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[troutbreath]

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/doubts-over-catch-and-release-sturgeon-fishery-in-the-lower-fraser-river-after-new-study-finds-fish-endure-extreme-stress


“We wouldn’t keep them all, we just want some for our elders,” ....does that mean me good buddy?

[sg6804]

it starts out saying the study done in  Longview Washington , then somehow gets applied to the Fraser, i wonder if they did the fact checking before printing it in the papers or was it done quickly so it could ride the other story of the Pig nose Sturgeon caught in the canyon ,

 

[RalphH]

Most studies have found that repeated catch and release, catch and release when water temps are high etc etc has negative effects on fish of all species. Studies on Marlin etc find that when such fish are released after prolonged fights - 1 to 2 hours  mortality rates are as high as 50%.

It's complacent to think sturgeon are any different than other fish. Better to be a little cautious now rather than to do something when the population of fish collapses in the future - if that does happen.

[skaha]

--The fishery does not seem to be in decline and benefits from license sales.
-- C&R needs to be refined as water temperature rises. Some areas of the Province... such as the Kettle river are closed to all fishing... even catch and release based on Water Temperature.

--Closure due to Water Temperature is easy to implement and seems to have proven succesful in C&R fisheries.

--There should be actual management target numbers such that if they are met then some sort of keep quota could be conscidered. Having no target number is a mistake.

[Dave]

Here is the study if you wish to read it

http://conphys.oxfordjournals.org/content/4/1/cow031.full.pdf+html?sid=ac9a54bd-a70f-40bf-9f6e-8595e49e065f

[Dave]

Most studies have found that repeated catch and release, catch and release when water temps are high etc etc has negative effects on fish of all species. Studies on Marlin etc find that when such fish are released after prolonged fights - 1 to 2 hours  mortality rates are as high as 50%.

It's complacent to think sturgeon are any different than other fish. Better to be a little cautious now rather than to do something when the population of fish collapses in the future - if that does happen.

Good post Ralph

[typhoon]

Most studies have found that repeated catch and release, catch and release when water temps are high etc etc has negative effects on fish of all species. Studies on Marlin etc find that when such fish are released after prolonged fights - 1 to 2 hours  mortality rates are as high as 50%.

It's complacent to think sturgeon are any different than other fish. Better to be a little cautious now rather than to do something when the population of fish collapses in the future - if that does happen.

If the mortality rate of large sturgeon were 50% there would be bodies washing up everywhere.
Careful C&R results in a mortality rate approaching 0%.

[RalphH]

the authors have responded to the article in the Sun

Montana McLean

The recently published article: “Doubts over catch-and-release sturgeon fishery in the lower Fraser River after new study finds fish endure extreme stress” failed to adequately characterize the science that we conducted. We examined the stress response of wild white sturgeon after exposure to a “fisheries-like” stressor at two temperatures in a captive, laboratory setting. Similar to work on many other fish species, our results indicated that after exposure to forced-exercise and air exposure, sturgeon had blood profiles that indicated an acute stress response, and displayed behaviours indicative of impaired recovery. Notably however, we found that with proper handling, for example reduced air exposure, sturgeon were able to recover from the stress of fisheries capture, even in warm temperatures. At present, many angling guides involved with the sturgeon fishery make conscious efforts to minimize air exposure and handle sturgeon with care, and organizations like the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society engage the angling community to ensure good overall stewardship so that capture stress in minimized. Ultimately, as our study showed, we had very low mortality (2/48), which could reflect a potential lab/confinement effect. Our low mortality findings are consistent with current field and modelling studies.

[RalphH]

If the mortality rate of large sturgeon were 50% there would be bodies washing up everywhere.
Careful C&R results in a mortality rate approaching 0%.

there have been times when surgeon morts certainly have appeared but it's not possible to link these to sport fishing and in river conditions have been suspected  - ie low oxygen pockets in deep river holes.

[firstlight]

Comparing Marlin and Trout to Sturgeon are very poor examples.
How long could a Marlin live in mud for?
Same question for Trout.
Sturgeon are probably the toughest fish on this planet and that article is a bunch of rubbish.