Trout with the old: women allowed to join fishing event

A COURT in Germany yesterday ruled that women cannot be excluded from a centuries-old traditional Bavarian fishing contest.

Every year the town of Memmingen marks Fischertag, or Fishermen’s Day, when local men wade into the muddy waters of the town stream and attempt to catch trout using small nets.

Whoever catches the largest trout is crowned Fischerkönig, or King of the Fishermen.

The contest dates back to the 16th century and traditionally only men who have lived in Memmingen for five years are allowed to take part.

But Christiane Renz, a local woman and longstanding member of the Fischertag Association, sued her own club for the right to take part.

At an earlier hearing in June, the judge urged both parties to come to an amicable settlement and avoid the costs of a lengthy and uncertain process. But both refused. The association argued it was a longstanding tradition that only men were allowed to wade into the stream and that the women’s role was to collect the fish they caught in a bucket.

The club also argued that members had twice voted overwhelmingly to keep the men only rule in recent years.

But the judge rejected those arguments and upheld Ms Renz’s claim that the rules violated equality laws.

“There is no objective reason why women should not take part in fishing the city stream,” the judge said in his ruling. “The association’s purpose of maintaining tradition does not justify any unequal treatment according to sex. In essence, it is about maintaining the centuries-old tradition of stream fishing, not the traditional division of roles between the sexes. The Fischertag is not comparable to a sporting event

‘The association’s purpose of maintaining tradition does not justify any unequal treatment according to sex’

where the skills of the individual are in the foreground. Whoever catches the biggest fish is largely left to chance.”

Ms Renz told reporters: “I’m just extremely happy and very glad that I can now take part in fishing day.”

“Of course we would have preferred a different outcome, because we value the association’s autonomy,” said Michael Ruppert, the head of the club.

The judge’s ruling allowed the association to appeal if it wishes, and Mr Ruppert said it would decide whether to do so in the coming days.