catch and release

[Tinman]

I found this on a website is any of this true or propoganda

 

What’s wrong with catch-and-release fishing?

Have you ever seen an injured dog who has been hit by a car or a cat who’s been seriously hurt in a fight? Unless they are treated by a veterinarian, these animals are likely to die from their injuries. Fish are no different: A hook through the mouth causes a serious and extremely painful injury that is often fatal without treatment. But anglers just toss injured fish back into the water—often without realizing what they’ve done.

 

In addition to the wounds that are caused by the hook, fish released after being caught can suffer from loss of their protective scale coating, dangerous build-up of lactic acid in their muscles, oxygen depletion, and damage to their delicate fins and mouths. Upon being returned to the water, these fish are easy targets for predators and other fishers. Researchers at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation found that as many as 43 percent of fish released after being caught died within six days. Catching fish is cruel and unnecessary, whether they are killed on the spot or thrown back into the water, injured and exhausted.

 

THought it was a little dramatic myself

[taper]

I think if you dig into some of those problems a little deeper you will find that their is some truth, but if C&R is done properly the bad effects can be kept to a minimum. Any chance of survival to replenish the population is better than no chance at all if you don't plan on eating the fish.

[ccmtcanada]

I find the survival rate of C&R for fishing tends to be better than say....hunting.

 

I'm not against hunting at all...this is just an observation...mind you...I dont know the exact stats...call it a hunch.

[gekhunter]

I do agree that mishandling them (such as letting musky flop around in the boat and lose their slimy coating) could injure them and reduce the chance of survival significantly but I really have to disqualify these arguments when they have such statements as:

 

A hook through the mouth causes a serious and extremely painful injury that is often fatal without treatment.

 

I find this very hard to believe since fish eat other fish and crayfish which have sharp fins, shells, etc...so one would assume the mouth could handle a hook.

 

Also, I am sure many of us who have fished pike lakes have caught several fish with nice chunks taken out of their bellies but have survived just fine.

[Terry]

-....................it is not true...........................-

P3TA paid for a study to prove fishing hurts, they tried to bury the results because the study proved that fish do not feel pain the same way we do, and around the mouth, in and out they feel nothing, they don't have a developed nervous system that would sense or transmit pain as we do and do not have the brain capacity to remember pain or a traumatic event...so being caught doesn't have a lasting affect on them as it would on us

 

cut a big hunk of meat off a fish and put him in a livewell with other fish and in a few seconds it will be reacting and calmly swimming just like the other fish because it doesn't hurt the fish, it will react to you cutting it because it can feel but it can't feel pain as we do....

[Roy]

That was taken from the fishinghurts website....you do the math.

[outllaw]

while they have their values, i have mine.

honey wheres the batter mmmm.

[Tinman]

i wasn't trying to stir the pot, just seeing the opinions on this subject. I know i have caught tons of fish, that have had hooks or hook marks and gashes out of their bodies from other fish.

[Fishnwire]

I seriously doubt that we are really harming fish the we catch and release properly.

 

I'm almost positive we're not doing any favours to all those minnows, frogs, and crawfish though.

[fishinggeek]

P3TA's website had a bunch of links to scientific papers for their support. Being bored one day, I read them (at least the abstract). And they really don't support P3TA's hard-and-fast view against C&R. They were interesting reads though. I think they put up a bunch of scientific links to seem legitimate, figuring very few will actually take the time to read them.

[Tinman]

I was thinking the same thing. I mean how many times do we have a fish spit a hook or break the line, not too often a fish suddenly floats to the top after that

[Mark Kulik]

I have come to the conclusion that P3TA are naive misinformed people, last fall Dave Chong and I caught 2 smallies one had a real unique body type and a bit of growth on one fin, we took pics of these 2 then released them at 8:00 PM. at 10:00 AM. the next morning Dave Kennedy and BobDevine hooked a double header in front of the dock, well -they were the same 2 we caught and released just over 12 hours ago! I have many instances of catching the same fish several days later as well, so I know C&R works!

[GbayGiant]

That was taken from the fishinghurts website....you do the math.

 

LOL, just another P3TA conclusion, if you pay someone enough money they can come to any conclusion you pay for.

 

Just some points I've found, think about the sharp fins and bones that they feed on ? much more painful than a clean puncture of a hook, and I've caught the same fish at least 3 times in a day on many occasions, you would think if it hurt so bad they wouldn't come back for thirds.

