauma - getting hooked, pulled out of the water, and potentially killed. That's gotta be super stressful and painful for them. It's not exactly a pleasant experience.

And I get why you feel bad about potentially encouraging your dad to keep doing it, especially if you personally find it boring and cruel. You don't wanna be supporting something you see as unethical.

At the same time, a lot of people would argue that fishing, when done responsibly, isn't necessarily cruel. It's a way for people to get food, connect with nature, and enjoy a hobby. As long as the fish are killed quickly and humanely, some would say it's no different than hunting or eating other meat.

Personally, I'm a little torn on it. I can see the valid concerns about animal cruelty. But I also know fishing is a really important part of many people's lives and culture. It's a complex issue without a clear right or wrong answer.

I guess my advice would be to just be honest with your dad about how you feel. Let him know you're conflicted about it, but that you support him regardless. Maybe you could even suggest looking into more ethical fishing practices or catch-and-release options.

At the end of the day, it's up to each person to decide if they're comfortable with it or not. There's no need to feel guilty about your stance on it. Just focus on being a good son and having open, honest conversations with your dad about it.

[Iquestioneverything]

I used to fish for fun, no more. The fish on the hook is in pain, struggling with all its energy. The struggle alone can kill a fish, or make it easy to be attacked by larger fish. Improper hooking can maim a fishes other body parts like eyes, fins, gills. Even if the fish survives and you let it go, you must move it back and forth in the water to get it breathing properly or it will just sink to the bottom and suffocate. Then there’s a chance a hook wound can get infected.
Unless you intend on catching one or two fish to eat, it should not be labeled as a sport it’s cruel. I don’t fish anymore.

[Agape93]

No, and being hooked is much nicer than being eaten alive by a bear, or suffocating to death in an algae bloom only to just rot away.

[Nikki1989]

Killing anything by default is cruel. You can't sugarcoat it.