Well, Well, we ain't got all the dim bulbs in Washington....

.... apparently there are a few loose flakes running around the halls of government in Switzerland as well. You can fish, you can catch 'em, but you can't set them free --- you gotta whup 'em over the head with a bat and kill 'em says the Swiss Gov'mint!

Switzerland Bans Catch-And-Release, "Blows to the head" required

Catch and Release fishing will be banned in Switzerland from next year, it was revealed this week.And anglers in the country will have to demonstrate their expertise by taking a course on humane methods of catching fish, under new legislation outlined by the Bundesrat - the Swiss Federal Parliament.

The new legislation states that fish caught should be killed immediately following their capture, with a sharp blow to the head from a blunt instrument.

Under the new regulations, the use of livebait and barbed hooks is also prohibited except in certain situations. [....]

EFTTA acting president, Pierangelo Zanetta, said: "EFTTA does not believe that forcing anglers to kill their catches is either good for nature or for recreational sport fishing - which makes a significant financial contribution to the EU economy. “Making the killing of fish obligatory will simply reduce fish population and, at the same time, run the risk of having a negative impact on sport fishing.

"Anglers and the sport of angling invest time and money to improve water quality and create larger and healthier fish populations. We believe is it far better for the fish if the fisherman decides, according to the situation, whether to keep and eat the fish or to release it."

Lord luv a duck! The scary part is that this isn't just caused by European in-breeding. Some of these ideas float around the halls inside our own Beltway - and headlines like this just give those folks more bad ideas.

Soon, it'll be up to the Supremes = which means it will be up to Justice Kennedy to decide if a trout in a Colorado mountain stream should live or die.... Oh My!!