Safely releasing fish

[jonny_s]

When I was out fishing yesterday I got a bit upset at the number of small / unwanted fish that got picked up by the gulls before they recovered enough to get back down. I was thinking wouldnt it be a reasonable idea to have something like an old plastic bin with the base cut out sitting in the water so all returned fish can be dropped in and given a chance to recover and dive when ready. I am not sure if it is common practise but I saw one gull target the eyes of a pouting and pluck them both out very quickly, this was a fish I had caught and returned carefully but it was not fast enough to get back down. The gulls were coming very close to the boat.

I am sure some sort of folding box or maybe a bottomless keep net would do so storage on smaller boats wouldnt be a major problem.

Any thoughts ? Am I being too sentimental ?

Jonny

 

[northeast1]

I also hate the fact that alot of fish ling and pouting most of all that dont go back....sad thing is know matter how long you leave them they wont go back, the swim blader goes and they just cant recover.

Any that wont go back or float back up get gaffed and given away.

 

[Iva-Cod-on]

No your not being daft I hate seeing fish suffer it guts me when the little fella's take the bait down and have to put them out of there misery we have started to hold fish in water until they are ready but that's an advantage of being low to the water in my boat not alot of free board so able to do so personally I would rather judge if a fish is knacked and kill it before gulls oh and I'm fishing in relatively shallow water so swim bladders don't often blow other boats have not got these advantages but I think the majority of lads realise how precious the fish are.

 

[Gazz]

I got a bit gutted too, when they hit the water & are stunned long enough for the seagulls to grab it.

Something i do to get around it is hook them either through the base of the tail or through the very tip of the lip, enough to hold it without its weight pulling it off, then i lower it ito the water & give a slight tug on the rod & presto, out pops the hook & away goes the fish.

 

[Charlton]

no you are not being soft, we all like to see small fish put back safely, for ling and pout, put your knife through the swim bladder, they usually survive. For other fish, it has been proved, a study in Aussie land, that by spearing the fish head first into the water gives them a sudden rush of oxygen and they swim away, have tried it a few times when I had my own boat, and it seemed to work in most cases. But your idea could be well worth a try, or have a tank on board with an air pump.

 

[Fishery Pokery]

There are weights that are designed to take the fish back down to the bottom, which helps fish that have got the "bends".
They have a downward facing hook with no barb, you hook it through the fishes lip and let the weight down to the bottom. Jig the rod, and the fish is released on the bottom, under the same pressure it was taken from.
I have not seen them anywhere up here, but you could get one mail order or make your own.
See here for a better explanation than I can give... Release Weight to Improve the Survival of Released Reef Fish - Recfishwest
Cheers,
Geoff

 

[jonny_s]

There are weights that are designed to take the fish back down to the bottom, which helps fish that have got the "bends".
They have a downward facing hook with no barb, you hook it through the fishes lip and let the weight down to the bottom. Jig the rod, and the fish is released on the bottom, under the same pressure it was taken from.
I have not seen them anywhere up here, but you could get one mail order or make your own.
See here for a better explanation than I can give... Release Weight to Improve the Survival of Released Reef Fish - Recfishwest
Cheers,
Geoff

I quite lke the idea of the release weight and I am sure many on here would use such a device for certain fish species but may draw the line when it comes to other ' pest ' species. Charter boats don't come cheap and to be brutally honest I would imagine most people would want to spend more time fishing than releasing.

A mixture of release weight for some and maybe a floating protected box or ' speared ' into the water for others.

Just goes to show though we are not all the heartless fish butchers some think.

