Is Fishing Humane?

There are many people who disagree entirely with the premise of angling for sport or for food, arguing that fishing is, in and of itself, cruel.

This opinion is an extension of the more widely held view that hunting should also be banned because of the aspect of cruelty in that sport.

However, is it exactly true to say that fishing should be banned, and that it is inhumane? There are conflicting viewpoints.

The truth is that fish do feel pain. Therefore, if they are hooked then it is natural that they will experience discomfort and will struggle.

It is for the fisherman to decide whether this is something that will put them off going fishing again, or whether they’re just fine with it.

There is no doubt that many people will argue that a fish is just a fish, and that they certainly do not feel fear and other “human emotions”. This is also true.

It really comes down to whether it matters to you whether or not the fish will feel pain as a result of what you are doing. If we are going to be strictly honest and accurate, then fishing certainly is not humane in the sense that the word is most commonly used.

Some forms of fishing, such as fly fishing, are certainly considered more humane than others. If you take a black-and-white view of human kindness then you may disagree with that reading of things.

In the end, though, no-one is going to stop a keen angler from going fishing.