Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Switzerland to ban catch and release fishing (Live bait and barbed hooks also banned )
Chattanoogan ^ | May 8, 2008 | European Fishing Tackle Trade Association.

Posted on 05/09/2008 4:20:03 AM PDT by tlb

Editor’s Note: Today’s story comes to us from the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association.

Catch and Release fishing will be banned in Switzerland from next year, it was revealed this week.

And anglers in the country will have to demonstrate their expertise by taking a course on humane methods of catching fish, under new legislation outlined by the Bundesrat - the Swiss Federal Parliament.

The new legislation states that fish caught should be killed immediately following their capture, with a sharp blow to the head from a blunt instrument. Under the new regulations, the use of livebait and barbed hooks is also prohibited except in certain situations.

The laws come into effect in 2009 but while the Swiss government does not mention Catch and Release specifically, it does say that "it is not permitted to go fishing with the 'intention' to release the fish."

EFTTA lobbyist Jan Kappel has been in contact with Martin Peter, Vice President of the Swiss Angling Federation, to see whether a joint approach to the Swiss government could persuade them to amend the legislation - which forms part of a much wider animal welfare programme.

The law on the protection of animals was passed by the Swiss parliament in 2005 and officials have spent three years refining the details, taking into account the comments of interested parties.

Said Jan: "Catch and Release is one of the most difficult issues we have to deal with, and one of the most important in my opinion.

“The new Swiss law doesn't make use of the term 'Catch and Release', which is the same as in Germany – but I don't see how governments can enforce legislation which makes 'intent' illegal.

“And demanding that people kill the fish they catch gives no thought to the conservation benefits from releasing them."

Angling Codes of Conduct with regards to proper handling and releases can be found for practically any fish species caught by anglers in Switzerland and the rest of the world. The new Swiss law makes it obligatory for anglers to take lessons before being granted a fishing license. So there is absolutely no need for an outright ban on the release of fish in Switzerland.”

It’s believed that the legislation could affect as many as 275,000 anglers in Switzerland, who generate around 30 million Euros in annual tackle sales.

EFTTA acting president, Pierangelo Zanetta, said: "EFTTA does not believe that forcing anglers to kill their catches is either good for nature or for recreational sport fishing - which makes a significant financial contribution to the EU economy.

“Making the killing of fish obligatory will simply reduce fish population and, at the same time, run the risk of having a negative impact on sport fishing.

"Anglers and the sport of angling invest time and money to improve water quality and create larger and healthier fish populations. We believe is it far better for the fish if the fisherman decides, according to the situation, whether to keep and eat the fish or to release it."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: animalwhackos; europe; fishing; switzerland
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-5051-53 next last
I'm not personally a fisherperson but if I was I'd say you bureaucrats can take my bait only from my cod dead hands.
1 posted on 05/09/2008 4:20:03 AM PDT by tlb
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: tlb
The new legislation states that fish caught should be killed immediately following their capture, with a sharp blow to the head from a blunt instrument.

Monty Python's reunited?

Photobucket

2 posted on 05/09/2008 4:24:28 AM PDT by arbooz ("Government is actually the worst failure of civilized man." H.L.Mencken)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb
"... the use of livebait and barbed hooks is also prohibited except in certain situations."

"Certain situations," such as being hungry?

3 posted on 05/09/2008 4:27:17 AM PDT by Enosh (†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb
And anglers in the country will have to demonstrate their expertise by taking a course on humane methods of catching fish [...]


4 posted on 05/09/2008 4:28:37 AM PDT by Gondring (I'll give up my right to die when hell freezes over my dead body!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb

Their regulations are getting to be almost as totalitarian as those of Washington state.


5 posted on 05/09/2008 4:30:34 AM PDT by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (If Hillary is elected, her legacy will be telling the American people: Better put some ice on that.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb

Fishermen don’t kill fish, Socialisim kills fish.


6 posted on 05/09/2008 4:33:34 AM PDT by NavVet ( If you don't defend Conservatism in the Primaries, you won't have it to defend in November)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb
Under the new regulations, the use of livebait and barbed hooks is also prohibited except in certain situations.

