BTW...if there is no such thing as a tailing glove which does not hurt the fish why do the tackle shops sell them?
Because people buy them.
It's the same reason why tackle shops sell 10 foot leaders on boards and bouncing betties. Not ethical (they know that) but what the hell it makes money.
I'll admit, I have used gloves before in my 1st/2nd year. It was alot easier to hang onto a fish that way.
On a side note, the Rapala filleting glove (sold in WalMart, etc) claims to be safe for tailing fish.
So far it is the only glove I have ever seen that has "fish safe" written on the package.
I used it once a few years back and no slime came off the fish onto the glove, so it could possibly be safe, but I would still prefer to use bare hands.