It was a lovely summer’s evening. The sun had set and the tide was in, so I thought it would be an ideal time to walk with my dog to the beach.

Sadly, the beach was full of fishermen, hence no walk on the beach.

I don’t want to see fish caught, but on this occasion I was witness to a dogfish that had been caught suffering a great deal.

The fisherman was finding it very difficult to remove the hook from the mouth or throat of the fish. It was most upsetting to see as the fish must have been in such pain.

After much struggling, the large barbed hook was removed and the fish thrown into the sea with a very injured mouth. It is quite likely that it would not survive this injury.

Fishermen will tell you that fish do not feel pain but that is a myth.

Scientific research has shown that fish definitely do feel pain and their mouths are particularly sensitive.

This fish would not have suffered as much if a barbless hook had been used.

I have met fishermen who have great respect for their catch and handle the fish with extreme care, but sadly this is not always the case.

Name and address supplied.