If you open any decent Fishing Magazine now days you will see that most people advocate Catch and Release (C&R).
But, being a competition angler, an avid fisherman and a person that watches almost all the fishing programs that are aired on
TV it is quite clear that man people still have a lot to learn about C&R .
Have you every seen the over enthusiastic surf angler hook into a 120lb shark on the rocks with a pair of 12/0 hooks with barbs on them. After a fight lasting many minutes the fish is gaffed and dragged up the rocks. An eternity is then taken to admire the fish and photo's are taken. Thereafter the fish is sent crashing into the rocks below with a heartwrenching crunch and is washed out to sea. The triumphant angler then pronounces that he is practicing C&R.
Freshwater anglers are just as bad. You see a bank angler dragging carp and other species up the bank and then handling them indiscriminately before placing them in an over crowded keepnet for the day before dragging the net along the bank to a weighing
area for weighing and then releasing.
Bass and fly anglers are not immune either. They catch the fish and then handle them with dry hands , spend minutes taking photo's before putting them in their livewells or releasing them.
This is a generalization and we are not all guilty. In fact some of us are pretty good at our practice of C&R.
Here are some guide lines to help us in our quest to practice C&R. Some of the pointers are actually quite basic but we tend to
forget them in the heat of the moment.
1. Wherever possible fish with barbless hooks. This will limit the amount of damage that is done to a fishes mouth.
If you are fishing with barbs or treble hooks use pliers when removing the hook wherever possible. This will limit the amount of damage that is done.
2. Always wet your hand before handling a fish. This is because the dry hands will wipe the protective film off the fishes skin
and the fish will them be susceptible to infections and can die.
3. Never put your fingers into the fishes gill cavity and never pick the fish up by the gills. This is equivalent to pocking
your fingers into someone's lungs. The gills will be damaged and the fish will battle to breath.
4. Large sea fish, skates and sharks should not be picked up. The weight of their own organs will damage them.
If they need to be weighed this must be done with a net.
5. Never weigh a fish by putting a hanging scale in its gills. If you use a hanging scale then use a net.
6. Limit the time that a fish spends out of the water. Next time you catch a fish hold your breath as soon as the fish leaves the
water. As soon as you need to grasp for air so does the fish. The time after this is when the fish will start to suffer damage.
7. Always try and revive a fish after a long fight. Just make sure it can swim on its own before you let it go.
8. Return the fish to the water gently. Do not toss the fish back and do not let it land on rocks or the ground.
9. If you have to keep the fish in a livewell then take care of your livewell. Make sure the livewell is always clean
and if it is new make sure that all the fiberglass fibers have been properly cleaned out. Imagine you breathing in glass fibers.
Furthermore make sure that the water in the livewell is properly circulated and aerated.
10. Competition anglers should limit the time that the fish is removed from the water (livewell or keepnet) to the time the fish is
weighed and released.
11. Support the fish correctly when lifting it. Hold it behind the pectoral fins and above the tail.
12. Have your camera ready for photographs. Don't catch the fish and the spend ages setting up the camera while the fish
lies in the landing net thrashing about.
I am not an expert in C&R but hopefully these tips will assist you.
Freshwater anglers are just as bad. You see a bank angler dragging carp and other species up the bank and then handling them indiscriminately before placing them in an over crowded keepnet for the day before dragging the net along the bank to a weighing
area for weighing and then releasing.