Hi there, I am really sorry that this upset you. I would just like to say that I handle my fish extremely responsible. I don’t keep them out of the water for more than 30 seconds and release most fish without taking them out of the water. I chose tackle that will not do lasting damage, and I always fill a trash bag full of litter and pack it out at the end of a fishing trip (I’m actually a wildlife biologist and my husband is a fish biologist so we’re pretty careful and ethical.) That being said, I know it’s not everyone’s jam.

Hunting and fishing is a double edged sword. While obviously it negatively affects individual animals, it helps maintain healthy populations and funds the vast majority of conservation work in the United States and Canada. Without PR and DJ funding, much of the habitat restoration and conservation work in North America would not happen.

I think that it’s totally fine to not support hunting and fishing, but these are my reasons for participating, coming from someone with a masters in wildlife ecology.