Well, there goes my enthusiasm for Swiss fishing. To make it even less fun, they should only let you "fish" with a cooler of non-alcoholic beer.
7 posted on 05/09/2008 4:35:24 AM PDT by Thrownatbirth (.....Iraq Invasion fan since '91.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb
"can take my bait only from my cod dead hands.

A whale of a pun! (I know, I know: a mammal, but they both swim in the ocean.

What I want to know is, would fish give us the same breaks?

8 posted on 05/09/2008 4:35:42 AM PDT by LZ_Bayonet (There's Always Something.............And there's always something worse!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb

hey this is switzerland they do nothing without a vote. so i´m not shure but it´s possible that this has been voted out. it´s ok for me if the people who are living there don´t want it. it´s their country. believe me in switzerland they have elections on everything.


9 posted on 05/09/2008 4:37:37 AM PDT by austrian
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb

Global warming?


10 posted on 05/09/2008 4:41:31 AM PDT by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget (Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: arbooz
The new legislation states that fish caught should be killed immediately following their capture, with a sharp blow to the head from a blunt instrument...

while wearing high heels, suspendies' and a bra.


11 posted on 05/09/2008 4:44:47 AM PDT by johnny7
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: tlb

It sure would be nice if these legislators knew what the he// they were talking about before passing these stupid laws.

I think I read a properly released fish such as a trout has a survival rate of 66%...[and lets not quibble over proper vs “improper” and all that. The point is at least half will live to fight another day]. Studies have shown that fish hit in the head with a blunt object have a much lower survival rate, like close to 0%...plus they tend to swim awkwardly on their sides.

[Yeah yeah...I know...very few legislators anywhere know what they are talking about.]


12 posted on 05/09/2008 4:47:09 AM PDT by Adder (typical bitter white person)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb

This from the land where every man of age is required by law to be armed with a rifle and a set minimum limit of ammo??

Bureaucrats are the same everywhere I guess, idiots all.


13 posted on 05/09/2008 4:49:30 AM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb

Ingredients

5 (3/4 lb) trout

1/2 cup olive oil

5 cloves garlic, chopped

fresh ground black pepper

salt

1/2-3/4 lb fresh mushroom

1/4-1/2 cup butter

4 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumb

4 green onion, sliced

3 fresh lemon (or lemon concentrate)

2 tablespoons minced parsley

Directions

1. To cook trout, wash and dry the fish inside and out and coat sides with a little olive oil.

2. Slice mushrooms and place half in the bottom of a shallow baking dish.

3. Salt and pepper fish, inside and out, to taste and place in dish on top of mushrooms.

4. Sprinkle bread crumbs over fish along with the minced parsley, chopped garlic and the green onion.

5. If using fresh lemons, squeeze 1 or 2 directly over the entire trout including the inside.

6. Meanwhile melt butter, add to olive oil and the juice of 2 lemons.

7. Pour slowly over fish saving about half of the mixture.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees or until they are tender and bread crumbs are light brown.

9. Fish is done when the meat flakes easily when a fork is inserted into the flesh and lifted up slightly.

10. Just before the fish are done, saute 1-2 minutes , the remaining mushrooms in the sauce that is left and pour over top after placing trout on a serving plate.

11. Garnish with a few lemon wedges and a few sprigs of fresh parsley.

12. Serve this Italian Trout recipe with rice, or Italian pasta, and a vegetable.

Nonstick cooking spray

2 whole rainbow trout (about 12 ounces each), cleaned, boned, butterflied

2 green onions, chopped

2 large fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped seeded tomatoes

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Fresh cilantro sprigs

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil; coat with nonstick spray. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Open fish like a book and arrange, skin side down, on prepared baking sheet.

Mix next 5 ingredients in bowl. Sprinkle mixture over fish, drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil, then top with cilantro sprigs. Bake uncovered until fish is opaque in center, about 20 minutes.

14 posted on 05/09/2008 4:50:46 AM PDT by RSmithOpt (Liberalism: Highway to Hell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb

As Western countries abort and homosexualize themselves out of existence, our Governments resort to this type of lunacy.

The Authoritarians have prevailed.


15 posted on 05/09/2008 4:51:54 AM PDT by Spouting Horn (Terrorism is a tactic. The battle's against Shariah and Jihad.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: johnny7
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Razor razor razor...

