Does it bother anyone that a respected fishing based company, Fishpond, is teaming up with an organization which states it’s goal is to stop sport fishing, HSUS.
http://www.humanesociety.org/forms/protect_sharks_business_pledge.html
The cause is just and something I can support but a company does not need to lend their credibiluity to a groups whose purpose is to put them out of business and cause us great harm as anglers.
It looks to me as if the partnership is based more around an opposition to catch & kill specifically, as opposed to all sport fishing. I don’t really have a dog in the fight, but it all seems to make sense to me, at least at first glance.
I don’t really have dog in this fight either. Fish pond, etc can do whatever they want. I have learned that these companies -as well as conservation organizations - often say one thing and do another.
The HS link listed above- to me, suggests an opposition to catch and kill which for the most part I can agree with – especially sharks as the link seems to suggest. I practice pretty much exclusive C&R but I would see and agree with catch and kill in some cases such as were fish management indicates it is necessary — for example, trying to remove and kill lake trout from Yellowstone lake while releasing cut throat.
I never did like seeing bill fish,tarpon, bass, shark fish tournaments etc. where fish were caught, killed, hung up on a scale for a photo op and then everyone walks away leaving the dead fish to rot in the sun. Fortunately, I believe those situations are becoming less common.
Hummm.
If Fishpond has teamed up with the whackos at HSUS (which it appears they indeed have), no more Fishpond products for me.
fishpond gear is nice, but WAY overpriced. I’ve always had the impression their equipment is purchased as a status symbol as much as anything. I’ve never owned any of it, and won’t start now.
i support the C&R for shark fishing but how do you feel about a fishing company supporting an anti-fishing org. would this support not give HSUS more credibility and better allow HSUS fight to ban sport fishing all together?
rizeye,
Unless things have changed, HSUS is in bed with PETA! Since I have no way of knowing that any money I give to HSUS will be used specifically for the purpose I intended it, they will not get a red cent out of me! These people are not stupid and will try to wiggle their way into things, trying to use the conservation nature of sportsmen & women. Caveat Emptor!! If this issue is of concern to me, I will check into organizations I can trust! Fishpond is cutting off their noses to spite their face. I thought their products were very well made and really liked their motif (similar to Dan Baileys). Too bad for them though!! If Fishpond knows something we don’t, they better come out with it - because they may have just lost another potential customer. So far, all I have from Fishpond is their fly floatant carrier. Had one from another company, but liked the nice patterns on theirs - still have th old one, so Fishponds product may be up for sale - if they tick me off enough! I still have a stigma with Patagonia when they tried to go down that road a number of years back. Still will not buy their products!!
Best regards, Dave S.
I have no problem with this, as (as far as I can find on their site and a quick web search) the HSUS is only against cantch and kill fishing, which I agree with for the most part (not for invasive species). Especially with the shark kill tournaments this seems like an ecologically responsible stance for both the HSUS and fishpond to take.
HSUS is not the local Human Society in your neighborhood. read this for a profile not written by someone in HSUS
http://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/o/136-humane-society-of-the-united-states
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091209113039AAzvKXT
HSUS is a bunch of nuts with an ultimate agenda of mandating vegetarianism and outlawing or highly regulating animal ownership. That cabal would indeed like to end hunting and fishing.
I have no use for HSUS or anyone that supports them.
rizeye,
And that is exactly the kind of tactics the HSUS uses! They disguise themselves as the Humane Society and hope the unsuspected victims/donors don’t find out until it’s too late. I have seen it on several occasions, on the web, where people were duped into supporting the HSUS, until they were enlightened by a knowledgeable individual. Federal Reserve Bank comes to mind - isn’t that where all our money is kept? LOL!!! Money, yes - our money, not no more!!
Best regards, Dave S.
HSUS is worse than PETA because they have figured out how to play the corporate game. They’ve learned how to “blend,” and appear to be some folks who just care about Rover and Kitty. But they have the same goals as PETA. They just have a chance of actually achieving some of their goals because they aren’t running around acting like total nutcase jerks.
Fishpond should not have partnered with HSUS on this or anything else, but HSUS is well funded and has some serious muscle at this point. So the whole, “how badly do you really want to save the sharks” sales pitch overcame their integrity. There are good alternatives for everything Fishpond puts their label on. So they won’t get any of my money.
I can’t imagine any fishing related organization “partnering” with HSUS on any level, no matter what the issue is. Fishpond can take on the issue any number of ways without tying themselves to the HSUS. I plan to email Fishpond to let them know that they are making a serious mistake, and I’d encourage others to do the same.
Be clear, the HSUS supports this not to protect anything but rather as a stepping stone towards their stated goal of ending all fishing (on the way to ending hunting, eating meat, owning dogs, etc.). They will point to this partnership and work it to get donations and build a false impression that they are not unreasonable and mean no harm to sportsmen. They are as deceitful and insidious as they have been described by others.
No more Fish Pond for me! HSUS is a bunch of whackos of the first order. For those of you who prefer no killing fish, I suppose that’s ok if you do not eat fish. Buying fish caught commercially is a full measure worse than anything sport angling could ever offer conservation wise. Selective release is knowing your resource and protecting it but using it when and where it’s usable. A great example is too many brookies in a cutthroat stream, or too many bluegills in a small pond. In botht those cases the right thing to do, conservation wise is to take a few fish for the pan. Back to HSUS–keep your alarm set on high as these are about the deadliest bunch of nut cakes there is when it comes to stopping sport fishing and hunting. Shame on Fish Pond!
I think Fishpond could have found a better organization to team with to protect sharks than HSUS. I guess Fishpond is off my list as well, and I had almost talked myself into one of their tying bags. What’s next Orvis teaming with PETA?
Another one??? I just went to the new Brodin site to look for a new net bag for my 15yr old net (which I love)…and it is pretty much a Greenpeace advertisement now! It seems they will no longer be making exotic wood frames in order to save the rainforests. But greenpeace?! So much for getting another Brodin product for me now.
I’ve been back and forth over some travel tubes and things for awhile now, and was about to buy. Guess this made my mind up… I won’t buy another Fishpond product!
I read an interesting article in Bassmaster Magazine, (yea, I read that too); in any case only 13 states have made hunting & fishing constitutional rights. The list includes Vermont since 1777 and recently added in 2010 was Arkansas, South Carolina & Tennessee. The remaining members of the club are Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Maybe with these fly fishing companies partnering up with the enemies of fishing, those of us in the remaining 37 states should get to work on our state legislators!
NJTroutbum will cover the letter writing work for both NJ & PA. (inside joke ;))
It’s becoming a disturbing trend in the flyfishing community.
It really is important to notify these companies that these associations with such organizations as HSUS, Greenpeace, etc is unacceptable and that while a particular cause may be worthy, not all who support that cause are worthy of support. Otherwise, they will not see the immediate connection to their drop in sales. We need to give them the opportunity to do an about-face on the decision. Otherwise, the opposition still wins. Quietly withdrawing our business does the least towards furthering the fight.
A number of months ago a wine company (Yellowtail if I remember correctly) donated a sizable chunk of money to HSUS and the resulting outcry from the hunting and fishing community woke them to their error and they issued a statement that they were not aware of the nature of HSUS and would make no future contributions.