Fishing - I need help.

On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:06:41 -0500, Conan The Librarian
wrote:

wrote:

On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:35:48 -0500, Conan The Librarian
wrote:

Only if you want to stretch the meaning of the word "subsistence" so
much as to make it meaningless. We are sport fishermen who keep some of
what we catch.

What's to stretch?

"a source or means of obtaining the necessities of life"

I'd offer that it isn't stretching anything to say that food is a
necessity of life, and catching fish is certainly a means to obtain
food. I suspect you have couched your own definition in terms of
necessity, but such qualifiers aren't part of it.

Other definitions include:

Means of supporting life; a living or livelihood.

Hence, depending on the circumstances, your "subsistence golfing" could
be exactly that...

The source from which food and other items necessary to exist are
obtained.

Which pretty well mirrors my definition above...

A means of subsisting, especially means barely sufficient to
maintain life.

Note the use of the word "especially" rather than "solely"...

None of those fit with the type of fishing we here on ROFF are
doing, no matter whether we keep some of what we catch or not.

Oh, well, see, there's the problem...define "we"...I mean, your "we"
might be their "them," and my "they," whereas their "we" might be your
"them" and my "who?"...OTOH, our "we" might be their "they," unless, of
course, "they" mean "us," in which case, their "we" could very well mean
"us"...or not...IOW, what's this "we" ****, Kemosabe?

Further, I'd offer
that many people I know, myself included, are "subsistence fishers" (and
hunters) because that fishing and hunting is the most practical source
of much of that for which we fish and hunt.

Using your logic, an argument could be made that I am a "subsistence
golfer" if I make money from betting on games with my friends and buy
food with that money.

Depending on the exact circumstances, using the definition of the word,
too...

See above...

And those of us who sell a few of our woodworking projects are
"subsistence woodworkers", those who grow a few vegetables in the garden
are "subsistence gardeners", those who go to Vegas and win a few bucks
gambling are "subsistence gamblers" etc., etc., etc.

Possibly, using your own definition...

Thus failing to note that all of those instances are cases of
*recreational* activities that may have the by-product of putting some
food on the table.

Um, please find, even in your own definition, where subsistence cannot
include recreational enjoyment whilst in the act of obtaining...

If you want to define "subsistence [insert term here]" that loosely,
go ahead.

I want to, I want to...and I feel all the more strongly about doing so
since at least my and your dictionaries seem to want to do the same
thing...

Maybe the best way to distinguish these activities for me is to ask
yourself if you would continue to do it even if it didn't put food on
the table.

Maybe it would be...it isn't, but hey, you didn't know...IAC, no, I
wouldn't. I'd still fish, but not as much - I'd have no reason to fish
for certain species if I couldn't keep 'em...it fact, it would be
completely wrong to do so.

BTW, we have gone far afield from Tim's normal phrasing which is
"traditional subsistence fishing". He uses that to try to link himself
to some great tradition (my "caveman" reference in a previous post)
while slamming those who would return fish to the water.

Well, I'll allow him to do his own linking...or even make attempts at
it...it seems the success rate by many around here is pretty low when
attempting at speaking for others-wise...and when it comes to tenuously
linking, hoo-boy...

HTH,
R

Chuck Vance