the culling of fish

[Natalie]

i see the good and the bad, to me i just dont like the idea of killing a fish because its ugly or deformed, some people say it will save the breed or if im serious i will understand it, however even if I, a small time fish lover happens to have a deformed fish breed with a good looking one then maybe some of them wont be deformed, its the same with humans, just because i have brown hair, doesnt mean my child will, same with deformities it doesnt always happen. on top of that even if my fish does breed what is that really doing to the trade? giving me more deformed fish who would never have a chance to live? maybe i am just talking out of my a** and sounding super stupid but i dont know, maybe its because im only a year into aquariums that i dont truly understand it and need to let go a bit thats why i started this thread for perspective and to throw in my 2 cents.

If you keep all the fry, then it's not a problem. But if you dispense those fry to the local fish stores in your area, who then sell them to other fish owners who then breed them... then yes, it could be considered irresponsible. A deformed fish is very similar to other animals in the pet trade. A pit bull that has demodecosis should not be bred because its offspring will be very susceptible to the disease. A German Shepherd Dog that has severe hip dysplasia should not be bred, because that disease has a genetic component as well. If you have an animal that is widely considered to have undesirable traits, then it probably should not be bred.

 

[screaminleeman]

I cannot however understand why you have a problem with preventing the introduction of live bait into lakes, rivers, ponds, etc. This is exactly what leads to non-native species destroying the established native balance, resulting in the culling laws such as those with non-native snakeheads that you are opposed to.

I am not opposed to this in the least. Just pointing out to the op very valid "reasons" for culling. In fact, as a freshwater fisherman, I have only two times practiced anything other than catch and release. I mainly am a saltwater fisherman and most often I troll (Never live bait!). My "live lining" that I do so enjoy in the spring is ALWAYS done with baitfish (Norfolk spot & white perch) caught in the shallows (18 - 25 foot water column) of the same general area of the bay that I target the gamefish! Cripes, we generally target 3" - 8" fish for bait. Even when you catch Spot well over 12", they do not seem worth the effort to fillet the things. Over 8" spot get thrown back immediately, as they are of little value as bait!

We use the several dozen 3" - 8" spot for live lining. Don't get me wrong, more often than not, I keep the battery bubblers on the spot the entire trip back to port, and GIVE (FREE!) the remainder to the next set of anglers "going out". Again, more often than not is not always, and in some cases I don't feel like going the extra mile doing this and throw the unused bait spot right back into the water a couple thousand yards from where I caught the frickin' things. Illegal as all heck! Oh well?

As for the Maryland Snakehead! Snipe hunters anonymous? Out of the exactly ten quintillion fish that I have caught in Maryland waters, I have somehow been blessed with a miracle that I have neither ever landed one nor seen evidence of one in my 40+ years of fishing the states waters. None of the dozens of charter boat captains that I know have ever had the "mis-fortune" to tangle with a snakehead in Maryland waters either.

I find it OUTRAGEOUSLY overstated the "SERIOUS" challenge that these fish are in the Chesapeake Bay and it's tributaries. What has somewhat concerned me is that while I have also NEVER caught a Bowfin in Maryland waters, I have seen them "culled"! If you are unaware, the Bowfin IS not only a native fish, it is an ancient native fish. The top "sport fish" in the state are probably either all non-native species or at least infantile insofar as species history to the bowfin. The two reasons that I have heard for "culling" the "Maryland Snakehead" (bowfin (amia calva)) is:

1. They out compete "good" Maryland game fish like bass and will wipeout the Maryland gamefish population! Newsflash, the bass is a newbie barely 25 million years old! The Bowfin have been in these waters for 150 million years. Good work geniuses, they have not impacted the gamefish population for the measly 25 million years that they co-inhabited the same waters! Make sure that they don't in our human lifespan!

2. They are "law abiding" fisherman that are doing their "civil" duty. Forget that they have no degree in marine biology nor are they able to "properly" distinguish between the native bowfin and the three out of over a hundred species of Snakeheads capable of surviving the temperatures of Maryland waters in the winter! Eels? When in doubt wipe it out!

 

[smarchant22]

to me though dog breeding is something people do, i understand people can affect fish breeding with water perameters and such, but if it just happens then what? i couldnt afford to give him his own tank, or just let him live alone.

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

to me though dog breeding is something people do, i understand people can affect fish breeding with water perameters and such, but if it just happens then what? i couldnt afford to give him his own tank, or just let him live alone.

discus breeding is something people do too.....

 

[jcardona1]

discus breeding is something people do too.....

Exactly. Discus and koi a great examples. All of the varieties you see these days are man-made, just like breeds of dogs. The types of discus and koi in the hobby were created through years of breeding. You won't see these in the wild. When you are breeding these "man-made" fish for a certain strain or color variety, you will end up with a lot of low quality fish, or deformed fish. Those are the ones you cull.

 

[bobblehead27]

Actually I'm pretty sure that puppies/cats get culled + thousands of cats and dogs are killed every year because there are to many of them.



Over all I STRONGLY believe in culling. This is mainly due to my ownership of a Firemouth that lacked any color, it was grey and black, NO red. This is due to irresponsible breeding / not culling![/QUOTE]


However, they are not killed just because they are not the right color that the owner wants... :-/

 

[Natalie]

to me though dog breeding is something people do, i understand people can affect fish breeding with water perameters and such, but if it just happens then what? i couldnt afford to give him his own tank, or just let him live alone.

If it happens, then just like any owner you need to plan for a method to deal with the fry. Whether it's having another fish species in your tank that will prey on the eggs, or separating your fish by sex, there are ways to deal with fry (or avoid them altogether).

 

[bigbadfish711]

This. No need to get all PETA about it. It's a necessary evil.

View attachment mk.bmp

Your right it is

 

[smarchant22]

i understand people breed discus too, but that isnt what i meant, like its easier to just gets cats and dogs and so on to mate than it is a fish is what i was saying. i just dont get it i guess, i mean imagine if it worked that way for humans yeah i probably took that to the next level but i treat my fish not as pets but as my companions so i wouldnt limit ones natural lifestyle due to a stunted situation, or lack of fins etc. id rather nature do its thing

 

[Natalie]

i understand people breed discus too, but that isnt what i meant, like its easier to just gets cats and dogs and so on to mate than it is a fish is what i was saying. i just dont get it i guess, i mean imagine if it worked that way for humans yeah i probably took that to the next level but i treat my fish not as pets but as my companions so i wouldnt limit ones natural lifestyle due to a stunted situation, or lack of fins etc. id rather nature do its thing

I understand your mindset, but the thing to remember is... when you get a stunted or handicapped fish, nature has not done its thing. People intervened to keep that animal alive whereas in nature it would have been "culled off".

(And it's actually just as easy for fish to breed as it is for dogs and cats, and they're much more prolific).