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Recreational fishing involves catching fish for “sport”. This practice causes significant distress and suffering to fish and other marine life. Fishing competitions exacerbate these issues by encouraging the mass capture and killing of fish for prizes and recognition.
Recreational fishing inflicts considerable suffering on fish, who can experience pain and distress from being hooked, handled, and often released back into the water injured. Non-target species, such as birds, turtles, and marine mammals, can also become unintended victims through bycatch, and entanglement in lost, abandoned or discarded equipment, leading to injuries or death.
Fishing competitions promote the capture of large numbers of fish in a short period, often resulting in unethical practices and significant harm to fish populations. Many fish caught in these events suffer prolonged pain and stress, and their survival rates upon release are low, contributing to ecological imbalance.
Recreational fishing and fishing competitions are ethically indefensible and cause significant suffering to marine life. AJP advocates for non-violent, community-friendly entertainment that aligns with society’s concerns and ethical and moral principles, and does not exploit and undermine animals’ well-being.
Key Objectives:
- Ban all forms of recreational fishing.
- Ban fishing competitions.
Interim measures, while we work towards the ban, include:
- Enforce regulations that prevent children from participating in recreational fishing or fishing competitions.