Releasing Saltwater Fish Safely
As recreational anglers we all have the accountability to look after the fish resources which provide us with so much enjoyment. We need to respect the fish we catch and treat them accordingly, not plainly view them as points on the board as often happens in the excitement of a "smash". Gone are the days of catching tons of duskies, milkies or lessers and having them removed by the truckload after a competition. Many of our linefish and shark species are overexploited and it is beyond doubt up to us to ensure their survival for generations to come. Recreational angling is beyond doubt a blood sport and there is addition communal pressure being located on organised angling to sacrifice the environmental impact linked with fishing competitions. Within angling circles good competition anglers are generally regarded as being extremely skilled anglers capable of catching substantially more fish than your average recreational angler. For this theorize I believe that competition anglers should lead the way in developing better catch and publish practises and ensuring the improvement of a responsible ethic towards sound stewardship of our fish resources.
Catch-and-release is increasingly being practised by more and more anglers and is beyond doubt an ethic that needs to become entrenched if we are to collect a sound time to come for our favourite pastime or sport. Competing angling in South Africa has made some extremely distinct moves in this direction with most competitions now being fished on a catch and publish basis. However, there is still much that anglers can do to improve the chances of their catch surviving. Catch-and-release mortality, or death due to hooking, fighting and handling fish before release, may be considerably higher than we think with some fisheries scientists estimating that at least 25% of released fish die due to sport fishing. Many variables conclude whether or not a released fish will survive, along with the species, the type and size of the hook, bait or lure used, how long the fish is played, how it is handled once the fish is landed and how swiftly it is returned back to the water.
As Colin Attwood described in an record published in the "The Fishing Journal" (Vol 1, Issue 4), we should all be aware of the following problems that exist for many angling species:
· Fish exhaust themselves when hooked and build up lactic acid in the muscle and damage muscle tissue, which makes them stiff and sluggish (similar to humans). This makes released fish vulnerable to predators. The longer the fight and the longer a fish is kept out of the water the worse the problem.
· A swallowed hook that is cut off may rust and toxify the blood or interfere with the general passage of food.
· Handling fish with dry, unclean hands may lead to subsequent infections. The skin of fish lies on the outside of the scales and is responsible for secreting slime that protects it from pathogens. The epidermis, being very thin, is beyond doubt ruptured if touched by dry and abrasive objects, which in turn allows an entry point for pathogens.
· Fish eyes may be beyond doubt damaged by abrasion and sunburn, as fish have no eyelids.
· Lifting a large fish, with whether a vertical or horizontal hold, places the skeleton and abdominal organs under unnatural stresses that may lead to bruising or rupturing.
· Gaffing a fish, which is to be released, greatly reduces its occasion of survival.
There are a few points which are foremost when contemplating the publish of all fish.
1. general (This applies to all categories of fish and should be read together with each section.)
If fish are to be released, one must plan beforehand for such a release.
The longer a fish is out of the water the less occasion it has of survival.
Fish are covered in a layer of mucus / slime which protects them from infection. Fish should thus be handled as gradually and as dinky as possible, with wet hands and located on a wet towel or a wet foam mattress.
Fish bodies are supported by water. If the fish must be removed from the water, the best way to take a fish out of the water is to use a large, fine-mesh landing net or stretcher or alternatively use a bogo grip to hold the fish's lower jaw. Place a hand under the belly before lifting it out of the water. Large fish should preferably not be hauled on board but released while still in the water. The ensue of gravity while lifting fish out of water by the head can damage internal organs.
Do not place fingers into gills or eye sockets as these organs can be damaged.
Sunlight damages fish eyes - cover with a wet cloth while on deck.
Lactacidosis is the buildup of lactic acid in the body as a ensue of prolonged strenuous activity. general vigor yield is aerobic and produces vigor and carbon dioxide. Once the oxygen in the blood is exhausted, vigor is produced anaerobically and produces lactic acid as a byproduct. This lowers the body pH and can cause rupture of muscle fibres (including heart muscle fibres) which renders the fish stiff and vulnerable to predators and may lead to death up to 3 days later. Therefore the longer the fight the greater the extent of lactacidosis and the less the occasion of survival. So, if a fish is to be released, do not use extremely low breaking strain line and fight the fish for extended periods but rather use favorable tackle, bring the fish in swiftly and publish it as soon as possible.
Resuscitation. Fish rely on water passing over their gills to assimilate oxygen. Billfish particularly, advantage by being towed headfirst next to the boat for some time to allow them to recover.
All fish should be returned gently, head first, to the water.