16 posted on 05/09/2008 4:56:37 AM PDT by arbooz ("Government is actually the worst failure of civilized man." H.L.Mencken)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: arbooz

17 posted on 05/09/2008 5:00:46 AM PDT by Kozak (Anti Shahada: There is no god named Allah, and Muhammed is a false prophet)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: tlb
I prefer “Kill and Release” anyway.
18 posted on 05/09/2008 5:06:10 AM PDT by BallyBill (Serial Hit-N-Run poster)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb

I didn’t see anything about using explosives. I guess that dynamite fishing is still OK.


19 posted on 05/09/2008 5:07:40 AM PDT by catman67
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb

....hmmm....using barbless hooks means some of those fish are going to release themselves...hook ‘em and cook ‘em.


20 posted on 05/09/2008 5:16:47 AM PDT by STONEWALLS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kozak
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
21 posted on 05/09/2008 5:22:34 AM PDT by arbooz ("Government is actually the worst failure of civilized man." H.L.Mencken)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: tlb
Only one thing left to do then:

Photobucket

They call it blast fishing.

22 posted on 05/09/2008 5:22:44 AM PDT by #1CTYankee (That's right, I have no proof. So what of it??)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb
the use of livebait and barbed hooks is also prohibited

Worms are breathing a sigh of relief.....

23 posted on 05/09/2008 5:27:07 AM PDT by Hot Tabasco (Bill & Hillary Clinton are the human equivalent of the herpes virus.....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: STONEWALLS
the use of livebait and barbed hooks is also prohibited except in certain situations

LOL. What are anglers supposed to catch fish with? A net, spear, hypnotism?
24 posted on 05/09/2008 5:29:16 AM PDT by Girlene
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: tlb

I suppose the most humane way to catch fish is with electricity or with small explosive devices, either of which will stun the fish, which can then be netted and hit in the head with a hammer.


25 posted on 05/09/2008 5:31:40 AM PDT by PAR35
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tlb

This sounds like satire..........unfortunately, I know it’s not. I inquired about fishing while in Germany and was told that a license is very difficult to get, as you have to got to fishing school, much like driving school...........


26 posted on 05/09/2008 5:32:46 AM PDT by Red Badger ( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PAR35
Let me get this straight: Hit a live fish in the head with a "blunt object"... you mean like a hammer or rubber mallet or a brick??

Remind me again why fishing is supposed to be fun.

27 posted on 05/09/2008 6:01:01 AM PDT by yankeedame ("Oh, I can take it but I'd much rather dish it out.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: tlb

Enviro-Nazis intent on destroying outdoor culture and re-creating it in their image.


28 posted on 05/09/2008 6:03:16 AM PDT by Rebelbase (McCain: The Third Bush Term ?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

I fell for it. The source link is the only google return in Google News for the words “Switzerland fishing”.


29 posted on 05/09/2008 6:06:19 AM PDT by Rebelbase (McCain: The Third Bush Term ?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: tlb

What ever causes the holes in their cheese has obviously crossed their blood-brain barriers.


30 posted on 05/09/2008 6:09:42 AM PDT by NonValueAdded (Who Would Montgomery Brewster Choose?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rebelbase

I Goooogled “European Fishing Tackle Trade Association.” and went to their home page website. Nothing about this in their PR or newsletters........


31 posted on 05/09/2008 6:12:23 AM PDT by Red Badger ( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: austrian

Switzerland is more a true democracy than any other countries out there


32 posted on 05/09/2008 6:17:05 AM PDT by Cronos ("Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant" - Omar Ahmed, CAIR)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

Is there a truly free nation left on this planet? A place where you can shoot, fish, defend yourself, build a fire, drive your vehicle, drill for oil, use an incandescent lightbulb, etc., where the government leaves you alone??

If anyone knows of such a place, let me know.


33 posted on 05/09/2008 6:17:50 AM PDT by Arkansas Toothpick
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

You also need to get a license in Germany to play golf....


34 posted on 05/09/2008 6:18:27 AM PDT by Cronos ("Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant" - Omar Ahmed, CAIR)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

Switzerland is more a true democracy than any other countries out there


true it´s definitely the most democratic country in this world. but they have the problem that many people are tired to vote because they have so many polls.


