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[mykiss]

Well, I was surfing the web the other day and bumped across this neat article in the BC outdoors web site.  The title is called "Implications of Catch and Release: Preserving BC’s Freshwater Recreational Fisheries"

http://www.bcoutdoorsmagazine.com/sport-fishing/index.html#panel-2

I was going though it and a bunch of article made sense and made me realize that just because you let a fish go for another day, it doesn't mean that it will live for another day. I think knowledge on the factors which may influence post release survival is important for anglers especially now as more and more people are practicing it. Anyways, I thought it was a very useful article and would like to hear what you guys have to say about it.

.....this may also help explain why I can't catch those nice trophy fish that people say are out there....

[bklem]

I cant say i really believe that fish will learn not to bite the hook.  ive seen a steelhead caught, released, and no more than an hour later caught again down stream.  also pulling in fish that still have gear in their mouths that broke off from another fight is a good indication that if it was tricked into taking a hook once, it will certainly take it again.

[wizard]

imo catch and release survival rates depends entirely on factors such as how it was handled before and while releasing. Also barbed hooks and waiting too long to land the fish could hinder survival rates.  if you take care and have some common sense the fish SHOULD be ok...  most people are good at reviving and keeping the fish in the water but many people also need to realize fish cannot handle being out of water very long at all. also, take some time to revive the fish until you feel it start to want to go. I have witnessed fish dying due to being tossed out the net and not being able to regain it's bearings.  much of our quality fishing in bc is made possible due to catch and release voluntary or otherwise.

as for fish getting smarter after hooked...yeah maybe but they're defenitely not uncatchable...most people have caught fish with flies in their mouths or repaired scars. 

[anorden]

The majority of all fishing in the uk freshwater is catch and release. I fished there for years as a kid growing up and saw / experienced absolute minimum mortailty (over the thousands of fish I landed and released probably maximum of ten died shortly after release, not to say more didnt perish after a delay though). That was in the time when everyone used barbless hooks too. The vast majority fish I did ever see dead and washed up all looked diseased rather than injured from anglers. IMO the bigger fish definately have better recovery compared to smaller ones when handled correctly. 

As for fish getting wise - of course they do. But a lot of the huge carp in the get caught at least once or twice a season. Their scaling patterns make them easily identifiable, and some individuals definately get caught far more regularly than others - who knows if its greed or intelligence!

[Driller]

I had a fish seem like it was ready to swim off last year, it gave me a little tail wiggle, so I let it go.  It swam straight to the bottom ( about 9'6" ) and laid upside down on the bottom.  I watched it for a good minute, it wasn't moving.  I felt like crap.  Luckily I was able to submerge my rod tip, and give it a little nudge.  It flipped over and swam away. 

My point is, even while trying to be as gentle as possible, these fish are still susceptible to mortality from lack of oxygen, either from the fight, or from being out of the water too long. 

We have to use the right gear, the right strength line, reel them in, revive, and release them quickly.

Some people drop the fish in the boat, squeeze them too tight, take too many pictures.  This is why the mortality rate is too high.

[marmot]

I think the article is ridiculous.

Why?  Fish are like any creature, they learn.  Even earthworms are capable of what is considered learning on a very basic level.  So, of course a fish will be less likely to attack the same or similar presentations in the future.  As for memory and how long a fish will elicit an avoidance response to a lure/fly.. that's another story.  Still, what do you do with this information?  Assume that a released fish may as well be killed as it will not be caught again...as if the fishes only value was sport-related?  Never mind the fact that if you catch and kill a fish you're a whole lot less likely to catch that fish again in the future    Ridiculous.

[DionJL]

I caught three fish in one day that had hooks in it from someone else that had busted them off. All three were barbed (legal). Fish can definitely be re-caught.

I think the important part of the article is the fish handling techniques. Too often I see people net a fish, with a nice C&R net, and then bring the net and fish in the boat, put it on the ground and spend 1-2 minutes trying to pry out the hook before releasing it. Good intentions, poor execution. If you're gonna do it, do it right. If I am going to release a fish it doesn't come in the boat.

[mykiss]

Thanks for expressing your opinion guys. It's interesting to see what people's views are on this.

From what I read, I had the impression that the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC is trying to tell us that they are actually doing 'stuff' with our licence money and not just pocketing it. 

