Letter: Fishing to eat

Sir: Whether or not one is in favour of hunting with hounds, where it is abolished, as we see in parts of Kent, the landscape changes as farmers tear up hedges and coverts. The effect on wildlife is obvious.

In relation to angling, the argument of sport versus cuisine is spurious (letter, 8 June). Sea anglers of course eat their catches, as do the trout and salmon anglers. Some coarse fishermen eat fish such as pike.

Environmentally, the angling organisations in this country have saved rivers from pollution and over-abstraction, often without support from any other body. Of course everyone has a right to oppose field sports, but a sentimental argument based on anthropomorphism overlooks the changes that would take place in our rural environment were hunting, shooting and fishing to be abolished.

GEOFFREY BUCKNALL

Kent Branch, Salmon & Trout Association

Bromley, Kent