Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 28 October 2022
Past month has been misty for me. Long days around reindeer and building fence, just when having thought that short break is coming and I could focus to finishing fence, we have continued round-up and then wolf hunting.
Snow came two days ago. It meant that all the footprints can be seen. In one area wolf has been making huge damage to reindeers and yesterday that came to it's end. It is not the only one, it will slow down situation for some period.
And when we thought that it would go like that, problem jump up close to our farm. Do we want to kill all the wolves, no, they should have fear for people. Latest reindeer body was found less than 100 meter from house.
So we hunt wolves to protect life of reindeer. And we butch reindeer to protect our life. Shortly explained.
And that brings me to fishing. We do similar decision when fishing, even you don't consider that similar way. Some of you might think that our wolf -reindeer thing is bullshit, it is just to kill wolf. Okay back to fishing
Some people think that taking big pike from water is protecting life of trout, grayling etc. That is bullshit, taking big pike out of the water is protecting small pikes, and those will eat small trout, grayling etc. So basically taking big pike is damage to salmonide fish more than protecting. Leaving big pike is protection for salmonide fish and keeping pike population as reasonably level.
Hunting mink is saving birds and fish, merganser is eating lot of small salmonide fish and cormorant is even worse. It is not about to take all out, it is keeping population for reasonable level. When you are fishing you make similar decisions, and you hide it behind idea that you need to eat. What I do is that I take fish which can be taken, meaning that population is strong enough to took it. Do I know it for sure? Of course not, none of us knows.
We hide our decisions behind something to make them for something that we can live it. We all buy our conscience with something. If you say something else you are probably lying. Life is not black and white, it is just shade of greys.
Have a nice weekend and go fishing
Mika