“Fishing is just like a sexual orientation, another is not about what I like,” said fishing guide Juul Steyn this morning during the Sustainability Committee. He, together with dozens of other anglers, came to the Stopera in Amsterdam to express his anger about a possible fishing ban. The Party for the Animals wants such a ban in Amsterdam waters.
The Party for the Animals advocates a fishing ban to prevent animal suffering. At the moment, fishing is allowed by the municipality, and the Amsterdam fishing club must take care of the water.
Crochet
According to the Party, the fact that hooks get stuck in the fish’s mouth is reason enough to ban fishing. “But if anyone suffers when angling stops, it is the fish,” claims one fisherman. If you believe the fishermen, they ensure that the fish can continue to live well in the Amsterdam water. Steyn: “If we see poachers or illegal nets, we call the police so that overfishing is prevented. And if we see litter along the shore, we clean it up.”
In addition to maintenance, fishing is also something very social, the fishermen say. A ‘fishing teacher’, who teaches young children how to fish, says: “I teach them how to unhook them, how to always hold the fish with wet hands. This way you teach children to deal with nature with respect and that has the youth need in a time with so many screens.”
A man who works in a fishing shop agrees. He often talks to parents who see this as something therapeutic for their child. This is especially true if, for example, he or she has ADHD or has difficulty completely clearing his or her head: “And that is such a beautiful thing, you simply cannot take that away from us.”
Maintenance
If it were up to Judith Krom of the Party for the Animals, the municipality would take matters into its own hands again when it comes to maintaining and supervising the water and aquatic life: “How would you react if a dog were tied to a hook? lifted onto the street?” she asks the other committee members.
Councilor Zita Pels believes that the priority now lies in solving other animal suffering: “For example, dumping animals, which is a very big problem according to the police.” It would also cost a lot of extra employees and therefore money to carry out this maintenance. For that reason, Pels thinks, it is currently not feasible to adopt such a proposal. “But the fact that so many people have come together here shows the council how important Amsterdam residents find this.”