Author Topic: Question about catch & Release (Read 929 times)

Guardian · « **on:** May 06, 2004, 05:42:15 AM »

I was recently talking to some one who actually has a
BA in Marine Biology (First one I ever met). My question was about catch and release, and weather the fish was harmed or not in doing this.
The instant answer was YES! the fish is harmed and most likely the harm would be fatal. Explain was my next question. By handling fish with our hands, we wipe off the coating of mucus which protects the fish from water-born bacteria and parasites. Ulcers will form from the parasite attacks and the fish will normally die from the ulcerations. The warmer the water the faster they will die normally, this is due to the increased speed of parasite reproduction. I was pretty shocked by this answer.
there was a lot more to the conversation, but this is the main point.
Just passin' it on.

Lawdog · « **Reply #1 on:** May 06, 2004, 02:49:55 PM »

Guardian,

While it is true remember that pertains to fish that are handled to much. I have fished many a lake AFTER a big Bass derby has just been completed and have rarely seen a dead Bass floating. If you limit the handling of the fish to say holding it by the lower jaw so to be able to unhook the fish prior to releasing, most recover very quickly with little harm done. My former son in-laws uncle is a Marine Biologist who used to preach the old adage - if you hooked it you might as well keep it - until he learned different. Now he preaches catch and release. Small groups and tight lines to you. Lawdog

dukkillr · « **Reply #2 on:** May 06, 2004, 06:46:47 PM »

I was part of a study on this exact topic several years ago. We caught several fish (bass, channel cats, bullheads, large mouth bass, and bluegill) over a few weeks and kept them in a large aquarium. Every fish developed an ulcer in mouth where he was hooked. After a couple of weeks the mouth ulcer went away. Most of the catfish ultimately developed skin ulcers as well, and a significant amount died. For the most part the other fish recovered, especially if they had no injuries other than the hooking.

Skipper · « **Reply #3 on:** May 07, 2004, 07:04:53 AM »

If you believe catch and release doesn't work, you absolutely haven't bass fished for very long at all. I have caught numerous bass that have been caught before and released. I've caught bass with hooks still in them, lures still in them, and several with obvious injuries from being caught again.

The facts are this, yes, a number of bass caught and released in a tournament will die. I don't think anyone would honestly deny that. The number that die varries from tournament to tournament and depends on a lot of things. Water temperature amoung them, but also method that they were caught, livewell system used in the paticular boat, the angler's attention to preserving the catch and other factors.

That said, there is no doubt whatsoever that a fish caught, filleted and sentenced to do the back stroke in a skillet is definitely a dead fish.

I have been bass fishing for over 30 years in bass fishing country, the Southeast US. I can state without reservation that since BASS began advocating catch and release and anglers banded together to implement other conservation measures such as increased size limits, decreased creel limits, and slot limits, our fisheries have more and better quality bass in them than they did in the 70's. You would be hard pressed to find someone who would dispute that statement. So while some of the fish caught and released may die, I see absolutely no reason to cease catch and release bass fishing. Let's face it, the turtles gotta eat too.

Skipper

Bugflipper · « **Reply #4 on:** May 14, 2004, 09:09:39 PM »

It just depends on the species, bass are tough, I'm sure some die. But I've caught several that had holes in thier mouth. If you catch a trout and see a drop of bluud roll out of him you may as well throw him in the creel, or he'll be floating down stream. Seems like if a shad is out of the water at all it dies. Bass in tournaments are more likely to die then when normal people catch them. Most folks just get them in look at them a second and throw them back in. In the tournament they may get jossled by the 250 black max running down the river 95 mph :lol: Just a thought :wink:

Lawdog · « **Reply #5 on:** May 15, 2004, 10:27:51 AM »

Bugflipper,

Skipper can answer about how tournament bass are handled better than I ever can but from the tournaments I have seen in person the bass are cared for better than the normal fisherman does. From what I know about tournament rules for every dead bass a fisherman has he is penalized poundage. The tournament fishermen uses special chemicals in their holding tanks, what the chemicals are and what they do Skipper can answer that. I got to go out on the release pontoon boat when they released the bass and none were dead. All were very alive, healthily as we released them in different places around the lake. To me I believe that more bass are hurt and killed by your average pleasure fisherman than by any tournament fisherman. Small groups and tight lines to you. Lawdog

Bugflipper · « **Reply #6 on:** May 16, 2004, 12:10:12 PM »

I wasn't trying to get anything started, I will agree that fellows in tournamants go to extra lengths to try and save thier fish. It wasn't like that 10 years ago. The peta devils got envolved protesting the "inhumane" treatment of the animals. I retired from tournaments 3 years ago. Just getting to old to be doing that all day every day. I was just saying in my experience a fish hauled around all day, then put in a tank has more stress put on it than a fish who is instantly put back. The boat companies, nor anyone else has came up with a cushion material from livewells to obsorb the shock. So as you race back to the weigh in or spot to spot, the fish are getting pounded against the hard fiberglass hull with the waves the nose of the boat is bouncing off.
This could be solved easily with calibrated on boat scales and an official video taping, but that would do away with the grand finale of a weigh in.

ftstinyc · « **Reply #7 on:** May 18, 2004, 03:53:46 PM »

My son had a pond built at his house. We went out and caught fish from
different places and put them in his pond. This has been an on going thing
for about two years. Today he has a nice population of Bass, crappie, perch, Bluegill and catfish. He has only told me that he has had maybe
two or three fish that he has seen that have died. There is Bass in there
over 5 lbs. The kids just love to go fishing there. I think this just proves
that catch and release does work.

Skipper · « **Reply #8 on:** May 21, 2004, 04:14:03 AM »

For our club tournaments, we have been using a paper weigh in system for the last 3 seasons going on 4 seasons. We believe in doing all we can do to release them the best we can. That said, club tournaments don't pay much money. I don't know anyone who would want to fish a $5,000 jackpot tournament and use that system. There's enough cheating as is without adding that temptation in.

Skipper

1911crazy · « **Reply #9 on:** May 26, 2004, 04:53:25 AM »

I lip grab every bass and release them and in fishing the same places I have never seen any dead bass floating yet. I think it depends how healthy the body of water is or not?? Most of my places are running water their not still bodies of water. Their just ponds in size but actually dammed rivers. I feel still water there is more bacteria and flowing water less bacteria. BigBill

We had a winter kill in the ice over one year that killed many big bass they were frozen in the ice. I guess nature takes care of itself with thinning out the bass in the body of water so some survive and some don't.