Post by Dan Andrews on Feb 12, 2009 21:25:33 GMT -5
We've got a healthy fishery here in Niagara. Right now there are thousands of trout teaming in Port Dalhousie Harbour and along the Lake Ontario shoreline. Especially where it meets the tributaries.
A new moral culture has started to dominate the migratory fishery and C&R is preached like the Gospel by hardcore steel headers. Somewhere along the line we got it in our heads that these beautiful fish need to be released, handled like delicate babies and preserved. This culture is probably somewhat responsible for the reintroduction of the Atlantic Salmon. Seems every body wants salmon and trout released anyway so why spend millions of dollars on a put and take fish like rainbow trout if no one wants to keep them?
The Government spends millions stocking these species so we can enjoy them. These fish are not going to disappear if you eat what you catch. They restock them every year. So if we're going to whine at the Government for underfunding the OMNR then turn around and release all the fish they put there for us to catch, what are they going to do? They're going to stock Atlantic's. They're not going to waste tax payer dollars on a put and take fish that no one wants to eat when they "MAY" be able to restore a self sustaining fishery.
Some people get mad when I keep a trout. They say they are beautiful. Ya well so are pike and walleye in my eyes. No one passes up walleye for dinner. I'm told by hardcore carp anglers that it is looked down upon if you don't put an antibiotic liquid on their lips when you release them. These are an invasive destructive fish that are over abundant and we never could control their spread! Whats with this preserve and release all fish we like to catch culture?
Try one. I guarantee you won't feel guilty. Take your next rainbow or brown trout home with you. Fillet it, skin it and if its a sizable one, remove the dark meat (bitter) from under the skin and feed it to your pet. Fry that trout in breadcrumbs and butter like any other fish and enjoy it with a glass of wine. That's why they are stocked, we paid for them, enjoy your dinner.
Here's a picture of the one my Son and I have been eating for 3 days. It's just too good to throw the 4th and final meal in the freezer.
What about pollution you ask? Are these fish safe to eat? First and foremost, consult the Ontario guide to eating sport fish. Secondly, drop that toxic cigarette out of your mouth before you ask that question and consider the exhaust filled air you breath, pesticide covered grass you walk on and preservative filled alternative foods we eat. These fish are clean, edible, fun to catch and they can reduce your grocery bill when added to a diet of wild game, mushrooms, herbs etc. In fact I grow lemon balm in the garden just to go with the fish.
You don't have to eat them all of coarse. When you spend enough time on the water your going to get 10 and 12 fish days. Catching them for fun is another reason they are stocked. It's a multi billion dollar bisiness. However don't be afraid to eat a few and don't make those who EAT their limit feel bad for doing so. You never know. One day the great depression might return and you'll need those fish to survive.
Dan
A new moral culture has started to dominate the migratory fishery and C&R is preached like the Gospel by hardcore steel headers. Somewhere along the line we got it in our heads that these beautiful fish need to be released, handled like delicate babies and preserved. This culture is probably somewhat responsible for the reintroduction of the Atlantic Salmon. Seems every body wants salmon and trout released anyway so why spend millions of dollars on a put and take fish like rainbow trout if no one wants to keep them?
The Government spends millions stocking these species so we can enjoy them. These fish are not going to disappear if you eat what you catch. They restock them every year. So if we're going to whine at the Government for underfunding the OMNR then turn around and release all the fish they put there for us to catch, what are they going to do? They're going to stock Atlantic's. They're not going to waste tax payer dollars on a put and take fish that no one wants to eat when they "MAY" be able to restore a self sustaining fishery.
Some people get mad when I keep a trout. They say they are beautiful. Ya well so are pike and walleye in my eyes. No one passes up walleye for dinner. I'm told by hardcore carp anglers that it is looked down upon if you don't put an antibiotic liquid on their lips when you release them. These are an invasive destructive fish that are over abundant and we never could control their spread! Whats with this preserve and release all fish we like to catch culture?
Try one. I guarantee you won't feel guilty. Take your next rainbow or brown trout home with you. Fillet it, skin it and if its a sizable one, remove the dark meat (bitter) from under the skin and feed it to your pet. Fry that trout in breadcrumbs and butter like any other fish and enjoy it with a glass of wine. That's why they are stocked, we paid for them, enjoy your dinner.
Here's a picture of the one my Son and I have been eating for 3 days. It's just too good to throw the 4th and final meal in the freezer.
What about pollution you ask? Are these fish safe to eat? First and foremost, consult the Ontario guide to eating sport fish. Secondly, drop that toxic cigarette out of your mouth before you ask that question and consider the exhaust filled air you breath, pesticide covered grass you walk on and preservative filled alternative foods we eat. These fish are clean, edible, fun to catch and they can reduce your grocery bill when added to a diet of wild game, mushrooms, herbs etc. In fact I grow lemon balm in the garden just to go with the fish.
You don't have to eat them all of coarse. When you spend enough time on the water your going to get 10 and 12 fish days. Catching them for fun is another reason they are stocked. It's a multi billion dollar bisiness. However don't be afraid to eat a few and don't make those who EAT their limit feel bad for doing so. You never know. One day the great depression might return and you'll need those fish to survive.
Dan
