Is it really ethical?
I've spent 50 years fishing, and more recently, many days already this summer. Just got back from a 3 day jaunt to the mountains catching Cutthroats, Grayling, and Rainbows. I LOVE fishing. Some might say I obsess over it at times.

Maybe its because I had a little trout suck my tiny fly too deeply this past week, and I couldn't retrieve it without killing him; maybe its because I'm getting older and facing my own mortality; maybe its because I had the thought as I was reeling in a really good fighter, it struck me that I was taking pleasure in watching a fish fight for his life, and judging the quality of the fish by how hard it struggled. But, at any rate, I've started to question the ethics of catch and release. I don't have any qualms killing a fish or any other animal for food. That seems part of life, and done for human health and survival. I know there has long been a debate over whether fish feel pain, or the quality of the pain, or how closely it approximates human pain, etc. It appears over the last couple of years scientists are falling more into the camp that fish do feel something akin to the pain that we recognize in other vertebrates such as mammals and birds. I know the science isn't completely settled, but it gives plenty of reason to pause and think about it.

Aside from the likelihood that fish experience pain, they experience change in eating behaviors that may lead to mortality and they experience injury during the catch and release that increases their mortality.

What does that mean for me? I don't know. I have fishing trips planned for much of the rest of the summer, including another one this week. I don't think I'm ready at this point to give the sport up. Not sure I'll ever be--its been such a big part of my life and contributed to so many great memories. But maybe I'll limit it. Maybe I'll only catch what I'll eat. At any rate, it's something I'll have to give some more thought to. In 8 more days I have another fishing trip planned with my brothers, one of whom taught philosophy & ethics at West Point. Maybe he can help me work through it as we're reeling in supper.