Sthilhead,

Uhm, I guess I'm not quite getting across. I might think an angler who follows the regulations is nonetheless unethical because he kills native steelhead, which I might choose to regard as unethical, and he may choose to regard as ethical. Asking if something is ethical is about the same as asking if something is moral. Different people, particularly of different religions, for example, occasionally have differing moral and or other values. You and I may share some ethical values and not others. So whether I think what someone else does is ethical or not only indicates whether it's ethical according to my values and not the other person's. That's why I think a question like this isn't relevant - because ethical values are relative.

Bob used some examples of ethical values that he thinks most of us might agree to. I agree that most of us probably would. However, I know and have known individuals who had no ethical problem whatever in not observing certain selective fish and game regulations. I grew up in south county and had neighbors who observed the code of the hills - that was their ethics.

So while your question was simple, a simple answer just doesn't have much relevance.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.