The bizarre moment activist tries to shame fisherman for 'trying to kill fish'

Yahoo News Canada

A fisherman managed to film a bizarre interaction between him and and woman who tried to scold him for fishing.

Land Fish TV, a YouTube channel dedicated to fishing, uploaded the full video of the exchange to the video streaming platform, titling it “Fisherman vs Activist”.

According to the reviews on the Land Fish TV Facebook page, the channel is run by a man called Lincoln, who according to the About section on his YouTube account, mainly fishes from “land based locations with limited equipment, but a whole lot of enthusiasm,” report Yahoo News Australia.

“Excuse me, have you read the signs,” the woman asks the fisherman as he throws his line into the water. The fisherman then asks which sign she is referring to.

The channel is run by a man called Lincoln, who says he does 'catch and release' when fishing. Source: Youtube - Land Fish TV.
The channel is run by a man called Lincoln, who says he does 'catch and release' when fishing. Source: Youtube - Land Fish TV

“The sign down there that says it’s an offence to disturb wildlife,” the woman says.

“We’re not disturbing wildlife,” Lincoln says.

“You’re fishing, you’re trying to kill fish,” the woman says.

The video has had over 130,000 views since it was uploaded on October 12.

Lincoln, who was with his friend, Chris, were fishing at Albert Park Lake in Victoria, Australia.

The woman, who is also filming the two fishermen, then points to some swans which are in the water nearby and asks if what they are doing is “appropriate” due to the “plastic fishing line” they were using, which prompts the fishermen to yawn.

“Do you even care?” the woman asks.

“I respect wildlife, I catch and release fish and I follow the law,” Lincoln says.

The woman then says Victoria Parks would “hear all about this”.

“No worries, I’m legally fishing in a legal spot,” the fisherman says.

“I don’t know how you live with yourself,” the woman says before walking off.

The woman, who seemed genuinely concerned about the wildlife, told the fishermen she was going to report them to Victoria Parks. Source: Youtube - Land Fish TV.
The woman, who seemed genuinely concerned about the wildlife, told the fishermen she was going to report them to Victoria Parks. Source: Youtube - Land Fish TV.

Once the woman is gone, the fisherman then turns the camera on himself.

“Breaking the law she said - don’t think so.”

According to the Parks Victoria website, it is legal to fish at Albert Park Lake if you have a Recreational Fishing Licence and anglers must follow the Victorian Recreational Fishing Guidelines.

The ‘catch and release’ method is encouraged by Parks Victoria.

However, if caught, European Carp must be removed from the lake. Fish caught in the lake are not suitable for consumption, according to the Parks Victoria website.

Fortunately, the fishermen did manage to catch a fish each - both of which are seen to be released back into the water in the video.

“If all the current restrictions in place are followed, I believe anglers should be allowed to pursue their fishing in peace without harassment and having opposing views outside of the law and being forced upon them," Lincoln from Land Fish TV told Yahoo News Australia.

Lincoln told Yahoo News Australia not only does he respect and help wildlife when he can, he also strives to educate others about responsible fishing practises and the law - citing one video where he approaches a man fishing with a net and explains to him such practises in Victoria are illegal.