2. Billfish
Where possible, billfish should not be boated but should be released without removing them from the water as thrashing colse to on deck causes extreme stress, increases lactacidosis, removes slime and causes severe bruising. Where possible hooks should be removed as hooks left in the mouth can remain for extended periods and lead to infections and hinder feeding. Where the fish is hooked deeply it stands a better occasion of survival if the hook is left in as attempts at removal will exacerbate the damage.
When fishing with live or dead bait use circle hooks which frequently hook in the angle of the jaw and sacrifice the chances of deep hooking. Circle hooks can be removed whether by reversing them out or by grabbing them outside the mouth, pulling them straight through and cutting the leader.
Barbless hooks (flattened barbs) should be used on lures so as to make their removal easier and quicker.
In Australia the use of a "snooter" is becoming popular. This is a loop of rope in a plastic pipe which is used to snare the top bill and gives better control of the fish. It also allows the fish to be more beyond doubt towed beside the boat for resuscitation and subsequent release.
The time taken to subdue the fish is critical. It must not arrive at the boat too green as its thrashing will cause additional damage, nor must the fish be too exhausted by the fight with resultant severe lactacidosis. Tackle must be favorable and if a green fish is brought alongside and the leader is in hand, do try and remove the hook or lure but plainly cut the snood.
Where indispensable resuscitate the fish prior to publish for the best chances of survival.
3. Tuna
Tuna can fight themselves to the death, so not all will survive.
If tuna are to be released preferably do not boat them but keep them in the water and convention "tip and release". If insistent on boating the fish before release, lift small tuna by the hook snood while supporting the mid-section and lay onto a wet towel or foam mattress.
Do not lift tuna by the tail as this removes slime and can cause vertebral disunion and spinal cord damage.
When fishing with bait, use circle hooks. Flatten barbs of lures.
Keep large fish in the water and keep the head submerged as much as possible while removing the hook.
4. Deep Water lowest Fish
Bringing fish up from depth leads to barotrauma resulting in an expansion of the swim bladder with subsequent prolapse of the stomach and bulging eyes. Unless the gas can be released or recompressed the fish will float and die from exposure. The gas can be released by puncturing the swim bladder straight through the body wall behind the pectoral fin with a hypodermic needle. However, this needs convention as the position of the swim bladder varies in different species and if the swim bladder is missed, the needle can cause other internal injuries.
The recommended recipe of releasing fish that have suffered barotrauma is to use the reverse hook and weight method. A large weight is tied to the eye of a large hook with a flattened barb. Line from a rod and reel is then attached to the bend of the hook (upside down). The hook is gradually inserted into the top lip of the fish and the fish is released back down to the bottom. The gas in the swim bladder is then recompressed and a quick jerk on the rod releases the hook allowing the fish to swim away unharmed.
When taking the fish out of the water if no landing net or stretcher is available, it can be lifted using the hook snood or a bogo-grip but it must be well supported by a wet hand under the mid-section of the body.
5. Sharks and Flatfish (Rays/Skates)
If a flatfish has got a hook down deep, then it's best to cut the hook off at the knot and free the fish with the hook still in. Consider that flatfish, in fact all fish, will eat mussels, hard crabs and crayfish with ease, and you realise just how insignificant a hook is to a fish. Evidence suggests that fish can shed a hook within hours anyway, providing it is a bronze or steel type that will corrode. Coated or commercially plated pattern hooks and stainless steel hooks should never be used. Fish are capable of rejecting, expelling, or encapsulating hooks. Encapsulation is a process whereby the fishes' curative process causes the hook to be covered with calcified material; or a-cellular tissue. Steel and bronze hooks are less toxic and are rejected or "dissolved" sooner than are stainless steel and cadmium-plated or nickel-plated hooks.
Those holes on top of Rays/Skates heads are called Spiracles and are used to help them breathe by flushing water over their gills. Never put your fingers in them as it wil damage their gills.
Never turn flatfish on their backs.
I would personally keep my hands out of most flatfishes mouths, the brilliant is fairly unique because of its very wide throat, enabling you to get your hand all the way down in order to recover hooks. Most other flatfish have much harder jaws and much thinner throats which firstly may levy injury to your hand and possible mortal injury to the ray if its troat was forced open. The spearnose skate has very sharp dinky teeth that can seriously damage your hand or fingers, and the giant sand shark has a crushing bite. Most flatfish can be handled by gripping their nose part, or just in front of their mouthes.
Small Sharks (up to 10kg) may be removed with extreme care from the water (if docile) by lifting by the tail with one hand while retention firmly under the body near the pectoral fin with the other hand - if in doubt do not attempt to remove from the water.
Keep tension on line at all times while retrieving to minimise sharks rolling and becoming entangled in the line.
Don't pull sharks by their tail as it will damage their spines.
Cut the hook trace while the shark is still in the water if you have issue removing the hook. It is beetr to use circle hooks or barbless hooks if you plan to publish the fish.
