Fishing with a conscience

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Fishing. A necessity for some, a sport for some, and a hobby for others. However, the tools for all of the approaches remain the same. All of them employ hooks that impale fish, oftentimes killing them in the process, which would seem fine for people who fish to consume… but for people who fish for recreation, it seems like, and pardon my usage of the term, ‘overkill’.

For people who fish just to experience the joy of the catch, the No Hurt fishhook is quite an ingenious piece of equipment. Rather than piercing through the flesh of the fish, it opens up within the fish’s mouth, securing itself within the oral cavity of the fish, while a mild spring action makes sure it doesn’t hurt or cause internal damage to the fish. The No Hurt fishhook works a lot in principle like a mouse-trap… Its design allows it to be closed with a piece of bait attached to it. When the fish bites the bait and agitates the hook, it opens up, trapping the fish. Once caught, the fisher can simply tug on the fishing line to release the metal rod that holds the hook in its open position. The hook can then close and be removed from the fish’s mouth with ease… without hurting and/or potentially killing the creature!

The No Hurt Fishhook is a winner of the Red Dot Award for the year 2017.

Designers: Hu Xiangsong, Luo Yin, Yang Xuejiao & Zhou Hanxiao for Taizhou Yunmen Industrial Design Co. Ltd.

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