My son had an odd visual experience on Oregon’s East Lake this week. Maybe it was the altitude? ODFW was there doing some on the water survey of sorts using nets and boats. As my son watched their process he observed them sorting trout and as each one was handled it was then tossed, thrown and slung out from the boat some 20+ feet onto the waters surface. Given I had spent the effort in his formative years to instill a respect in handling the fish, particularly Trout, with care and ease, he was a bit aghast (as were other nearby fishers) in seeing this handling of the fish.
Now I know most of them come into the lakes via trucks and big hoses that shoot them into the water in a harsh manner, but is this normal? Is this a reflection of the ‘put n take’ handling of a commodity with no respect? The reality, I suspect, of those that handle the species day in and out and see them as nothing more than pellet eating pieces of meat that grew in a hatchery pond. We (me) attach spiritual worth to fish and surround them with the whole natural process into one tidy shrine of homage. To others, because I believe our production mentality, they are simply a food/recreation commodity handled by men doing a job on a schedule and trying to satisfy the masses.
