Columnist Paula Del Giudice: Fish seem to take a hook without regard to any pain

PAULA DEL GIUDICE has been an outdoors freelance writer, author and photographer for 13 years. Her column appears Wednesdays.

FISH PROBABLY feel pain, though evidence suggests they do not likely experience pain in the same manner as higher vertebrates. Because some fish will repeatedly take a hook not long after being caught and released, it is possible that hunger is a stronger sense than pain.

A fish definitely responds to having a hook in its mouth. Does it "run" to try to escape the pain or does it run to escape the strong tugging that occurs on the other side of the line?

I don't have the answer to that and no one does, except the fish. In either case, having a hook stuck in the side of its mouth does induce some kind of stress on the fish.

As a responsible angler, I'll take more care to play fish quickly and, either release them quickly or dispatch them humanely. I have great respect for the God's creatures and I devote quite a bit of my time and personal resources to protecting their habitat. However, it's not likely that I'll give up fishing while my arms can still lift a fly rod.

And I'm not going to feel guilty about it.

But I might have the solution to the debate of whether or not fishing should be banned because catching them is torture. It all rests with the new miracle botanical called Kava Kava.

Derived from the root of a South Seas pepper plant, Kava is touted as one of the most significant discoveries for our stressed-out nation. Because it's natural and it apparently relieves the symptoms of mild anxiety and chronic stress, some believe it will replace Prozac or other tranquilizers and mood elevators.

The demand for Kava is growing at extreme rates. Bars featuring drinks that include Kava are popping up in California. It won't be long before the Java joints with their upscale lattes and cappuccinos into an art will be giving up the stimulation of caffeine to those drinks with more soothing undertones.

Those who have tried it say that Kava helps relieve anxiety and stress.

I wonder if this Kava stuff will work on fish.

Here's what I would do if I was a smart marketer: I'd put Kava in those prepared baits that are so popular with anglers, like PowerBait and others. As soon as the fish swallows the bait, a strange sense of peace and calm will flow over it.

No longer will it worry about the nasty hook that is stuck through its lip. It will swim without stress or anxiety while the angler reels it in. While fish might not fight as hard as it once did, that will have its benefits. Larger fish will gladly come to the surface and won't waste an angler's time fighting it for hours and hours.

I'd be happy to trade a little bit of the fight knowing that my actions weren't hurting a fish. Wouldn't you?

Now for those anglers who fish with lures, the tackle manufacturers could make a spray to coat the lure each time you cast, like some of the attractants that are now used. The lure could have a trailer that would be infused with the potion. There are a number of ways to deliver Kava to the quarry.

Yes, I think Kava has a great future in the fishing industry. Even if it doesn't work on fish, it should work on anglers.

If all anglers had a cup of Kava in the morning before hitting the lake, they wouldn't mind it when those jet skiers run through a major striper boil sending the fish scurrying.

Fishing tournaments will be more carefree and fewer anglers will be interested in bending the rules to win.

The biggest benefit though, might be to those who would end fishing as a recreational pastime. A few dosages of Kava each day would relieve the stress of trying to stop a sport that involves 35 million people in the United States. Life would be much more calm for everyone.

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