 

But things do happen and can harm the fish, I would say the slime is more harmful than a hook, I've been catching more and more fish each year with infection from slime removal by anglers. As Fisherman we can do a better job of releasing ect.. but 43% of released fish dieing is ridiculous to me, I would guess 5-10% with no proof, if that, more often then not I would say they die from a deep hook set witch rarely happens to me (if it does those are the ones I eat) but for some reason lot's of inexperienced fisherman don't set the hook at the right time, this is evident to me from when I take my family out they don't fish much and a lot of the hooks end up deep but better hook sets come with time. Also the infected fish don't necessarily die and if they get caught again nobody wants to eat them so they get another life, could be a good thing for them in a way.

Edited February 22, 2008 by GbayGiant

[Cookslav]

Many...many people here including myself have expericned the phenoninom of positivily identifying and releaseing a fish we know we have caught before...sometime multiple times.

 

I know 100% that I once caught the same bass 3 times on a weeks holidays...

First day(a Saturday) I hooked her deep on a leetch, so I let her go, but not before I noticed the bad scar on her back(snapping turtle I'm sure)

Anyway,

I caught her again the following evening on a skitterpop in the same spot, I could tell by the size, the scar, and my hook was still in her gullet.

 

The following Thursday I nailed her yet again on an offset spinner...same scar, same spot and my hook was there as well except this time it seemed badly corroded, so I gave it a nip with the need nose pliers and it crumbled and popped out.

 

My offical "scientific findings"

Fish survive when released well...and Bass can be reeeeely dumb LOL!

 

I'd bet the proffesionals would agree...especialy some guides perhaps?

[Ramble]

There is a negative impact on the fish....you can't say that there is NO impact...but usning good techniques you can minimize the possibility of harm. I have also see then same fish caught twice.

 

A while ago i posted a link to a MNR Report of Catch and Release angling. You might wanna give that a read over, it may answer some of your questions.

 

-R-

[Photoz]

Perhaps under certain conditions the C & R survival rate may be VERY high, but I still have a problem with people bringing a trout or whitefish up outta 60' to 100'+ of water, and releasing it! I have only caught a few dozen of them, combined, in the deep water, most had a blown air bladder. IF & WHEN I get my 2 whitefish or trout, I usually leave, or move to perch grounds. Couple years ago I drove and walked 3 hours to a spot on Lake Jo, 20 minutes later, I had TWO 2 pound lakers . . . . with blown bladders . . . . although the idea of pushin' 'em back down the hole with my spud certainly occurred to me, I packed it up and came back to Simcoe and nailed a few perch! WATTA PAIN!

[fishinggeek]

Photoz, I agree with you. I think that on average, C&R might have a low mortality rate, say 5% or so. But there are factors that change the expected survival rate. Things like water temperature, oxygen levels, predation of tired fish, and handling practices are important.

[Ben_Daniels]

I can positively say that Catch and Release works with Largemouth Bass.

 

While living in South Florida I had many lakes/pond's in my neighborhood that were connected through canals to many other lakes/ponds. I lived there for over 8 years and caught and tagged many bass. I have caught many of these tagged fish numerous times. One bass, which was over 9 pounds, was caught by myself and 2 other individuals in a two year period. Heres a picture of the fish the first time it was caught.

 

 

Also, in this system most of these bass move into one pond to spawn, during the spawning season I could go to this pond and spot numerous fish on beds that I had caught and tagged. Catch and Release definitely works when largemouth bass are not spawning. In Florida, bass season is open year round. While doing this informal study I fished for many bedding bass. The bass that I tagged that were bedding were usually not caught again, I presumed they died or moved out of the area. After releasing fish that were on a bed, they would either abandon the spawning bed or go back on the spawning bed and look very stressed out, their eyes would look weird and dilated and they would be discolored, they would look very white and pale. Whether the bass left or stayed it seemed bad to me. After seeing this I came to my own conclusion that even if its legal to fish for spawning bass, it is just wrong. So in conclusion I feel that Catch and release does work, with certain species as long as they are not spawning. I think that some species have a much higher mortality rate, such as muskie and trout ,but I feel that overall Catch and release does work.

 

-Ben

Edited February 24, 2008 by Ben_Daniels

[Rich]

It's 10 bucks for a doctor's note.. I wonder how much they paid for their scientists notes to "prove" their screwed up theories?