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Is catch and release fishing permitted? I've heard different opinions on this matter. Whats the official halacha?

msh210
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oriole4008
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3 Answers3

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There are a number of opinions that state that catch and release is forbidden halachically on account of צער בעלי חיים - causing the animal pain.

For example, according to the Rav Menashe Klein, Zt"l - Mishneh Halachot - Choshen Mishpat - Chelek 12, Siman 432, it is asur (forbidden) to fish for sport if the fish will not be used for food, and even if the fish is released and survives, hooking the fish's mouth is asur because it inflicts tza'ar (pain):

The following internet sources also maintain that catch and release is forbidden:

DanF
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Toras EMES 613
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  • Toras EMES 613, welcome to Judaism.SE, and thanks very much for these sources! I look forward to seeing you around. – Isaac Moses Apr 11 '12 at 03:56
  • I added an extra resource. Interesting halacha. I saw a youtube video showing a boat catching and releasing bonito and grouper in FL. Groupers are huge tough fish and you need a huge hook to catch them. You could clearly see the fish's mouth was slightly punctured by the hook as they released it. There's a reason why the fish fight hard! – DanF May 10 '17 at 16:17
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    Similarly, R. Eliezer Melamed forbids it https://ph.yhb.org.il/17-15-06/ – yakzo Aug 02 '18 at 01:46
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Rav Moshe Feinstein has a great responsa in which he says that if it gives you pleasure you may hunt. Fish are generally considered to be lower life forms in that we grant fish fewer halakhic protections (for example eiver min ha'hai does not apply to fish). Though Rav Moshe does say in his responsa that it is not something that he thins is great to do it is not assur. Based on that I would say that in the case of fishing where the fish is not permanently hurt and that fish are generally afforded fewer protections it would certainly be permissible.

My sense is that Rav Moshe would not feel that C&R fishing would be considered unadvisable as he says hunting mammals is.

שו"ת אגרות משה חושן משפט חלק ב סימן מז

כי כל דבר שהוא לצורך האדם ליכא איסור צער בע"ח =בעלי חיים= דהא התירה התורה שחיטה ולא רק לאכילת ישראל אלא אף לאכילת נכרים מותר לשחוט, ואף לכבוד דאדם בעלמא

Michoel
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Eytan Yammer
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    Thanx! I think I will do it soon! – oriole4008 Apr 09 '12 at 02:33
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    I've heard that the rambam in moreh nevuchim writes that the Torah permitted shechita because it limits Tzar ba'alei Chaim. Perhaps then only thru shechita (rov simanim etc...) could you apply this logic according to him. – Baal Shemot Tovot Apr 09 '12 at 02:35
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    Interesting assertion. I have to think about that. My one concern is that it is difficult to make halakhic conclusions from the M"N as it is a book of machshava (philosophy) – Eytan Yammer Apr 09 '12 at 02:39
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    @oriole4008 Please remember that this website does not provide a substitute to qualified rabbinic advice, and you should check with your local rabbi before acting on anything you see here. – Double AA Apr 09 '12 at 04:09
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    In the teshuvah of Rav Moshe that you quote, Rav Moshe is NOT saying that hunting is permissible for pleasure. Look at the teshuvah - it is talking about killing PESTS, not hunting. Furthermore, לכבוד האדם does not mean "for pleasure". It means that you are permitted to kill pests even if they are not posing a danger, so long as they are a nuisance to people. Additionally, Rav Moshe advises people to kill pests by setting traps, rather than directly so they won't be imbued with a spirit of cruelty. – Toras EMES 613 Apr 10 '12 at 19:05
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    In part you are correct. It says that כי כל דבר שהוא לצורך האדם ליכא איסור צער בע"ח if there is any human benefit you can kill an animal. I also mentioned that he says that for the specific animals that he mentioned Rav Moshe clearly had a preference not to kill animals. He never says assur. So in the case of catch and release where they are lower life forms and they are not being harmed merely trapped it seams clear that he would permit it. – Eytan Yammer Apr 10 '12 at 20:27
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    Setting aside the specific question of "catch and release" of fish, it's unwarranted to infer that Rav Moshe permitted killing animals in general for sport or pleasure. The concept of לצורך האדם refers to a tangible benefit, which is why you need an additional source (from פריקה) to teach you about לכבוד האדם. Pleasure is not a tangible human benefit, and לכבוד האדם, within the context of the teshuvah, refers to the removal of a nuisance. – Toras EMES 613 Apr 10 '12 at 22:48
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    LeTzorech Ha'Adam must refer to adding pleasure of some sort and lechvod h'adam the prevention of some pain. This is the case because the example R Moshe uses is about adding pleasure ie shechita for nochrim as aposed to avoiding some pain to a person. Either way it is clear that R Moshe is against hunting even if he did not say assur. – Eytan Yammer Apr 10 '12 at 23:20
  • שו"ת שרידי אש חלק ב סימן צא עמוד תרה

    הנה במה שכתב הנוב"י והכ"ו דבמיתה לא שייך איסור דצער בעלי חיים נ"ל להביא ראי' גם מגמ' עבודה זרה י"ג, ב דפריך: ולשוי' גיסטרא? עיי"ש ברש"י. ומוכח דבמיתה ליכא איסור דצער בעלי חיים. וכן מפורש בתוס' בבא בתרא כ', א ד"ה כיון, שהקשו שם: "כולה בהמה שקל ושדי לכלבים"?

     – Eytan Yammer Apr 11 '12 at 00:11
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    וכתב עבודת הגרשוני ז"ל… דבמיתה לא שייך צער בעלי חיים, וכן מצאתי בשו"ת נו"ב… ולפענ"ד נעלם מהם דברי החינוך… דטעם מצוה זו לשחוט מן הצואר… ועוד משום צער בעלי חיים, וכן בסכין פגום אסור משום צער בעלי חיים, ומוכיח מזה דצער בעלי חיים מן התורה.

    שו"ת שואל ומשיב, מהדורא ב', חלק ג', תשובה ס"ה

     – Toras EMES 613 Apr 11 '12 at 00:56
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    so we've discovered that there is makhlokes. This is no shock. I agree that there are deot cholkot. – Eytan Yammer Apr 11 '12 at 02:15
  • let us continue this discussion in chat – Eytan Yammer Apr 11 '12 at 15:07
  • More general than this question is http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/28128/170 – msh210 Apr 23 '13 at 02:02
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    @EytanYammer LeTzorech Ha'Adam must refer to adding pleasure of some sort... This is the case because the example R Moshe uses... This is simply incorrect. R' Moshe is explicit that hurting animals for mere enjoyment is not included in the l'tzorech ha'adam category (Igros Moshe EH IV, 92, "דאין זה מצורכי האדם שהותר לצער בעלי חיים"). – Fred Jan 30 '20 at 19:52
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    @EytanYammer so we've discovered that there is makhlokes. This is no shock. I agree that there are deot cholkot. You're talking about a totally different topic here, namely the machlokes relating to animals being hurt in the process of killing them for some legitimate, tangible benefit. This has nothing to do with your claim that you can hurt/kill animals "if it gives you pleasure", which R' Moshe emphatically disavows both on a technical halachic level and a moral one (he actually calls the person who would do this a wicked rasha'). – Fred Jan 30 '20 at 19:55
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HaRav Yitzchak Yosef Shelit"a holds it is asur to fish simply for pleasure. If I remember correctly, it is because of Saar Bale Hayim

HodofHod
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Hacham Gabriel
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