Ethics Versus Law

[fishinggeek]

Recently a post was made about people keeping native fish as pets, and how the transportation of live species is illegal under the same statue that applies to sport fishing. From reading it, most of us (including me) had a "no harm no foul" view on it.

 

But I have also read people getting ridiculed on here for doing things that were perfectly legal, such as keeping a muskie whose survival was dubious, taking pictures of OOS fish that weren't targeted, and keeping trophies (eg. walleye, lakers).

 

Certainly the law does not necessarily equate to "right" nor is what's right always in the law. But in my opinion, a lot of people subconsciencely derive what's "right" as what's "good for me". For example, muskie fishermen may gasp when a muskie is legally kept or even held vertically and released, yet I did hear much objection to keeping (and probably transporting) rock bass as pets. I guess my beef is allowing a group of lay people to decide what's right and wrong, then projecting these decisions onto the general public. I think we all have good intentions, but allowing our emotions dictate our actions (or our government's actions) is definitely a sub-optimal way to go.

 

Any constructive thoughts? For the record, I have never kept any fish as pets, nor have I kept a muskie.

[largemouth]

very well put. the best thing to do is obey the law and ignore the opinions.

[Terry]

I say we have to accept everything everyone does if it's within the law

 

and our own ethics are our own and will be different then other peoples ethics so who are we to try to impose our believes on someone else who check the laws and acted within them...

 

don't hate the people fishing within the law, hate the law

don't try to change the people, try to change the law

[ccmtcanada]

Uh oh....

 

 

We need spring bad.....

 

You forgot to mention trib fishing pics and photoshopping of backgrounds....LOL

Edited February 20, 2008 by ccmtcanada

[fishinggeek]

CCMT, I forgot about those ones! Good "catch"!

[walleyejigger]

forums would be a much friendlier place if ppl didn't try to impose their ethics on others

 

if ppl follow laws n regulations others should be happy with that and any negative comments or "u should have" or " i would have" should be kept to yourself or posted in your own thread, instead of highjacking others

[holdfast]

I for one would be burned to the stake, for saying what I have said. But unlike most people I come from a different background than most. Ive learned one thing though, with all the forced Diversity, desensitize training, you can change how a person says something, but not what he thinks. My problem I don't care, so it leaves me open to a lot of assumptions from other people. As far as this board is concerned, there are people that will stick their neck out, naive or not, and leave themselves to the ( I'm an angel and would never do that people) and then there are the Play it safe ( For the record, I have never kept any fish as pets, nor have I kept a muskie) people. But, what I enjoy about this board, is the different opinions. What I dont like the board, is how fast some people opinions get deleted so quick, because it takes one person to complain, usually a PM to the moderator, better not to show yourself person. So what is ethical, abating by the law I guess. But keeping minnows in an aquarium, done it as a kid, killing frogs, done it as a kid, killing fish, every-time I eat one. Calling an accidental snowmobile drowning on thin ice, yup stupid. Do you really figure that the dive teams don't smoke and joke while taking a break from a recovery. To you that's unethical, to me its not.

[danc]

What I dont like the board, is how fast some people opinions get deleted so quick, because it takes one person to complain, usually a PM to the moderator, better not to show yourself person.

 

For the record Holdfast, being a moderator on a message board with 2500+ members is not that easy. It's impossible to please everyone. Personally I've had countless pm's complaining about a certain message, only to have a look at it and decide "Hey. That's no so bad. I'll let it go". The opinions of the mods are not always right. As are those of the posting members. In extreme situations we get together and discuss certain issues and come up with a group decision. Rarely we all agree so how can we expect the 2500+ members to agree with our decision? We are doing the best job that we can under the circumstances. If anything, we have a high tolerance level. We are doing our best to please everyone.

[Cookslav]

The opinions of the mods are not always right

Whaaaaaaat?

 

 

Kidding, kidding

 

Heck even I've been wrong once...but I was redeemed cause I found later I was wrong, which meant I was actually right the time before

 

All kidding aside, not meaning to kiss donkey "butt"

The Mods are fair, and They do a good job keeping it clean...been here for years, and I like it the way it is.

Just my $0.02

[holdfast]

For the record Holdfast, being a moderator on a message board with 2500+ members is not that easy. It's impossible to please everyone. Personally I've had countless pm's complaining about a certain message, only to have a look at it and decide "Hey. That's no so bad. I'll let it go". The opinions of the mods are not always right. As are those of the posting members. In extreme situations we get together and discuss certain issues and come up with a group decision. Rarely we all agree so how can we expect the 2500+ members to agree with our decision? We are doing the best job that we can under the circumstances. If anything, we have a high tolerance level. We are doing our best to please everyone.

 

I appreciate your answer, Sorry if I assumed that it takes just one person to make a complaint, to lock a thread or Delete an opinion. But from where I am sitting, it has seemed like it has happened. With all that said, for the most part the Mods have done a great job not only to make this the best fishing forum, but a forum period. Now hows that for Brown Nosing.

[JohnF]

For the record Holdfast, being a moderator on a message board with 2500+ members is not that easy. It's impossible to please everyone. Personally I've had countless pm's complaining about a certain message, only to have a look at it and decide "Hey. That's no so bad. I'll let it go". The opinions of the mods are not always right. As are those of the posting members. In extreme situations we get together and discuss certain issues and come up with a group decision. Rarely we all agree so how can we expect the 2500+ members to agree with our decision? We are doing the best job that we can under the circumstances. If anything, we have a high tolerance level. We are doing our best to please everyone.

 

You're right. We should be glad that locks and deletions are all that happens. I used to post (note the used to part) to a popular scuba forum until I caught the chief moderator editing the content of one of my posts to alter my meaning without any indication he had done it. When I called him on it he said something along the lines that he thought my comment might lead to other nastier posts so he thought he'd just change my meaning slightly to avoid trouble with other members. You'll just have to trust me that there was nothing wrong with my post other than being humorous. The fact was he just didn't agree with the point I was making. He said he didn't think I'd mind.

 

I made one last post to that board. I never went back to see if he "fixed" that one too, or just removed it. I seriously doubt he left that one up. 8)

 

JF

[bushart]

I believe legal standards should be where the bar is placed.

 

Other than that opinions and emotions enter into the equation(and we all know why divorce lawyers drive the big cars)

 

I look at the scenario where David Suziki states he does not believe in C & R fishing --fishing should be done for food.

Now it's hard to find a bigger coservationaist/environmentalist than him.

 

I have seen another fishing message board where members would be publicly ridiculed for acting within the law and keeping fish they were entitled to---That's why I just default to the law is the standard because there will always be differences of opinions.

[fishinggeek]

Bushart, couldn't agree with you more.

 

And although I have seen a few threads locked in a manner I thought was premature, I would have to agree that the Mods here are doing a fine job. I would say I'm quite happy with the job they've done so far.

[OhioFisherman]

I kept like a 20 inch L/M once and put it in my parents fish pond. Didn`t give it much thought at the time and should have known better. Pond was only like 4 feet deep, dang thing died over the winter. Still in good shape though so I got a mount of it. Might have been the last bass I kept. Just seemed like a waste.

 

Just to me better a live release, I have put some in friends ponds that could handle them.