COLCHESTER, Vt. -
PETA wants a popular kids fishing program, canceled!
The animal rights organization told the Department of Fish and Wildlife that fishing teaches children to be violent toward animals.
PETA says fish have sensitive mouths and lips, and that even when caught and released, they feel the pain. But many of the Vermonters who I spoke with today find this request a bit extreme.
In a state that prides itself on hunting and fishing, a request from PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, to cancel the state's "Let's Go Fishing" program isn't sitting well.
"These people are from a different planet," Richard Greenough said.
"Everybody I know takes their kids out fishing," Jessep Gaudette said.
"Let's Go Fishing" is a free program that teaches the young and the young at heart about preserving the eco system, ethical angling behavior and habitat conservation.
"The vast majority of conservation efforts are funded through license dollars, so if you want to help the environment, buy a fishing license," James Ehlers of Lake Champlain International said.
But cat or catfish, fur or fins PETA told me over the phone that fishing is a violent sport and that fish can feel the pain.
"We wouldn't teach our families to hook a dog, so we shouldn't teach them to hook fish," Lauren Stroyeck, Outreach Coordinator for PETA said.
The lake may be bare on this rainy day but in the summer about 4,000 kids participate in the program and although they're always in need of more help, already 50 volunteers have signed up.
"This thing here now has got me torqued up, so I think I will get myself and a few other people involved in it more," Greenough said.
And for fathers, like Gaudette, fishing is an opportunity to spend time together.
"He's only 15 months now and he walks around with a fishing pole in his hands," he said about his son.
PETA's response… "There are other ways to teach families to appreciate the environment and appreciate nature, that don't involve harming animals," Stroyeck said.
PETA wants the state to look at "Let's Go Fishing" and consider other options. As for the state, they invited PETA to go fishing.
PETA also argues that fish contain mercury, and that when eaten in large quantities can cause brain damage.
On the other side, anglers also brought up today that fishing is great for the economy and that it gets kids outside.
To be clear, the state does not have any plans to cancel "Let's Go Fishing" and already is scheduling fishing trips for the summer.
