FAQs about the consequences of angling for fish

Answers to frequently asked questions

What is wrong with (children's) fishing competitions?

Can fish feel pain and stress?

Do sport fishers respect fish and nature?

Are sport fishers cruel?

Why do sport fishers fish?

What are the consequences of sport fishing for the fish?

What are the other consequences of sport fishing?

More information

What is wrong with (children's) fishing competitions?

Even the most experienced angler causes pain and stress to fish just by fishing. When children fish, this is often worse, because they lack experience. In their innocence and ignorance, children disrupt nature. They do not recognise vulnerable plants and animals. Noisily, excitedly and roughly they move along the waterside to make themselves a spot to fish from.

A competition is a match in which the aim is to catch as many fish or as big a fish as you can. The child gets the message that animals can be used for games. It also learns that their interests are not important. Respect for nature also means respect for fish. Shouldn't adults teach children to respect fish and to leave them alone?

Can fish feel pain and stress?

Yes. Fish feel pain, though not in the same way people do. It is cruel to make a fish suffer needlessly, just as it would be for any other animal. There used to be doubts about whether fish could suffer. Nowadays most scientists no longer have these doubts. In 2003 researchers at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh showed that trout react to painful stimuli. In 2009 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that fish are able to experience pain.

Even if you still have doubts, wouldn't it be more logical to give fish the benefit of the doubt? That way you avoid unnecessary suffering. We think it is not only about whether fish can feel pain. It is also about showing respect for nature.

Fish also learn from being caught. A study in New Zealand in 2000 showed that fish recognise anglers as a threat. Anglers in the UK also speak of fishing waters becoming 'less productive' as the fish learn to recognise the threat. Research at the University of Glasgow has shown that fish can recognise close relatives. Other studies have shown that fish have a good memory, contrary to popular belief.

Animal welfare laws in Europe

Several European countries have rules to protect fish from angling. Switzerland forbids fishing with live bait fish (with a few exceptions). It also forbids angling with the intention of releasing the fish again (catch and release). In Germany, too, catch and release is seen as contrary to the animal welfare act, because angling is only allowed when the fish is used as food. The Netherlands also forbids fishing with live bait. In most countries, however, sport fishing with catch and release is still allowed.

Roslin Institute (Edinburgh): scientists claim proof that fish feel pain (BBC News, 2003).

Do sport fishers respect fish and nature?

Sport fishers say that they respect nature and its beauty. The question we ask is: how is this respect shown? Can you claim to respect nature when you injure a fish and take it out of its habitat with a hook and a line, only to put it back injured? (See also other consequences of sport fishing.) In many waters, the fish species that are caught regularly have to be restocked.

You can best answer the following questions yourself:

May you injure an animal that can feel pain and stress, just because you enjoy a sport?
Suppose someone became ill and could no longer feel any pain. Would this mean that you could injure that person for fun?
Is it respectful to injure an animal for fun, whether or not it can feel pain and stress?

Are sport fishers cruel?

Of course, sport fishers aren't cruel on purpose. They do not intend to hurt or injure fish. That would be an unkind thought. Unfortunately, they do not see that the sport they love so much is hurting, injuring and stressing animals.

Many anglers deny that fish can feel pain. Admitting it would make them seem cruel. Scientists have shown that fish experience pain differently from people. Anglers use this difference as an excuse to stop thinking about the consequences for fish. That is how they come to deny that fish feel pain at all.

Why do sport fishers fish?

These are some reasons that are often heard:

Excitement. The fight between angler and fish gives the angler a kick. Carp and catfish in particular are real fighters. That makes them very attractive prey for enthusiasts. Some people feel their primitive hunting instincts come up in this fight between human and animal.
Peace and quiet. It is always quiet by the water. You can leave the stress of daily life behind for a while by concentrating on fishing.
Being in nature. Nature with all its peace and beauty has inspired people since the beginning of time. One person likes to walk, another rides a bicycle. Yet another tries to get in touch with nature by fishing.
Social contacts. Sport fishing is a hobby. As with other hobbies, you meet people with the same interests. That leads to interesting conversations and sometimes to new friendships. Every sport fisher has their own fishing stories. There are countless accessories for fishing and endless tactics.
Food. Some sport fishers eat the fish they catch.

What are the consequences of sport fishing for the fish?

As soon as a fish bites, a barbed hook pierces the roof of its mouth. The fish tries to swim away, but the line is too strong. Floundering and gasping for oxygen, it tries in vain to get away. Hanging by its upper lip, the fish is reeled in after its struggle. It then lands powerless in the angler's hands.

Then the hook has to be removed. Experienced anglers generally know that they have to be careful with the fish's skin. They place the fish on a special mat. Less experienced or less well-equipped anglers often put the fish down on rough ground. This can easily make the fish lose scales. A fish's skin consists only of scales and a thin layer of mucus. Damage to the skin therefore often leads to infections by fungi and bacteria. Holding a fish with dry hands carries the same risks. It is strongly advised against. Unsuitable keepnets, or keepnets that are used wrongly, can also cause stress and damage the scales. Removing a hook from a fish's mouth always leaves a wound. The size of the wound depends on the skill of the angler.

Sometimes a fish is kept in a keepnet for a few hours. The stressed and frightened fish cannot escape. It stays under stress for hours. Even if it is released immediately, a fish can still show signs of stress several hours after it was caught.

A number of situations can have severe consequences for the fish:

A fish slips from the angler's hands and lands on the ground. It damages its skin by floundering on the rough surface.
The angler grips the fish too hard by accident, perhaps as a reflex because the fish is slipping away. This can damage the fish's organs.
The hook pierces an eye, the brain or the gills. That is nearly always fatal to the fish.

Inexperienced sport fishers in particular sometimes wait too long after the fish bites before they reel it in. By then the fish may have swallowed the bait, hook and all. It is then lifted out of the water by its entrails. When the angler tries to remove the hook, the damage to the fish's insides gets even worse. The angler may cut the line instead. The fish then suffers from the hook in its stomach and may die.

What are the other consequences of sport fishing?

Sport fishing has various consequences. The first is the direct harm to the fish that is caught. There are also indirect problems. A fish that has swallowed a hook may become easy prey for predatory fish or for other animals such as birds. Fishing lines left behind, with or without hooks, also make victims among birds and other animals.

Sport fishing also releases a large amount of lead into nature. Lead is one of the most poisonous heavy metals. It harms animals and people alike. According to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), lead sinkers and lures put about 7 million birds in the EU at risk of lead poisoning. In 2021 ECHA advised restricting lead in fishing tackle. In 2026 the European Commission submitted a draft regulation that would ban lead sinkers and lures throughout the EU.

More information

According to a group of British scientists, fish do not deserve their reputation as the dimwits of the animal kingdom. They are not instinct-driven dunces with a three-second memory. In their view, fish are cunning, manipulative, cultured and socially aware. Read more in the article Thinkers of the deep (The Age, 2003).