DW won't allow me to take DS fishing as she says it's animal cruelty.

[MichaelJamesP]

DS knows about fishing, etc. and asked if we could go. I fished when I was his age.

DW has said absolutely not. Saying she doesn’t want to encourage him to injure animals.

Surely fish don’t feel pain?

It’s ridiculous, surely? Would you just take him when she is at work?

Tell her to mind her own business and take your son fishing. Do catch and release if need be. It is massively important for young people to know where food comes from

Mind her own business??! It's her son!!! It IS HER business

Have to say, I take your side on this one. I'm as pro-animal rights as anyone, but I don't see the great harm to the universe from a bit of sport fishing

You can't be pro animal rights but fail to see the harm in fishing where's the fishes rights to live a pain free life without having a hook shoved into its mouth and almost suffocated? Your sentence just doesn't make sense - you're basically saying "Oh I'm pro animal rights until it comes to using them for sports"

The life of an animal has little worth

Wow. How ignorant and heartless.

I'm pleased that so many people agree this is cruel but I still find it baffling that so many of those who do think it's wrong still eat meat or would still eat fish without thinking anything of it.

You're basically saying it's okay to hurt and kill animals for food (please don't think they feel no pain - they do!) but not okay to hurt or kill them for sport/fun?

Has anyone actually realised it's NOT okay to use them for either??

Fishing is not cruel (as in pointless harm done to the fish) if you're going to eat them but if you're just catching and throwing back for sport then it is cruel because you are causing harm to the fish (injury from the hook, not being able to breathe while they are out of the water, shock etc.) for no purpose.

I take DD fishing, we eat what we catch, it is a nice relaxing hobby but it has a purpose as well.

you despair at science?

I don't need science to tell me that a living creature doesn't feel pain, I can work out, all by myself, that it does. By the way, your link didn't work, funny that.
As MrsBertBibby's working link tells us that fish have nerves and pain receptors and fish have pain sensitivity comparable to humans, so yes I do despair at ignorant people who say that animals don't feel pain as an excuse to continue their barbaric 'sport'.

It's funny isn't it, could you imagine if fish had vocal cords then people would probably walk out of their way to avoid even going past folk fishing on a pier or whatever - just in case one was caught and their children had to hear the screaming.

But they can't, and so it's a jolly child-friendly hobby!

She's BU, fishing is a life skill. I take it your wife is a Vegan?

Twattycatty's link without rogue bracket - should work now.

Not exactly conclusive though.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130808123719.htm

Plenty more where that came from. And they are the experts, not some plank on the internet who "just knows" how fish feel!

You do realise that it wasn't all that long ago that it was thought that babies didn't feel pain as they hadn't 'learned' it?

You do realise that fish aren't babies?

and no, it was never thought that, in general. More nonsense.

I'll just go back and tell my psychology tutor then.

So fish aren't babies??? Jesus Christ, what's that in my bassinet then? Oh my god it's a salmon.

Ffs

You should. Or tell them you misunderstood, which is more likely.

Oh yes I will absolutely call her to tell her that.

She didn't say that babies didn't feel pain but that it was thought by many up until as late as the 70s that this was the case. Hence babies being given little more than muscle relaxers during surgery.

There's enough evidence for this research - in proper psychology books, not dr google!

www.nytimes.com/1987/11/24/science/infants-sense-of-pain-is-recognized-finally.html

I hope she didn't say that, it's a complete misrepresentation of the facts.
GCSE psychology, is it?

Degree actually.

How depressing. Oh well, keep trying, you'll get there eventually. Remember, the fish are the ones with the gills and scales, the babies have neither. HTH.

What an apt user name. Half time dragging us it?

Half time dragging us it?

Sorry, no idea what that is supposed to mean. Want to try again?

Just asking if you were a bored child playing on the site.

Were you? Perhaps if you used the right words, correctly spelled, one would know that.
Hope your essays make more sense.

I don't need to write essays these days. I've graduated, completed a post grad and professional exams, and have a job.

Sure you have. Now who's the bored child?

Are you always so argumentative? You sound like my 13 year old when he's having a strop.

Fekko,

Don't drag yourself down to her level.

Your wife doesn't want her son to injure animals. I agree with your wife.
How fishing was ever classed as a sport is beyond me.