High Moral Ground?

August 15, 2010 By: Marshall Cutchin

Reading the comments attached Dylan Tomine’s observations on catch-and-release in The New York Times, one is reminded of the multitude of perspectives on angling ethics. Tomine asks an important question: do fly fishers have a right to claim high moral ground?
“So who has a greater impact on the resource — the fly angler who releases 50 trout and keeps fishing, or the “meat” fisherman who kills two for dinner and quits? Who holds the moral high ground here?
The responses range from “never keep a fish that says ‘hello'” to “Maybe the highest of all high moral grounds could be achieved by tying a fly WITHOUT a hook.”