Live kittens used as catfish bait

“Live kittens used to lure giant catfish

13jul03

LIVE kittens are being used as bait by professional fishermen hunting giant catfish for European restaurants.

The cruel practice came to light when police boarded a fishing boat on the Po River in Northern Italy and found a stash of frightened kittens ready to be placed on hooks.
The case, which police say is not isolated, has outraged European animal rights groups.

Police believe greedy fishermen are using kittens as bait because their anguished thrashings attract catfish, the flesh of which is regarded as a delicacy.

Others hunting the fish, with its jutting lower jaw and long curling whiskers, are dangling live, harpooned eels in the water.

The freshwater catfish - also known as sheatfish - grows to a length of 2m and can weigh up to 225kg.

Large specimens have been known to charge anglers' boats, and sometimes the fierce fish eat each other.

The sheatfish, found in central and eastern Europe, is the Po River's largest predator. Having consumed all eels and carp, it has been seen eating ducks and large rats.

Italian police officer Giuseppe Lagana, who detected the first case of kitten-baiting in May, said the incident was not isolated.

He told the European Independent Digital news organisation many fishermen using live kittens were taking desperate measures to avoid detection.

"During a nocturnal patrol this week, one boat managed to evade our checks," Mr Lagana said. "It ignored warnings and cleared off with its lights extinguished.

"We suspect this was also one of these fishermen without a conscience. Using live kittens to catch sheatfish is an unheard-of cruelty."

Mr Lagana said authorities had little hope of stamping out the practice.

Thousands of anglers go to the Po River district to hunt the big, omnivorous fish from boats and houseboats.

"Last year, the voluntary guards in the region covered 15,000km," Mr Lagana said.

"But to catch these squalid people in the act is very difficult, even using co-ordinated land and water night patrols."


http://heraldsun.news.com.au/printpage/0%2C5481%2C6741856%2C00.html”

“I do not like cats because I am deathly allergic to them, but this is pretty sick. These guys should be baited up and tossed out in shark infested water.”

“My emotional response is the same as yours, but...how is this more cruel than using live minnows?

Just wondering.”

“It's not.”

“because kittens are fluffy... duh ;o)”

“as my scoutmaster once said, animal cruelty is based on how cute and fuzzy the animal is.”

“"as my scoutmaster once said, animal cruelty is based on how cute and fuzzy the animal is."
howitzer
01:39:15 PM
08/12/03

and if we eat them regularly!”

“lol that too!”

“Yah, really. Jersey calves are pretty darn cute.

And tasty, too, I might add...”

“I've got a pair of older cats that can't seem to get through a week without puking on my carpet....wonder how well they'd attract catfish?

Ah well, there's always the old standby....Oscar Mayer.....35 cents a pound, bones, fur and all.

;-)”

“A cat can make one darn good taco too!”

“I always get hair in my teeth when I eat that kind of taco.”

“Got to skin it first.”

“Catfish dining on kittens, hmmmm, I wonder where the name for catfish came from?”

“Hear pussey, pussey, pussey - cat.”

“Hear-Here”

“Jeffers- do your cats have hairballs? Feed them a high fiber cat food. Are they allergic to the brand you feed them? That's also a common problem. Many cats are allergic to corn.”

“That's pretty warped.”

“LOL

cat food”

“Those civilized Europeans lead the way.”

“as my scoutmaster once said, animal cruelty is based on how cute and fuzzy the animal is."
howitzer
01:39:15 PM
08/12/03

i think he was quoting denis leary

anyway, i think the amount of perceived cruelty is in direct relation to how high up the food chain, or evolutionary chain, or how high the level of intelligence is (but all this can be offset by how annoying the lifeform is). we deliberately kill biting gnats and skeeters, we might feel bad for a minute if we kill a squirrel with a car, if we hurt a puppy we might feel bad for a day, and if we hurt a human being, feel bad for a long time. kittens are mammals, and mammals get higher regard than any other vertebrate. and theyre just so darn cute!”

“According to PETA, 1.5 Billion kittens are put to death each year. Killing them in vacuum chambers isn't any more humane than drowning them. Both ways kill by suffocation.”

“I don't care what PETA says, everyone who runs a trotline knows that the only bait better than live kittens are live puppies.”

“I was just saying, why make a big deal over kittens being used as bait when they're killed everyday in a similar manner?”

“Dub would not know a trot line if he swallowed one, hook, line, and sinker.”