Handling Pike

Saw something nasty today...

....family of three at the local *private* lake...all three have rods out.

Youngest lad gets a bite...takes ages to land his fish...other members of
family all watching and offering their professional opinions...

....young lad hauls in a young pike...dragging it over the edge of the
decking.

Father steps in to help. Holds the line up for admiring photos (pike is
hanging from the line & hook at this point). Its about 2ft long...so I've
no idea what the weight would have been.

elder son steps in to help unhook the beast, so younger lad *drops* the pike
onto the decking. Elder lad tentatively looks towards the mouth end and
then shoves his foot on its head. Pike is now flapping so father kicks it,
and then proceeds to stand on the tail end. In the end they're all standing
on a bit of it, and after lots of cursing, and blood (fish's) manage to get
hook out of poor thing's chops....at which point the father kicks the pike
off the deck...

I was so disgusted I got back in the car and drove home again ;o((

Surely this isn't the way pike are treated in the main, is it? My brother
and OH are specimen hunters and treat their fish with the utmost respect...

Would appreciate your thoughts...