Why do we value some fish more than others? It’s time to reconsider “rough” fish
An Fishes Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM TheCounter.org
October 2021

Bigotry and prejudices are rampant among 'fishermen, fisherwomen, environmentalists and biologists' about 'which species of fishes are 'worth more than others.' Said 'worth' of course based on which humans use which species of fishes for what.

Bowfin - image courtesy of Solomon David

A new study makes the case for asking anglers to reconsider which fishes have value and are worth conserving for the good of our ecosystems.

Pictured above: Solomon David, a biological sciences professor at Nicholls State University, holds a bowfin.

Every year in the U.S., some 30 million anglers cast lures, flies, and bait into freshwater streams and rivers and lakes. Their prey: so-called game- or sportfish like black bass, chinook salmon, and steelhead trout, which are prized for eating or for catch-and-release photo ops among certain subsets of predominantly white men. So much so that they are protected from overfishing by daily bag limits that are also determined by mostly white men, who, according to a study published in July in Fisheries Magazine, subscribe to outdated and regressive notions of what fish are worthy of protecting and why.

 

Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE (PDF)

 

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