According to a report in the Star Bulletin, due to the state's budget crunch funding will no longer be provided for a fish hatchery that breeds fish for freshwater fishing at Nuuanu, and possibly also other hatcheries including one on Kauai. The report states:
"Laura Thielen, director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, confirmed, "the state's highest priority is to focus on its "core mission of managing and protecting its resources." In view of the current fiscal crisis, funds for the hatchery programs have to be redirected to fund seriously needed conservation measures, she said.
"Lindgard (note: a reporter for Hawaii Fishing News) said the two-fish limit and the average 50 percent catch rate of fishermen should prevent a severe depletion of catfish. And most of the anglers just catch the fish for fun and release them, Lindgard added."
This is one budget cut that Down to Earth whole heartedly supports.
The innocent fish experiences being hooked, it bites on something that appears nice (the bait) that in reality disguises an extremely sharp piece of metal that penetrates it's mouth and is intended to be the cause of it's death. The fish is then pulled against it's will, fighting and struggling and in pain from the hook, out of the water, its' natural element. The fish then gasps for breath until either it is asphyxiated, or if the fisherman is just having "fun", it is thrown back into the water just before death. This type of "fun" for a few at the expense of the innocent fish and the taxpayers is not something that we like to see our tax dollars used for.
Catching a fish for "fun" and then throwing it back into the water just prior to asphyxiation, sounds a little bit like waterboarding, but without any national security justification!
Actually, the bait disguising the hook, the ultimate cause of the fish's death, is like the modern meat industry. The meat is all packaged up to look good, deboned, sometimes chemicals added to preserve color, picture of a nice happy cow, giving the impression that it is willingly agreeing to be slaughtered so you can eat it, on the label, "nutrition facts", supporting how "good" for you meat supposedly is, prominently displayed, etc. All this marketing is the "bait", you are lulled into thinking that the meat is good for you. The harsh reality is that you are buying death, the carcass of a brutally slaughtered animal, and the cause of your own future ill health and suffering.
Thanks for reading.
Love Life! Love animals, don't eat them.
Mark Fergusson