"Do not use salamanders as fishing bait. Salamanders can feel pain. Stabbing them with hooks is incredibly painful and abusive.
Salamanders are sometimes snagged or trapped on fishing lines when they attempt to swallow baited hooks. Mudpuppy salamanders (family Proteidae) are particularly prone to this. To minimize this threat, people should not fish in areas that are dense with salamanders. Plyers should also be on hand to help remove hooks from salamanders that are accidently caught. "
This is a very helpful section. I live right by a river with a lot of uneducated rednecks who will catch a mudpuppy, cut its head off and use it as bait. This infuriates me. I have also seen people take Notophthalmus sp. and use them as bait. It's sad.
I really hope this site takes off and gets a lot of views because most people don't even know how sensitive and threatened caudates really are. Love this page, thanks for sharing.
