BubbaBlue
04-30-2005, 11:47 AM
BS Board... appropriate. :rolleyes:
Front page, above the fold.
Annapolis Capital 4/30/05
Rockfish have feelings too? Group seeks ban on harvest
By ELIZABETH LEIS, Staff Writer
Saying rockfish are just as intelligent as cats and dogs, an official with the People for Ethical Treatment for Animals yesterday asked Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to ban harvest of the state piscatorial symbol -- and most lucrative bay species.
"We ought to protect striped bass in a manner appropriate to a state symbol, ensuring that they don't suffer needlessly at the hands of anglers," wrote Karin Robertson, manager of PETA's Fish Empathy Project. "Fish may not be as familiar to us as the cats and dogs who share our homes, but scientific studies prove that fish are just as intelligent."
Somewhat surprisingly, the governor's office did not tell PETA to jump off the nearest dock.
Spokesman Henry Fawell said the office just received the letter and "it will be reviewed." He declined to comment further.
PETA cites surveys from Oxford University and University of Edinburgh indicating the astuteness of its gilled friends.
"We would never dream of hooking a dog or cat in the mouth and dragging it behind us in a car," Ms. Robertson said.
But Mike Slattery, assistant secretary of natural resources for forest, fish, parks and wildlife, scoffed at the idea of curtailing fishing the bay's most popular game species.
"That's just silly," he said.
For one, while fish can have excellent reflexes, they don't have cognitive ability, he said.
"They're more prone to reacting out of instinct," Mr. Slattery said. "They don't feel pain in the same way, not the pain the way we know it."
Mr. Slattery said it was hard to imagine anyone with a "sense of reason" supporting the ban, because rockfish is part of a thriving recreational fishery and charter boat business that generates hundreds of millions of dollars.
The governor has been a staunch supporter of the "time-honored" activity of recreational fishing, he said, and rockfish is one of the most important commercial fish species.
But Ms. Robertson said economics should not outweigh ethics. PETA's seven-month campaign also has asked Nebraska and Alaska to ban fishing of their respective state fish, and posts links to the fish-friendly studies at www.fishinghurts.com.
Ms. Robertson also said eating fish can be hazardous.
"Eating fish can cause brain injury," she said, pointing out the mercury, heavy metals and other contaminants that can be ingested during fish consumption.
"That's why the Department of the Environment puts out fish consumption advisories," Mr. Slattery responded.
As for the anglers themselves, they are not hanging up their lures for PETA.
"These people are friggin' nuts," said Charlie Ebersberger, owner and manager of Angler's Sport Center. "They don't feel pain when they're hooked in the mouth. Fish have tiny, tiny brains. It's ludicrous."
.
Front page, above the fold.
Annapolis Capital 4/30/05
Rockfish have feelings too? Group seeks ban on harvest
By ELIZABETH LEIS, Staff Writer
Saying rockfish are just as intelligent as cats and dogs, an official with the People for Ethical Treatment for Animals yesterday asked Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to ban harvest of the state piscatorial symbol -- and most lucrative bay species.
"We ought to protect striped bass in a manner appropriate to a state symbol, ensuring that they don't suffer needlessly at the hands of anglers," wrote Karin Robertson, manager of PETA's Fish Empathy Project. "Fish may not be as familiar to us as the cats and dogs who share our homes, but scientific studies prove that fish are just as intelligent."
Somewhat surprisingly, the governor's office did not tell PETA to jump off the nearest dock.
Spokesman Henry Fawell said the office just received the letter and "it will be reviewed." He declined to comment further.
PETA cites surveys from Oxford University and University of Edinburgh indicating the astuteness of its gilled friends.
"We would never dream of hooking a dog or cat in the mouth and dragging it behind us in a car," Ms. Robertson said.
But Mike Slattery, assistant secretary of natural resources for forest, fish, parks and wildlife, scoffed at the idea of curtailing fishing the bay's most popular game species.
"That's just silly," he said.
For one, while fish can have excellent reflexes, they don't have cognitive ability, he said.
"They're more prone to reacting out of instinct," Mr. Slattery said. "They don't feel pain in the same way, not the pain the way we know it."
Mr. Slattery said it was hard to imagine anyone with a "sense of reason" supporting the ban, because rockfish is part of a thriving recreational fishery and charter boat business that generates hundreds of millions of dollars.
The governor has been a staunch supporter of the "time-honored" activity of recreational fishing, he said, and rockfish is one of the most important commercial fish species.
But Ms. Robertson said economics should not outweigh ethics. PETA's seven-month campaign also has asked Nebraska and Alaska to ban fishing of their respective state fish, and posts links to the fish-friendly studies at www.fishinghurts.com.
Ms. Robertson also said eating fish can be hazardous.
"Eating fish can cause brain injury," she said, pointing out the mercury, heavy metals and other contaminants that can be ingested during fish consumption.
"That's why the Department of the Environment puts out fish consumption advisories," Mr. Slattery responded.
As for the anglers themselves, they are not hanging up their lures for PETA.
"These people are friggin' nuts," said Charlie Ebersberger, owner and manager of Angler's Sport Center. "They don't feel pain when they're hooked in the mouth. Fish have tiny, tiny brains. It's ludicrous."
.