In this particular article, they seem to tell us that there are a few areas in which they are doing research on:
1) investigating the vulnerability of stocked fish and the factors which influence it
2) investigating the learning behaviour of stocked fish
3) post release mortality

The then focus on the post release mortality and elaborate on it, discussing the many possible factors which may influence post release survival. In a way, it's like a quick tutorial, refresher, and reminder on certain aspects we should be aware of when releasing fish.  All the above comments which the article didn't discuss are also useful such as keeping the fish in the water, not squeezing the fish, or fighting the fish for too long before release.

Marmot, I understand that the article may seem ridiculous because it seems like they are stating the obvious as almost every living creature are capable of learning at a certain level, however, I don't think they are implying that a released fish may as well be killed as it will not be caught again. I think they are trying to tell the audience that there are many factors which may influence the survival of a released fish and that it isn't as simple as just throwing the fish back in. They seem to have listed a few helpful tips and help explain why you don't always get 100% post release survival. What do you think?

That's my two cents..

[HOOK]

I go one up on you there Dion. If i plan to release the fish i land it by hand unless its to big to. I then hold it so i can pop out the hook then revive it all the while the fish may have spent 20 seconds out of the water usually just because i can never get the fly to sit the right way to push it out 


If im keeping it then its going in the net for sure 

[skaha]

--I requested details of the study. I want to know how many fish , conditions and what scientific rigour was used in the study. Without proper research it's just opinion. I look forward to hearing from them.

[marmot]

Marmot, I understand that the article may seem ridiculous because it seems like they are stating the obvious as almost every living creature are capable of learning at a certain level, however, I don't think they are implying that a released fish may as well be killed as it will not be caught again. I think they are trying to tell the audience that there are many factors which may influence the survival of a released fish and that it isn't as simple as just throwing the fish back in. They seem to have listed a few helpful tips and help explain why you don't always get 100% post release survival. What do you think?

That's my two cents..

I think they spent more money restating the obvious.  If they were trying to relate mortality rates of poorly handled fish with future "catchability" they did a poor job, so I see it as two separate discussions, both just regurgitating what we already know. 

cheers.

[mykiss]

Yes, interesting. I wonder if they have these studies available to the public? That way we can actually ready what the experiment was really about, how they tested it, sample sizes, and results.  Often authors pick particular results to 'show' and leave out the rest as it's either not as relevant or may not be as exciting.

[bbronswyk2000]

So with the fishes tiny little brain you think they are able to retain a memory from being hooked? I doubt that very much. I think if they see anything that looks good to them they are going to strike regardless how many times they were hooked.

I have a Moby Whale net. Its large. I bring the fish in and land it in the net. The net floats so I take the hook out of the fish while the fish is in the net and in the water. I get my camera ( while the fish is in the net and in the water. ) than gently pick up the fish and take a photo. Than back in the water. The fish swims freely and never thrashes while in the net. thats the great thing about a good C&R net.

[skaha]

--Smart fish: greatest excuse I've heard for getting more and different gear.
--Actual field research being done and reported on, we should be encouraging more... letter to the editor, mla and to gofish bc keep up the good work.
--This is for sure what I want a portion of the fishing license money going to.

[marmot]

So with the fishes tiny little brain you think they are able to retain a memory from being hooked? I doubt that very much. I think if they see anything that looks good to them they are going to strike regardless how many times they were hooked.

I have a Moby Whale net. Its large. I bring the fish in and land it in the net. The net floats so I take the hook out of the fish while the fish is in the net and in the water. I get my camera ( while the fish is in the net and in the water. ) than gently pick up the fish and take a photo. Than back in the water. The fish swims freely and never thrashes while in the net. thats the great thing about a good C&R net.

It's a different kind of memory Bryan...not what people would consider "memory".  Almost like when you touch a hot bbq like I did last week and burn your hand, you know in the future not to touch that again.  More of a procedural memory than a semantic one...basically that means it gets stored more permanently.  In some cases, especially when things are associated with smells, memories become entrenched quickly and easily.  Who knows, it could be that a fishes developed olfactory senses might be able to pick up a human scent on a fly or lure a second time after being previously hooked and make it less likely to take in the future.  Just a guess though without anything to back it up...

The field of animal learning is full of fascinating stuff... you quickly find out that there is much more going on in that little bundle of nerves than you might first assume.