35 posted on 05/09/2008 6:21:10 AM PDT by austrian
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

The article is there, third one in the news section.
http://www.eftta.com/english/index.html?cart=1210339467765498


36 posted on 05/09/2008 6:25:30 AM PDT by Rebelbase (McCain: The Third Bush Term ?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

That is one license I’ll never need.........The B&B we stayed at was on a river with a dock. I told the proprietor that I might sneak down there and drop a line, since a department store was not far away and I had no tackle. He said, “You don’t want to do that. It is against the rules. They check.”


37 posted on 05/09/2008 6:27:43 AM PDT by Red Badger ( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Arkansas Toothpick
If anyone knows of such a place, let me know.

I read of such a place, once. It was called "Galt's Gulch".....

38 posted on 05/09/2008 6:31:00 AM PDT by Red Badger ( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: Ghost of Philip Marlowe
Switzerland has always been a tad authoritarian. At the same time "fishing resources" in this mountainous country are a tad limited.

No idea where they got the idea that fish should be killed immediately. That's so unsanitary.

39 posted on 05/09/2008 6:37:58 AM PDT by muawiyah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: tlb
The new legislation states that fish socialists caught should be killed immediately following their capture, with a sharp blow to the head from a blunt instrument.

There, fixed it.

40 posted on 05/09/2008 6:48:05 AM PDT by PGalt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

OMG!!

You ARE RIGHT!!!

http://www.spotlightgermany.com/articles/golf.htm


41 posted on 05/09/2008 7:19:04 AM PDT by GRRRRR (2008- A Year That Will Live in Infamy...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: LZ_Bayonet; tlb
"can take my bait only from my cod dead hands.

A whale of a pun! (I know, I know: a mammal, but they both swim in the ocean.

Hey, no problem! Here on Free Republic we don't just mix our metaphors, we puree them... /grin

42 posted on 05/09/2008 7:25:17 AM PDT by tarheelswamprat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: tlb

I’ve been practicing “catch, fillet and release” for years...


43 posted on 05/09/2008 7:29:36 AM PDT by tarheelswamprat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: muawiyah

It is. And can be very difficult and unnecessarily brutal if not done correctly.


44 posted on 05/09/2008 7:37:30 AM PDT by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (If Hillary is elected, her legacy will be telling the American people: Better put some ice on that.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: RSmithOpt

mmmmm ttrrrooutttt! (Homer Simpson mouth gurgling noises here)

...it it lunch time yet?


45 posted on 05/09/2008 7:59:17 AM PDT by woollyone (entropy extirpates evolution and conservation confirms the Creator blessed forever.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Adder

IIRC...according to the Forest Service about 15 years ago..

The survival rate for released trout is 96% or 97%. The catch and release ethic of our current fishermen has restored our trout streams to a degree that is hard to believe unless you have been fishing for the last 35 years.

Increasing the cost of fishing wil lead to a rise in trips to the US for trout. The Holy Grail of trout fishing for English trout fisherman is the Madison River in the US. It is cheap, you can do it for a week for the same amount of money that you would spend for a day (1000-3000 per day) in the UK.

I have caught thousands of trout but have not creeled none since 1972.


46 posted on 05/09/2008 8:10:29 AM PDT by TexanToTheCore (If it ain't Rugby or Bullriding, it's for girls.........................................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: TexanToTheCore

have not creeled one.....sigh


47 posted on 05/09/2008 8:12:00 AM PDT by TexanToTheCore (If it ain't Rugby or Bullriding, it's for girls.........................................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: tlb

That is so nuts that I wonder why our commies didn’t think of it first?


48 posted on 05/09/2008 8:26:25 AM PDT by TexasRepublic (When hopelessness replaces hope, it opens the door to evil.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TexanToTheCore
I release almost all of the trout that I catch. I keep all hatchery steelhead, and release the wild ones to spawn (most waters this is the law, and a good one). I did keep a nice wild Chinook last fall, and it was legal. It was from a healthy fishery. If a fish is landed quickly, revived and released, they most likely will be fine.

This law in Switzerland is about animal rights! We need to fight to keep this crap out of this country.

I go fishing to

49 posted on 05/09/2008 8:54:15 AM PDT by mickey finn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: BallyBill
I prefer “Kill and Release” anyway.

I release 'em into Lake Crisco.

50 posted on 05/09/2008 9:55:01 AM PDT by rogue yam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-5051-53 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson