In Baden-Württemberg, children aged seven and over will now also be allowed to cast fishing rods. The state parliament has decided this, but there is also criticism of it.
red/dpa/lsw
October 9, 2024 – 5:25 p.m
In the future, children will also be allowed to go fishing in Baden-Württemberg. Following a decision by the state parliament, the minimum age for obtaining a youth fishing license will be reduced from ten to seven years. Children are allowed to fish under the supervision of an adult with a fishing license. They are not allowed to unhook or kill the fish, as a spokesman for the Green Party emphasized in the state parliament. This can only be done by an adult.
“I am firmly convinced that children who sit with their father, mother, grandpa or grandmother by the stream, river or lake, go fishing and are told about the specification of the fish, are brought up much closer to nature and more empathetic than those who Sitting at home in front of the screen,” said Agriculture Minister Peter Hauk (CDU). According to the ministry, this should also enable children to take part in club life and develop a lifelong interest in nature.
State Animal Welfare Association: New regulation no clear violation
The state animal protection association sees the new regulation as a clear violation of applicable animal protection law and an imminent danger to primary school children. Seven-year-olds are not yet able to reflect on what they are doing to the animals while fishing. Early on, children may see it as normal to kill animals for fun. Fishing associations, however, had been calling for the change in the law for a long time.
