Going fishing in Georgia!

The most popular place to catch fish in the United States will be the state of Georgia. Well, that's if Governor Sonny Perdue has his way. Despite lots of criticism, the governor is going ahead with his $30 million "Go Fish Georgia" project. The facility at Perry in central Georgia will include public fishing ponds and interactive exhibits, including fishing simulators where visitors can try to catch computer-controlled virtual fish. Outside, visitors will follow paths that lead them through Georgia's geography — from mountains to swampland — as trout, bass and bream swim alongside in streams and pools.

A critical editorial in the Rome News-Tribune, a northwest Georgia newspaper, compared Perdue's "Go Fish" plan during a dramatic recession in 2009 with Marie Antoinette's suggestion in the 1700s that hungry French peasants should eat cake. Perdue responded by saying that fishing generates $1 billion a year and supports 17,000 jobs in Georgia. He added that the world record for the biggest largemouth bass ever caught — 10 kilograms — was set in 1932 on a Georgia lake, and told the Atlanta Constitution that his critics clearly don't understand fishing. "They haven't seen a kid's eyes light up when he catches his first fish," he said.