Trav Please

[Trav]

This subject is so burnt on this forum.

Yet, given a few comments of dissension aimed in my direction on a certain thread has ministered this topic.

It is unreal how passionate people are toward both sides of the subject. It is a topic that is rehashed over and over on this and every other fishing forum. I have my opinions but they are as relevant as those who may think otherwise. However, lumping Trav in with a bunch of liberal wildlife zealots such as PETA only proves you don’t know the man at all.

My feelings of the topic are simple.

It is legal to keep fish. So as long as the law gives fishermen that right I can’t and won’t debate the practice.

I fish with family and friends who love to eat fish and pack their freezers full of crappie, trout, whites and catfish. With humor, they tolerate my preaching when I am with them. I do project my catch and release adamancy when it comes to Bass, Walleye, Muskie and any trophy sized fish, no matter the species. And if you know me, you take it in jest and do what the heck you want, knowing that I won’t hate you for thinking different than myself.

I will always say what I feel and will continue to state my disgust with the practice of keeping large fish whether it is popular or not. This does not mean I take it personal. Laugh at me and do what is your legal right. I will dig out a stringer to keep your fish on. The fact I use my live well to store gear is something you have to accept. My opinions are just that. A philosophy of what I strive to express. I simply state a comment and if it ruffles feathers then I have achieved a little satisfaction.

Come on! If you are going to get angry then you are taking it a bit more serious than I am. With that said, allow me to vent. I snipe at things and state reality. If you find it offensive, get over it. The law is in fact on the opposite side of what my perfect world is.

Now, to respond to the comparison made to hunting. It is down right comical.

Hunting can’t even be considered in the same category when it comes to the regulation aspect as fishing.

I am not a deer hunter but I do enjoy the mentality I have as a bird hunter. As a pheasant enthusiast, it is the practice to shoot roosters and leave the hens to repopulate. The difference between deer and pheasants is simple. With deer, it is about population control not population success. That is why buck tags are limited and doe tags are unlimited during most seasons. If only fishing can be so black and white.

Hunting has seasons and game is protected during the time of year they reproduce and raise young. Unlike fishing where everyone is arming themselves to nail those fish the minute they are at their most vulnerable.

Secondly, there is the matter of pressure. I don’t know the numbers precisely but I will dare to assume for every hunting license submitted in the state of Missouri there are 100 fishing licenses. I am not even considering the tourists who visit and expect to take home a cooler full of fish.

Let’s see. The acreage of land versus the acreage of water needs to be considered as well. The numbers of hunters are spread equally across the state where the numbers of fisherman are concentrated to less than ten percent of the same geography. Using my “off the cuff” numbers you have a hundred times more anglers working ten percent of what the hunters have available.

The idea of harvesting fish as a population control is ludicrous given this fact. The idea a fishery will be stunted by keeping the biggest of the species in the water doesn’t even make sense.

The difference between a fish population and a wildlife population is blunt. Wildlife is controlled by predatory behavior. We have to kill deer for there is no longer a natural predator to keep the population in check. When it comes to fish, the water controls itself. If there is a population of large fish then they will eat the small ones. It is that simple. The small fish which make it through this gauntlet and learn to grow big. The circle of life is complete.

Throw in the obvious factor of fishermen taking out those big fish then you will have a stunted small sized population of fish. Harvesting to have a trophy fishery has nothing to do with it. It is about maintaining the large fish to keep the small ones from over populating. Let’s not forget that a large fish will have better genes and produce more offspring than a small one during a spawn.

In a perfect world, any fish making it to the peak of appetite consumption will be protected. That is the natural checks and balances.

Granted, the current cycle of fishermen harvesting the cream of the crop creates an environment in which a level of imbalance is created. So my question is this. Is the philosophy of a population check of fish the fishery’s fault or ours?

Let me remind you. This is not a debate. It is a dead horse conversation with so many of us with differing opinions it is pointless. I simply raise questions and if you don’t see the answers meeting my own it is to be expected. We don’t need to argue over this. I just see things my way and if you don’t see them the same, I am willing to agree to disagree.

After all, it is a known fact only ten percent of the fishermen catch ninety percent of the fish so it really doesn’t matter most of the time.

I am only grateful to be in the top ten percentile and let the big ones live. My opinion should not threaten yours.

[Ham]

Trav Please!

Who are you arguing with?

So,you practice and preach selective harvest? That's not really that controversial. You choose not to keep fish yourself, but will tolerate those fishing with you in your boat to keep fish which again shouldn't be getting anyone that upset.

You could look up the data about number of fishing licenses sold vvs number of hunting licenses sold fairly easily so no real need for a SWAG there. Given the difficulty in having places to hunt verses easy access to fishing and the lower start up cost to fish vs start up cost to hunt, I would assume that you are correct. Your point that hunting and fishing are apples and oranges is fairly valid and shouldn't be causing anyone to lose any sleep.

I wish the Game and Fish folks could regulate purely on what the fisheries need, but there are lots of other influences that can't be ignored. In general though, our fishing is good shape. PLUS it takes so stinking long to do a scientific survey that if the fishery is really in trouble the damage will have been done long before they can respond.

It's a beautiful day, go outside and enjoy it.