Looking for opinion of anglers and conservationists?

[Allegra]

While teaching my kids from home, my kindergartener has been given an assignment to write or make a video comparing two animals. Earlier this week, we caught a toad, observed it, and placed it where it had come from (my watering can.) Today, while picking up my order from the produce market down the street, I saw the opportunity to purchase a crawdad. Now I can’t eat them, due to unresolved gall bladder issues and no one else in my house is interested, so I asked the owner of the shop if he knew if it was safe to release it in the river, after my kids observed it. He informed me that the species of crawdad is one of the two in the state approved to be used as bait, so he saw no harm in releasing it. So we did, and I mentioned it in a social media post regarding different activities we’ve been doing during “home school”. Anyway, my husband’s uncle went ballistic, saying that I was irresponsible and a horrible teacher for releasing an invasive species. I explained that I had asked the market owner if it was all right and was told that it was considered alright to use in our area. The response I got from him (and three of his other uncles) that it was still wrong. So I was wondering if there really is a problem with releasing a crawdad that is “bait approved” by the state? Obviously, there’s not much I can do about it right now, and we probably won’t have a reason to observe a crawdad again anytime soon, but I was just wondering.

 

[humbleseeker]

I’m sure you gave a fish or turtle a very nice meal. I wouldn’t worry to much about it. 10 years from now when we have to kneel before our new benevolent crawdad overlords, I’m sure they’ll award you handsomely for your service.

 

[UpUpAndAway]

While going ballistic wasn’t the right response to this incident, I’ll side with the uncles on this one.

Many apartments ago, I trapped a mouse in my home. After alerting the building manager to this and not wanting to kill the little fellow, I took it the lakeshore across the street to set it free. A police officer stopped me and informed me that what I was doing was illegal. I explained that I lived 200 feet away, the mouse was found in my apartment and it therefore couldn’t have come from far afield. He said it didn’t matter and threatened to fine me if I proceeded.

So…I’d check with the relevant authorities before attempting such a release again. A market owner might not know what is actually permitted, and in case of law violation such a person isn’t going to take the rap for you. In your case the deed is done and it may have been okay anyway, but in the future I wouldn’t advise doing this without checking with a relevant authority first just to be sure.

 

[Allegra]

Well, of all things. I would have said, “Okay, officer.” And handed him the mouse. It’s hard for me to imagine that there is a law in Missouri that says you MUST kill mice you catch. They actually seriously discourage poisoning mice because they don’t die right away and end up killing off the owls. That doesn’t provide you with a lot of options!

 

[Tis_Bearself]

If it’s “bait approved”, my guess is that it didn’t last long enough to “invade”. It quickly became some other creature’s lunch. I wouldn’t worry about it.

I do agree with UpUpandAway that market owners who want to sell you something, or pet store owners, or your neighbors etc usually are not up on the laws, so you may want to check the law yourself if you ever have to do this again. And be careful posting about stuff you do on social media. We all do a lot of things that might not be stricly according to some code section and it only becomes a big deal when it’s on the public Internet for people to go ballistic over.

 

[Allegra]

That’s what I figured. When we released it, it looked like that scene out of Moana with the seagulls attacking the turtles. THey kept screaming the “CAAAAAAAAAAAAW!”, which is seagull for, “OMG! I LOVE cajun food!”

 

[JanR]

Going ballistic sounds like someone has anger issues. Especially the name-calling (“irresponsible”), as though you knowingly released an invasive creature. It was a school project, and you were misled.Uncle needs to chill out with a beer or two – or maybe he has cabin fever from having to stay inside for so long? I hope he apologized later.