Is Angling A Blood Sport?

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 2:34 am

Do you think that angling will ever be branded a 'blood sport', and be subjected to a national ban? There is certainly an anti-angling lobby out there. I was 'slagged off' a couple of weeks ago by a woman in a wheelchair on Southend Pier; 'do you like inflicting pain on little creatures' she sniped, followed by, 'people like you make me sick'. I was going to make a seething reply, but instead just ignored her.

Tight Lines.

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 8:02 am

:lol: Blood sport?......... I don't think so mate.

A pack of hounds and a double barrel shotgun on the pier might be a good idea though.

If your not catching fish, you can always go hunting for 'little old ladies in wheelchairs'....... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:21 pm

I usually ask them if Jesus was a moral sort of chap, they agree that he was (difficult not to really), I then explain that going out fishing with his mates was the only pastime of his mentioned in the bible. If that doesn't convince them I just tell them to &*^% off.

Guest

The antis will start on us sooner or later, but in order to ban angling, they would have to ban all commercial fishing and that ain't gonna happen. And just think of the huge amount of revenue that would be lost.

I've read quite a few reports about anti angling campaigners attacking anglers but it's usually children, women and pensioners that are targetted.

Brave, aren't they!!!

Guest

We'd be foolish to think it wasn't, we do take fish home don't we? The difference to me seems to be the eating of what we kill. Fox Hunting was the figure head bloodsport that the antis picked on because it was easier to convince the public that there was a problem with it (although they missed the point that foxhunting made foxes worth money and therefore landowners encouraged foxes environment for the hunting).

The RSPCA produced a report over ten years ago that suggested that angling should be banned so don't think that nobody has thought about it! Rather than being banned I personally think we will see tighter rules on what we can and cannot do - for the time being though the antis still seem to be preoccupied with the foxy lot, who seem to be running rings round the new laws.

As a footnote I have to say I don't see fishing as a sport - to me it can't be a sport if you kill something.....no form of hunting is any kind of sport to the hunted.

Guest

I think this is only becomes a difficult ethical issue if you have a certain perspective on animals which sees them as having relatively equal rights to man.

Angling is a blood sport in the normal sense in which it is understood (Blakdog's definition being accepted about the term sport) but I don't have a problem with that- same as I dont have a problem with Koreans eating dog- you're on very shaky ground if you say only certain animals should be slaughtered if they conform to our own narrow view of what is acceptable- different cultures have very different values and i dont subscribe to cultural imperialism.

What I do have however, is a class perspective on these issues. i am totally opposed to fox-hunting. Not because i have strong feelings about fluffy little red-tailed animals being chased around the countryside but my opposition is purely on the grounds of class spite. Anything to spoil the fun of hooray henry's - and yes I know there are poor people involved in hunting as well but hey ho.

If it'd been me on the pier I'd probably have said no I dont like inflicting pain but it's the cross I will have to bear as the said fish is destined for the dinner table.

I have great respect for blokes who work in slaughterhouses- because I personally wouldnt fancy doing their job- though I'd do that rather than bum off the state- BUT I understand that the meat I eat was once a living animal that came to an untimely end to put dinner on my table- what I cant stick is people who get on their moral high horse about animal cruelty while tucking into a nice rib of beef.

Guest

stuartdv's point about the do-gooders was pretty prevalent when we had the live export demos down here. all the demonstrators would block the roads, wake up peoples kids in the evening and generally make a pain-in-the-a*@e of themselves (mind you so did the police) complaining about the calves being exported for veal - when they'd done demonstrating they used to pop into the local cafe for Cod and Chips, the Cod probably having been suffocated in the back of a commercial net.

I get what you say about the class thing (and we used to lay false trails to mess up the local hunt when I was a kid) but I have to say that I like the antis even less, or at least the ones who behave more like football hooligans than demonstrators. Also, although the individual fox that got caught lost out, for the species as a whole fox hunting was doing it a favour - the normal fox hunt is about the most ineffective way of killing foxes I can think of - a lot more die now that the professional pest controllers are being called in more frequently.

It all boils down to the fact that humans look at things in individual terms and then do exactly the same for animals - as you effectively say "yes I kill fish, but I only kill what I intend to eat and at least I do the dirty work myself".

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:21 pm

No it's not a blood sport IMO.

I do shooting, Rabbits, Pigeons Rats etc - Thats Vermin Control, but in a sense is a "BLOOD" sport, as I do kill.

You will probably find she is a carrot crunching vegan & opinionated against any form of animal cruelity.

If she ever accosts you again, take a careful look & see if you can spot any leather or suede etc & explain they are derived from "Blood".

Then tell her you are only catching yer feckin dinner & to pi$$off coz you aint going hungry for no one :twisted:

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 5:41 pm

Ok gents, going back to the Bible bit, not only did Jesus go fishing but Peter had a vision: God let down a net from heaven containing all kinds of creatures including insects,snakes, lizards and FISH. God then said to Peter "Kill and eat." Peter said he couldn't eat some of the stuff because it was "unclean" (to the Jews). God then said to Peter "How dare you disobey me when I have provided all this stuff for men to eat" or words to that effect.....
Now, what is the old girl likely to do about my cat I wonder which nips out the back and kills because it knows no other way of eating. In fact, if you try feeding a cat almost anything which does not originate from flesh, it will die eventually because it is a true predator and it's digestion system is geared up that way.
Next, you will not understand fox hunting unless you have lived a good part of your life in the country: 1. In the village where I grew up, half the population was involved in a hunt when it took place, the reason why the local nobility were involved was because only they could afford to maintain a pack and stables. Oiks like me joined in but could not afford the gear so it was lent to us. 2. Farmers do shoot foxes as well but very often the animal is only wounded and slinks away to die a slow and painful death - if the hounds catch one, it is gone in about half a minute I can assure you.
I have only one problem with fishing: Those guys like my brother who go to a muddy puddle somewhere and keep catching the same fat carp over and over just to boost their egos. That really is taking the p**s out of the poor old carp.