Fishing Hurts

You might have noticed that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has been occasionally running an ad in the Google Ads section of my blog. Titled, "Fishing Hurts," it depicts a distressed dog with a fishhook in its mouth. Now I've never really had anything against PETA. In fact, I'm a big fan of their "naked women in cages" campaign, but they're barking up the wrong tree with this ad. I really hope they didn't hook that pup on purpose for the picture, but I've heard they've done worse. At the very least the photo itself is evidence of cruelty because it would've taken about 5 seconds (less than the time required to get a camera and take the picture) to snip off the barb and pull it back out of the dog's mouth. But the bigger point is that most fishermen I know are strong advocates for conservation and the environment. I'd easily wager that more animals have been saved by conscientious recreational fishermen than have been harmed. Nevertheless, I've decided not to block the PETA ads. It exposes and confirms the over-zealous and reactionary reputation the organization has earned. It's unfortunate, because if not for that, I might even be a member. -Shawn