Whether you’ve realized yet or not, there is a war going on out there, and it might very well mean the end of fishing as a sport.

 I’m not talking about the Iraq War or Afghanistan or any other shooting war. I’m talking about the no-holds-barred publicity campaign against fishing currently being conducted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

You’ll see signs of this war everywhere on the Internet that is even remotely fishing related. It’s in the Google ads that are now prevalent on nearly every website on the planet. In fact, if you look over to the right, you’ll probably see the ad there. Look for the one with the headline “Fishing Hurts”. If you value fishing at all, though, don’t click it.

You’ll also see the campaign being waged offline in many places. The next time you head to the marina or your favorite bait shop, keep a close eye on any nearby billboards. Maybe you’ve already seen them. The billboard shows a dog with a fish hook in it’s mouth with the slogan “If you wouldn’t do this to a dog, why do it to a fish?”.

The war goes much further than this, though. Recently, PETA published a comic book entitled Your Daddy Kills Animals, and picturing a deranged man on the front cover splitting a fish open with a knife. Obviously, the groups “ethics” only go as far as animals. Humans don’t deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and children are fair game to them.

The bothersome thing about this war is the one-sidedness of it. I’ve tried in vain to find any evidence of fishermen fighting back against this group, and sadly have had very little luck. At best, I’ve found one or two articles out there on the Internet and they do nothing to counter the arguments PETA uses to state its case.

Maybe it’s just because fishing enthusiasts are unaware of the war, or maybe it’s complacency, but if something isn’t done soon to counteract this propaganda campaign, we may find ourselves without a sport to enjoy any longer. PETA is highly organized and well-funded and certainly has the eyes and ears of some very well connected people in Washington. Without a similar opposition campaign, the war will be lost. It’s time to wake up and smell the fish!