DESPATCH THE CATCH HUMANELY & HOW?

[CEO]

  16/3/09: Should recreational fishers despatch their catch humanely & how should that be done?
               Is stuffing live fish into the bag or fishbox, to die of suffocation, a humane way of despatching the catch? What are the options and why?

[ACTAngler]

Of course a fish to be kept should be despatched quickly and humanely.  It's one of the principles of the National Code of Practice for Recreational and Sport fishing. 

In the boat, it's straight into an ice/saltwater slurry for my catch intended for the table.

[clive]

Personanally I like to despatch my catch quickly but if you ask me why, you take us down a slippery slope CEO. We spend our lives claiming there's no cruelty involved in fishing and yet we are having a debate on this forum about the humanity of killing methods. Wonderful fodder for the animal libbers. If a fish has no feelings of pain, distress etc. why worry if it flaps about on the beach for ten minutes? Ask us about Marine Parks.

Clive

[ACTAngler]

Good point clive.  I do it so as to provide the best quality fish for consumption that I can.

[CEO]

      Your CEO is out of the office still and won't be back for about another week. He has been at Laurieton, entertaining the troops and politicians, at the more than 800 strong ECOfishers marine park rally. Last account had them counting the money and collating the hundreds of new members. They were queing up again last night, to join and support ECOfishers. And they won't be disappointed!