Can Carp Be Too Fat?

First of all, the answer to that question if you’re one of those Euro carp-lovers is “no.” Those guys literally hug and kiss fat carp in ways that are…disturbing (check it here).

But apparently at least some English carp-smoochers think the answer to that question is “yes.” You might recall that England is the country that gave the world animal rights. Here’s the latest lunacy, from this article, a few comments from yours truly in brackets:

> A fishery in Hampshire has become the first in the country to veto white bread amid fears it is unhealthy for the fish.

> Instead, fishermen have been urged to cast out pieces of wholemeal and granary [whole wheat, whole grain] bread into lakes.

> Experts say white bread lacks the protein that brown slices contain and too much of it leaves fish bloated, lethargic and with bad guts.

> In some cases, anglers are getting through up to eight loaves in one fishing trip.

> The move follows a sporadic trend across the country of members of the public being banned by local authorities from throwing white bread to ducks.

> “The salt and sugar levels in white and brown loaves are similar but in a typical white sliced loaf there is 3.5 grams of protein per slice compared to the 5.6 grams in brown bread.” [Well that definitely settles it…?!]

> “It’s just like people, the fish tend to get lethargic and bloated if they consume too much white bread.” [What if there’s some ham or roast beast in there?]

And now for the rational side:

> Malcolm Coller of the Carp Society said: “In my experience bait bans are the last refuge of the uninformed. Carp have been around since Biblical times so they will probably survive eating white bread.”

Uh-oh:

> “But if it is being done because of the quantity of bread being used, then I can understand it because too much of one thing isn’t good for anybody.” [I’m pretty sure a lot of shad or a lot of bluegill is really good for “somebody.”]

More rationality:

> Ian Wellby, a fish health scientist, said: “If I were advising a fishery owner I would question the necessity of a ban as white bread is unlikely to do any harm in a fishery. “Fish are pretty canny and will go looking for something else which means anglers will stop catching on it and switch to another bait.”

What will they think of next over there.