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Environmental Concerns
Angling
It is common to see the remnants of angling—fishing
with a pole and line—long after anglers go home for
the day. Anglers deplete already-threatened fish populations,
and lost lures and tangled fishing line litter the banks of
many lakes, rivers, and ocean shores. People who fish for
“sport” are contributing to the decline of our
natural fisheries, and lost lures and tangled fishing line
cause death and environmental damage.
Anglers are killing off fish who are already threatened by
pollution and habitat loss. A recent study confirms that anglers
kill a far larger proportion of threatened species than previously
thought—they cause almost 25 percent of the deaths of
over-fished saltwater species. Hooks don’t discriminate,
so endangered and threatened species cannot be protected from
injury or death if angling is allowed in their habitats.
Anglers prefer to catch some fish species over others. To
keep large numbers of these “desirable” species
in lakes and rivers, fish are trucked in from hatcheries and
released into lakes and rivers all over the country. Dumping
farmed fish into waterways is called “stocking.”
Many anglers wait to learn where these young fish have been
released so they will be guaranteed to catch buckets of fish
at the location. And in some cases, thousands of fish are
released just before a fishing tournament so that more fish
can be caught.
Anglers have killed so many fish that many of our lakes and
rivers would be empty if they weren’t stocked with farm-raised
fish. And while anglers are trying to hook a specific species,
many nontarget animals are injured or killed. Some lakes are
completely drained just to improve conditions for anglers,
killing countless animals who live in the lake or depend on
it for food and water.
But the deaths don’t stop when the anglers go home because
the fishing gear that they leave behind continues to threaten
all wildlife. Birds, marine mammals, endangered sea turtles,
and dozens of species of fish are injured by abandoned fishing
equipment and suffer slow, agonizing deaths. Coastal towns
report that animal injuries commonly occur from discarded
gear.
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Fish Flakes Trading Cards
"Take a Closer Look at Fish " Leaflet
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