Thanks .

I've been around a long time and to the best of my recollection the only discussions I remember hearing about sport vs. commercial trapping is on trapping forums.

I've always asked for permission to hunt, fish or trap. Never qualified it as either commercial or sport.

Sport refers to methods. As in we limit our methods, equipment, and seasons in order to manage the wildlife. By contrast, market and subsistence harvest are done with no restrictions on methods, equipment, or seasons. It is not a sport, but we limit ourselves to what are called “sporting” methods and seasons, thereby giving the animal a better chance to escape a given incident of pursuit by humans, and to make sure they are not pursued during times when they have young or are vulnerable to over harvest. Buffalo jumps are one example of a subsistence hunting method. Hundreds or thousand of bison could be killed in hours. Another example involving a trap would be a funnel fence across a river that corrals virtually all of the spawning fish running up the river. There are very efficient ways of harvesting animals that had to be stopped as populations of people increased, ways that did not give the animals much of a chance and threatened to extirpate populations.
“Sport hunting” is not sport, it is the imposition of rules and regulations that limit us, and WE demanded them as we “sportsmen” saw that market hunting and unrestricted subsistence hunting was quickly depleting the resources. Or sporting regulations are our legacy, and we are the first and still the TRUE conservationists.

If you come to Alaska to commercial fish or subsistence hunt you need to familiarize yourself with the laws and regulations governing those activities.

If someone in the business of either commercial fishing or trapping wasn't concerned about conserving the resource they wouldn't be in business very long.

Gray dog, I should have been more clear that I was referring to the historical origin of the term “sport” as it relates to harvest of wildlife. Indeed many market hunters were not in business very long because of over-harvest in an unregulated free-for-all. Now commercial and subsistence harvest are regulated when allowed at all.
Historically speaking, “sportsmen” were the driving force behind enacting laws regulating market and subsistence hunting, and that was the original conservation movement in America.
Market and subsistence harvests are legitimate and are now regulated for sustainable harvest. But in early American market hunting, there was no regulation and birds were shot for feathers and bison were shot for tongues and on and on, and it was the depletion of those species that resulted in regulations limiting harvests with “sporting” limitations.
I think it is important for all of us to realize the origin of the word “sport” when referring to the harvest of wildlife. It is a very different use of the word than referring to baseball as a sport.
When radical animal rights weirdos try to use the word “sporting” as a propaganda tool, we need to know our history, and where that term originated, and always point out that “sporting” is a term coined by the original conservationists - hunters, trappers, and fishers - who saw unregulated harvest quickly depleting the wildlife and demanded regulations that in most cases limited harvest to what were referred to as “sporting” harvest, and it was called that not because it was considered a sport but because it limited the harvest to what are considered sporting methods and seasons unlike the unregulated market hunting of the time. The goal is to harvest a resource sustainably, not play a game. Of course subsistence and market harvests can also be done sustainably, but at that time there was no regulation, and combined with exploding human population, the animals were disappearing fast. All of this is well documented in historical writings, but not well enough understood by many who trap, hunt, and fish these days.
I am a sportsman and I own that term proudly. I limit myself to methods, tools, and seasons that insure the animals will not be overharvested, and if I see that a species is in danger of disappearing, I will demand that regulations be adjusted to give that species a chance to recover. I support enacting laws that prevent people from over harvesting wildlife. That is the origin and the essence of sport harvest. The reason for that harvest is and has always been food, fur, and other resources that wildlife have been providing for as long as there have been people and animals. And of course to control populations that become a nuisance or a threat to people...

I knew where you were coming from. Much of the discussion on this post was commercial vs. sport. In the context. of today I don't want anyone thinking that commercial or subsistence use of wildlife and fish is unregulated.

What was evident to me may not be evident to the general public who can freely read any post.

There is a primitive living skills gathering held in the NC mountains each summer. I've taught water trapping courses in the past. Most attending are cool with trapping. If you go to their website I'm sure you can find someone who can get you some river cane.

https://fireflygathering.org/

Just visited the website. I see they haven't gotten any more conservative. I never caught anything or had any ideology rub off. The participants in my classes were respectful and genuinely wanted to learn how to catch furbearers. I considered it an opportunity to educate people about ethical trapping. These are people who have no problem killing animals as long as the resource is used.

There is a earthy BO in the air. Lol

I taught the fire-making at firefly the second or third year they did it!l, something like a decade ago. Never went back, although I really liked Natalie who was the founder of the event, and I probably would have went back but they honestly just could not pay enough to make it worth the travel and time. You have me thinking though, I bet Natalie could set me up with a good source for cane. I will call her and see what she has to say. I saw she had a daughter recently, I’ve been wanting to catch up with her anyway.
One funny thing I saw at Firefly was a young guy walked up sniffing the air as we were cooking some bacon. He had glossy eyes and a just kept breathing in the smell and smiling. He said “Man, is that bacon?” Someone said “yes”, and he said “That’s the most wonderful smell in the world to me. I was raised vegan and never allowed to eat meat unless I snuck it. Now that I’m 18, I eat what I want, can you spare a piece?” We gave him a plate and said help yourself, and that he did....

Small world. Natalie is good people and I'm sure she'll be able to help you out. I taught there for 3 or 4 years before I moved to Alaska. Would do it again if I move back to the NC mountains.

Maybe our paths will cross and we can share some stories around the bonfire.

Canadian Super Trapper BOCO says trapping should not be referred to as a SPORT !!!