Letter: Shocking method of tracking fish
Kathleen Marean, fisheries technician NYSDEC,measures a trout before it is released in the Carmans River, Shirley. (Apr. 25, 2012) Credit: Photo by Heather Walsh
"Shock to the system" [Newsday, May 8] shocked me as to how inhumane the human race has become. Electrical shockers were used in the Carmans River to help the Department of Environmental Conservation catch, count, measure and weigh marine life, which killed a few dozen fish.
The shockers charge water with 400 volts of electricity, stunning trout and eel making them easier to catch. What is wrong with this picture?
Think of yourself sitting in your bathtub filled with water being subjected to 400 volts of electricity. Would this not hurt? Doesn't marine life feel the same thing? What kind of a mindset do we have when we feel justified shocking defenseless marine life just to take some data? Have we lost any remaining compassion?
Maybe we should take the brains behind the development of this system and allow them to feel exactly what it's like to be shocked. I am sure that none of them would go back for seconds.
Gregory M. Gusew, Lake Ronkonkoma
