Letters To The Editor

Fish feel pain

Please allow me to respond to Fenton Roskelley’s column about PETA’s efforts to end fishing in national parks (“PETA hooks its concern on fish cruelty,” July 8). Contrary to claims made by Hilary W. Thompson in Flyfishing magazine, there’s no doubt that fish feel pain.

According to Dr. Donald Broom, animal welfare advisor to the British government, “The scientific literature is quite clear. Anatomically, physiologically and biologically, the pain system in fish is virtually the same as in birds and mammals. In animal welfare terms you have to put fishing into the same category as hunting.” Adds Dr. Austin Williams, a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service zoologist, fish “are sentient organisms, so of course they feel pain.”

Fish also experience fear. An Australian study found that when fish are chased, confined, or otherwise threatened, they react as humans do to stress: with increased heart rate and breathing rate, and a burst of adrenalin.

And angling doesn’t just hurt fish. Every year, anglers leave behind a trail of tackle victims that includes millions of birds, turtles, and other animals who suffer debilitating injuries after swallowing fish hooks or becoming entangled in fishing line. Officials with the Virgina Marine Science Museum Stranding Team say fishing line is one of the top three threats to aquatic animals.

Fishing is not a harmless pastime. That’s why PETA is urging anglers to forgo fishing and enjoy the great outdoors by participating in more animal-friendly pursuits instead, such as hiking, camping, or canoeing. Paula Moore Norfolk, Va.

Unrelated events

Whoa! What a diatribe by Kenneth Knapp in Letters on Aug. 2.

I’m not sure how he manages to jump from the disparity between Ryan Leaf and Warren Moon’s salary to the riots at WSU. Neither Ryan Leaf nor Warren were at the riots, and WSU has nothing to do with salary negotiations, so how are those two ideas related?

WSU has nothing to do with Ryan dropping out of school; that’s Leaf’s choice. I know Coach Price and Ryan’s parents would have loved to see Leaf get his degree last spring along with the 26 other football players who did graduate. I wonder how many non-athlete WSU students didn’t graduate as scheduled. Studies show that the percentage of student-athletes completing their degrees is higher than the percentage of the total students completing their degree.

As for Leaf’s and Moon’s salaries making headlines now, that is the current news. The riot is old news, and the two are not related. The university and the courts took action against the rioters, and it was reported. WSU’s accomplishments in the arts, science and language also receive coverage.

Knapp’s foolish comments about football jerseys, six-packs, beer, lots of beer, burning down dorm rooms, and buying degrees do not reflect reality. First of all, if anyone could buy a degree, Ryan Leaf could, but he can’t. The fact is, the majority of the WSU student body, including the athletes, did not participate in or approve of the riots. WSU’s dry campus policy is still in place, and the university and its student organizations are working hard to overcome the image the riots created. Leaf and the football team made a positive contribution to the university’s image through their Rose Bowl experience. Riots, Leaf’s salary, and Knapp’s diatribe cannot take away from the solid accomplishments of the university.

The large majority of WSU graduates will do far better than food stamps and the bank of mom and dad. They may not earn $6.5 million, or even the billions earned by Paul Allen, but they will make solid contributions to our society. Gail Gleason Spokane