Carp Addiction said:
I always catch and release EVERYWHERE I fish, as I believe commercial fisheries do a good enough job to feed the masses and already dispose of enough tons of wasted/unsold fish corpses for everyone.
*We all live on this planet together so only use it if you NEED it* and if you can afford to live and to go fishing in Toronto, you should probably be able to afford some live tilapia from No Frills and such.
Just a quick detour around the topic...
Responsible, selective harvest of recreational catches will protect a fishery and sustain fish populations for much longer than commercial fishery that harvest fish populations until the fishery crashes...and in some cases unrecoverable...
It is the difference between catching your own table fish and being able to determine on your own the size and number to be kept, as well as the release of all bycatch in prompt fashion for best chance of survival...vs...
1) Commercial bottom trawling that destroy seafloor beyond recovery
2) Commercial longlining that has terrible bycatch
3) Any other form of commercial netting with bycatch (gill net, purse seine...etc)
3) Commercial fish farming (yes, even the live tilapia from No Frills that people in Toronto can afford) that release fish waste, hormones and antibiotics to pollute surrounding environments
Only some of the more sustainably harvested species (hook and line halibut, hook and line skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna and bluefin tuna) should be supported if you are a purist (not saying you are...but just in principle).
So are we doing any better shopping for seafood and fish at the supermarket in the whole scheme of things? No. We're just depleting other areas of the world in hopes to save our own little corner of the world...but don't let that fool anyone that no blood was spilt and hands are clean.
Something to think about.
