Killing Toadfish for no reason

[stevenbourke]

So here's the plan with version 1 poster, its a draft and will peobably tone second line down but it's focus is
1. Encourage others to act on seeing it without confrontation with the person if they don't feel comforatable telling other's not to do it.
2. Make people aware of the fact it is illegal and an embarrassment to those who do the right thing
3. Get the people who do this and read this to ask a question of if i do this will the fisheries turn up when i'm still fishing because someone has called them in on me.

Steve

[Brett]

Can I suggest some wording for it,

Remove the 2nd line and the bottom line, replace with
second line reads " This isn't what fishing is about"
bottom line reads "Release ALL unwanted species unharmed"


Feel free to ignore it, if it doesn't suit

[stevenbourke]

Hi Brett
Still working on the wording, thanks for the input. I am speaking with some people who understand the fisheries act better this week and this should clear up exactly the words to use and how to give the strongest message.
Above all this I hope other people in the forum who aren't already will start passing the message to anglers doing wrong by these guys, the stingrays and other mistreated species that leaving these guys to die for no reason after catching them isn't cool or legal and losing the right to fish over something so silly isn't worth it.

Will post the finals before the go out

[sidrx]

I honestly didn't know it was illegal BUT I don't bother spearing them. Only get what I want and need (within restrictions, of course). If you're not going to eat what you catch, put it back in the water!

[alexdefig]

Hi, this line in the voting poll caught my eye ...

'Did you know it was illegal to kill toad fish in victoria waters if not eating them?'

Has anyone ever even contemplated eating them??!(Toadies are poisonousness to eat. There have been a number of deaths associated with eating toadfish. It is important to warn people who may not be familiar with our dangerous fish species!) Mod

Haven't they seen the Simpsons where Homer eats the Fugu?? ... mmm, tasty fish

[Bartnmax]

bugger em, they steal pippi after pippi from me. pippi's arent cheap. 1 good throw against the water surface and game over. you tell them to stop stealing my bait and ill stop giving them a migraine

r

I'm new on here so if your joking fair enough but if your serious about what your doing then you clearly have no respect for animals and clearly give fisherman a bad reputation and don't forget that killing these little buggers or slamming them into the water in front of someone who might want to fight the rights of fisherman because of witness to these cruel acts may just ruin fishing for the future. but i suppose you only do it whilst no one else is watching hero!
Acts of cruelty like what you say you have done and admitted should be dealt with harshly by the law. just because as part of your fishing day you lose a few pippies to them, if you feel compelled to kill it.
Someone report this guy to the authorities for admitting to an act of cruelty to animals.

Hey Steve.
Ok, for starters let me say that I don't kill anything I dont keep for eating & I do agree that if you're not taking it then return it to the water.
However, a coupla points I'd like to discuss.

First of all, on what basis do you say that it's illegal?
They are certainly legal to take (the rec fishing guide clearly states "For each species of fish not listed a bag/possession limit of 5 applies."
So I can only assume the only illegal part of it would involve the littering aspect of leaving them laying about on the pier.
So, it would appear that the actual taking of toad fish in Victorian waters is NOT illegal.

Next is the cruelty aspect. How so? I assume you view the leaving of a fish on a pier to die as a cruel act.
I think you need to be very careful about bandying about ideas of what is & isn't 'cruel'.
How do you define 'cruel'?
It's no more cruel than putting a snapper or whiting into your esky & leaving it to die there, which a lot of guys do on a regular basis.
I 'spose the answer to that is to stick a sharp object (knife or Icky spike) straight into the fishes brain, or belt it around the head a few times with a priest.
Maybe we should anaethatise them first so they dont feel it?
If you start throwing this idea of 'cruelty' about willy nilly all you're doing is fueling the arguements of greenies seeking to ban fishing altogether.
By all means state 'un-necessary', etc but my advice is to be very careful when using the word 'cruel'.
Have you ever put live worms on a hook? Livebaited? Do you ever swat away flies when you're fishing? or belt the odd mossie that bites you?
What gives you the right to do that to any creature & then accuse others of being cruel?
What was that old biblical saying about he whom casts the first stone?
And as a fisherman yourself how do you feel about sticking a needle sharp hook into a live fish when he eats your bait & then tugging away at that fish as he struggles to get away? Not 'cruel'?
Cruelty is a subjective issue & not a practice that you should be accusing people of, out of hand.
Doing so will very quickly put you on the wrong side of a lot of good, ethical fisherpeople that are very mindfull of ethical fishing practices.
Just remember, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
Educate, dont accuse.

Bill.

[stevenbourke]

Bill
If you read my first post through, I wrote and photographed about what I seeing everyday as an unnecessarily cruel act being delivered on a daily basis because im sick of seeing people leaving fish to die on a pier for no reason
I'm on my iPhone do I can't view what you wrote but I'll take a stab
You copied a message of a guy talking about slamming these guys into the water and killing them because they stole his precious expensive pippies whilst trying to catch something edible.
Did you miss the cruel aspect of that?
2. if people really want to use the I'm aloud to take 5 of these guys well isn't it something about placing them on ice and out of sunlight. Not on a pier in the sun whikst they put their edible catch in a bucket and then leaving them on the pier after they leave.
Quite simply I'm sick of seeing the same thing everyday. They don't need to do it, they choose to do it.
I'm wording the posters now under the advice of the fisheries and yes the cruel part has been removed as it was mentioned by the officer that educate not offend.
Still I would like to see an end to it, impact was my idea to get people talking, but yes refining was needed a long the way. If it raises some awareness it can't be bad for the unwanted little guys

[Beno]

How is this coming along Steven?

[johnat24]

bugger em, they steal pippi after pippi from me. pippi's arent cheap. 1 good throw against the water surface and game over. you tell them to stop stealing my bait and ill stop giving them a migraine

What a ******* stupid thing to say and even stupider to admit to!!

[Fish-Hunter]

What a ******* stupid thing to say and even stupider to admit to!!

Agree with you mate , all of God's creatures have the right to live & not be wasted .