Comparative Essay: Fishing For Food And As A Sports Activity (Essay Sample)

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Fishing for Sports or Food
From the old man to the modern man, fishing has been an activity which has put food on the table for many families. Humans used to fish with sharpened sticks then nets, now, the tools used for fishing are large nets, waders, traps, among others. Fishing has also taken out billions of fish from the waters (Lovelock 59). Today, fishing is carried out in two forms: fishing for food and fishing for sport. Questions arise as to whether sports fishing should stop; some organizations have also suggested that the fishery in general, should be banned. Like hunting, fishing is a harmful activity. Therefore, this essay seeks to find, between fishing for food and fishing for sport, which one is crueler.
I believe that the fishery for food is less brutal compared to fishing for sports. Food is an essential need which humans must have to live; fish happens to be on the menu for most people. When you catch fish and eat it, the idea is to fight hunger. Selling the fish for money to earn a living makes sense because fish has been, for a very long time considered food. Though different methods of fishing exist, less cruel methods like use of standard nets, which catches the stipulated size of fish are better. The moral aspect of the fishery for food is critical when you fish; your intention is not to suffocate or brutally treat the fish. Lastly, fishing for food is less cruel compared to fishing for a sport because it is morally right to fish for food.
Sports activities are done or spectated as a form of entertainment; the question is, at what cost? Sports fishing, involves catching fish and putting them back into the water. According to Fonteyne (537), fishing for sports is the cruelest thing that humans do to fish and should stop immediately. Fishing for sports causes injuries to the fish, hence when thrown back into the water; they do not have a good survival chance Injuries may include: gills may fail, scales can fall off, or fins may tear. Their predators can easily catch them. Severe injuries to the fish also mean that they may take longer to reproduce because the male fish may not have the strength to fertilize the female eggs. When many fish are affected, their population is bound to reduce.
Fishing for sports, also known as "catch and release'' is morally wrong, those who fish for sports subject the fish to intentional suffering and trauma again and again (Rice 101); they call this game? There is a high chance the same fish will be caught more than ones, es...