Nothing natural about fishing

To the editor:

I'm continually frustrated to see claims made that fishing somehow brings people closer to nature and helps them reconnect with the natural world.

There is nothing natural about impaling a living being by a hook and pulling it out of the water. It is an act which takes the life of a creature in the natural environment.

Scientific studies have shown that fish have sensory organs and nervous systems that are just as developed as mammals, and thus they do feel pain.

In fact, many researchers have found many similarities in the neuroanatomical structure between fish and land-based vertebrates.

There is a common misconception that catch and release fishing, because people release the fish back into the water, is benign.

However, studies have also found that due to damage caused to the fish during the process of catch and release, that although they may appear fine and healthy when you release them, they may die as a result of the process in the days following.

Fish released after being caught suffer from loss of their protective scale coating, build up of lactic acid in their muscles, oxygen depletion, and damage to their fins and mouths.

A 2006 study found that hundreds of fish caught and released during a catch and release tournament died within a few days. Another study, conducted by researchers at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation found that 43 per cent of fish released in catch and release fishing die within six days.

High Park is a beautiful place and such a special treasure that we're so fortunate to have in Toronto. People who truly respect the park don't interfere with it or harm wildlife that lives in it for their own entertainment.

Barbi Lazarus