WELL known WA angler Gideon “Gido” Mettam has been banned by YouTube over “animal cruelty”.
Gideon established his YouTube channel “Gido’s Fishing Adventures” in 2014 and has amassed a following of over 100,000 subscribers. The Albany fisherman is well known for the extreme lengths he goes to to find fish in remote locations, often abseiling down cliffs.
Last week YouTube served Mettam a 30-day ban on monetising his video content after claims his videos amounted to animal cruelty.
YouTube defines animal abuse content as depicting the “malicious infliction of physical harm causing an animal or group of animals to experience suffering.”
Mettam told ABC News he is “confused” by the ban.
“I don’t really fit the bill for what they call animal cruelty which is doing nasty stuff to animals to shock viewers,” Mettam told the ABC.
“I just dispatch fish for a feed and do it humanely.”
He said he has attempted to contact YouTube to ascertain the parts of his videos which should be omitted.
“They haven’t outlined any particular video. They just say it’s just a significant portion.”
Despite recent inconsistencies between fish behaviour studies used to “prove pain” in fishes, bringing its scientific validity into serious question, an RSPCA Australia spokesperson told the ABC, fishermen need to consider a fish’s ability to feel pain.
“Fish are sentient animals capable of experiencing pain and suffering,” the spokesperson said.
Source: ABC News
