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USSfN:  8/17/02 - The animal activists at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) are at it again.  After hearing a news report on the radio that PETA was trying to ban fishing in all state parks in the U.S., I decided to check out their site.  Their anti-fishing site is actually http://www.fishinghurts.com/.  Yes, this really is an existing site.

Once there, my blood pressure must have gone up 100 points.  They compare fishing to "reaching for an apple on a tree and having your hand suddenly impaled by a metal hook that drags you— the whole weight of your body pulling on that one hand—out of the air and into an atmosphere in which you cannot breathe." 

They go on to say that fish experience pain much in the same way that cute and cuddly puppies and kittens do.  "Fish suffer from being impaled, thrown, crushed, or mutilated while alive, and they are often left to die slowly and painfully of suffocation."

Furthermore, did you know that eating fish is dangerous?  According to this article, "Like the flesh of other animals, fish flesh contains excessive amounts of protein, fat, and cholesterol."   I guess this means they won't be joining me for my next shore lunch.

PETA has even enlisted Linda McCartney to star in a anti-fishing public service announcement.  They also have Boy Scout Senior Patrol Leader Justin Aligata, age 15, staring in PETA's new television commercial encouraging Boy Scouts not to violate Boy Scout Law by going fishing.  "Boy Scout Law says we're not supposed to hurt or kill harmless things without reason. So I just couldn't hook helpless animals in the mouth, yank them out of their environment, and still call myself a Boy Scout," says Justin in the commercial.  Does this sound like he is reading a prepared script or what?

I guess this is just one more reason why we should get behind sites/organizations like www.teenanglers.com and "Take a Kid Fishing" programs.  I just hope that someone is able to help poor Justin soon.  -Jim