Catch and release - Proof that it works

[Teegerstk]

Yesterday an acquaintance of mine watched me fish for a while, I only caught a pin whiting throughout the hour session but when I reeled it in he started rushing me and saying I wasn't holding it correctly, saying I need to wet my hands beforehand? I've fished with plenty of people, the ones who are in the next peg down in a comp or someone who's set up beside me to see if he can catch a few flounder and they seem to hold fish like I do. Quickly unhooking using the technique where you bring the line through the gills, pop out the hook and bring it back through the mouth, although this guy told me it's doing a lot of damage because of the barb. He told me he's done 'research' and that only 43% of fish survive after C&R, and that holding them removes the layer on their skin (isn't that just for mackerel?) He also said that throwing a fish back can injure it, although sometimes it's necessary to actually get the fish in the water.
Now I know he's just googled something and then used it against me but how can I prove that C&R works?

[Tanglerat]

By using his own stats against him - 43% of fish survive C&R as opposed to 0% surviving being knocked on the head.

43% beats 0%.

[kieran]

Hi

The three mains reasons fish don't survive C&R are exhaustion, decompression (off boats) and skin damage. Wetting your hands before handling any fish is important. It will not work on mackerel or other tuna (you should be so lucky) as your skin still removes a protective layer leaving a "scorch" mark that ultimately would prove fatal. Fish in the sea rarely reach old age... they either get eaten by other fish, seal, other predators including birds and dolphins, or get crushed in nets or die slowly on a long line.

Any form of C&R is better than none. Wetting your hands is better. Barbless hooks make for easier release and less damage but make catching fish more difficult...

How anyone can do effective research in C&R in a marine environment is beyond me. Tell him to sling his hook next time. Oops! ;0)

[keymcg]

Short of tagging the fish and seeing if it's caught again I can't see how anyone can definitively prove which, if any, method of release is actually effective.
As far as I can see you can find statistics in the Internet to back up any random argument so that's a complete waste if time in my opinion. What works for one species may not work for another.
All you can do is try to give the fish the best possible chance and hope for the best.
That's my two cents worth anyway.

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[corbyeire]

I know the bass tagging survey down in Cork harbour, has caught the same bass again the following season. It was noticed on first capture that some would be bleeding. like myself is I saw blood I used to think it was curtins for the fish. But apparently some of those that bled, survived and were caught again the following season. Now the statistics of the matter are another thing!

[jw]

lads you are confusing an idea from freshwater fishing, if somebody stocks 5 carp in a pond and somebody harvests them
and eats them then there will be none left.
The atlantic ocean is a very big place and what somebody does or doesnt do with a rod and line makes no difference at all

[ecleary]

I think the point is if you're going to release a fish then you might as well do everything you can to minimise the damage. Some of the handling of fish by so called c&r anglers makes the exercise pretty futile. We could learn a lot from fresh water fishing.

[Eoghan]

There have been enough Bass tagged and caught again for me to be converted, not that I needed converting. Like stated above its all about correct handling and care. If ye wanna keep a fish for the table then do it, but don't kill it as you think it may not survive anyway.

[JimC]

lads you are confusing an idea from freshwater fishing, if somebody stocks 5 carp in a pond and somebody harvests them
and eats them then there will be none left.
The atlantic ocean is a very big place and what somebody does or doesn't do with a rod and line makes no difference at all

You are saying that anglers do not make a difference?

Coalfish on the southern wrecks? Anglers made an impact.
Ling on the southern wrecks? Anglers made an impact.
Wrasse in many areas around the country? So-called anglers made a difference.
Mullet in various locations (Eg: Guileen in East cork) So-called anglers wiped them out.
You think that anglers cannot impact bass stocks? Bass are so tied to their local area that it is easy for an area to be "fished out" by anglers and the area make take an age to recover, if ever.
Do you also think that the earth is flat

Experience with bass and C&R tells us that survival for fit bass that are handled well before release is extremely high! (100%)

As for the chap on the opening post and his 43% - sounds like a huge generalisation from a bit of a bluffer

[jw]

hi jim,

agree with you about bass, mainly a mediteranean species and on the fringe of their range here,
so yes even a handful of fish can make them disappear, all the other species not a chance the angler
can affect the stock, have you any idea how many fish are gill netted from the cork wrecks?

jw

[keymcg]

One trawler working for a day would have more of an impact on fish stocks than all the anglers in the country combined would do in a decade. A drop in the ocean, pardon the pun.
Never mind all the ghost nets, Gill nets, scallop dredgers etc etc etc

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[corbyeire]

all the same i think we should lead by example, if you are not keeping it for the pot, give it the best chance to get back

no good asking the commercials to be more responsible and a trail of dead fish left on a beach or on the top of the water in a harbour

remember its all about the optics - get the public on our side etc. etc.

[jw]

can you guys really believe that the commercial fishing industry is looking
to you for morally superior behaviour that the might emulate? i doubt it

[corbyeire]

lol - its the idiot punter we want onside - the commercials are on a race to the bottom for decades
the punter votes
politicians like votes