 

[codseeker]

a study in Aussie land, that by spearing the fish head first into the water gives them a sudden rush of oxygen and they swim away, have tried it a few times when I had my own boat, and it seemed to work in most cases. But your idea could be well worth a try, or have a tank on board with an air pump.

any fish returned i try my bestest to make them land in the water head first and they do seem to swim off and survive i stand looking over to check and enjoy watching them make there way down

 

[el_sid]

Unfortunately the sad fact of boat fishinging in great depths(from the boats) is that alot of fish you bring up are basically knackered and will not return because of decompression etc no matter how hard you try to revive and return them

to me this is is a big downside to boat fishing but at least try and humanley dispach(kill) the fish and put them to use

 

[The Great Wallsendo]

let's not forget the fact that what we do when we go fishing is pull these creatures out of their natural environment with geet big sharp hooks for sport ...I'm not saying that we shouldn't try our best to return fish if we can but the fish that do perish go back into the food chain in one form or another

 

[big sid]

This theory of taking your filleting knife to the swim bladder seem a rather extreme measure. Surely the smallest of holes made would be a far better option as we all know that a large cut takes a lot longer to heal and mend as to a small. Using the point of a hook or a sewing needle to make the hole would,I hope be more benificial to the fish?
But what do I know I'm not one of these men that wear white coats so its my uneducated guess ? ? ? ?

 

[batt22]

its nice to see some anglers on here actually thinking about the fish we catch got to say I've been a little disappointed looking at the boat catch reports on here showing anglers holding the fish up by the line to get a quick pic or video taken i think it would be better to unhook the fish first then get your snap plus seen loads of vids (not on here) where the anglers unhook the fish then throw the fish into a box to die a slow death surely dispatch the fish first is the right way aye
regards batt

 

[Codfather]

Don't forget that many of the pics with fish still on hooks, the fish will be getting released back into the sea after the quick pic, i'd rather hold the fish on the hook for a pic and then release it by a quick jig of the hook over the side, then the fish is untouched by human hand and maybe / hopefully more likely to survive. The vast majority of ours seem to dive back down quickly, those that don't are netted and dispatched to be filleted.

 

[batt22]

i cant recall seeing freshwater anglers holding the fish by the hook and line for quick pics but maybe im wrong usually they tend to unhook the fish first and as for the quick pull on the line to unhook the fish surly thats bound to damage the fishes mouth parts and rendering the fish unable to feed resulting in a long painful death who knows ? but im pleased that more and more of our fellow anglers are respecting the fish more and that has to be a good thing unfortunately we will see hordes of young stupid kids on piers this summer treating fish cruel im not one of the oh fish dont feel pain brigade maybe im getting old but i do love the sport of fishing sea fishing especially if your going to keep it dispatch it quick if not put it back as unharmed as possible and as quick as possible
regards batt22

 

[Codfather]

A quick jig of the HOOK to remove it quickly and do minimal damage, not pulling on the line and rippping the hook out as you may have taken it.

Surely tho handling a fish as little as possible has to be a good thing if its going back.

 

[batt22]

yeah i misunderstood point taken codfather plus ive heard of this handling fish will cause death to the fish when returned maybe we just have to say oh well thats fishing and try to do the best we can i remember seeing a video on youtube with some anglers boat fishing down south and to tell you the truth i was sickened to my stomach the way they were yanking the fish from the hooks and just throwing the fish into boxes to suffocate i'll see if i can find the video again and post it up
regards batt22

 

[The Great Wallsendo]

to further add to the fish with hooks in mouth debate...

all pics and vids on Slinky are taken at the moment they are lifted over the side and ALL fish are dispatched cleanly and quickly if being kept for the pot or bait - anything else is returned as quickly and safely as possible

People often laugh at me and Norm when our first reaction to someone on the boat hooking into a fish is "get the camera"...this often results in one or the other "missing" a drift but so be it because pics and vids make better reports for others to read - at least that's how I feel anyroad

 

[Norman]

I shall make only one post in this thread, irrespective of any comebacks ..........

"without sin cast the first stone" and all that ........

Let me catagorically state that ANYONE looking in who has EVER eaten fish from a chip shop, fishfingers from a supermarket, or any seafood from a restaraunt can be confident in knowing that what they have eaten has been in far more distress than anything ever caught from my boat.
Even mackerel caught as bait are immediatly dispatched and not left to suffer.
So if anyone wants to wear the fish humanity crown then please ensure they are non (never ever) commercial sea food eater .... else ....... cast the first stone ....

Norman

 

[northeast1]

I caught most of mine on Trebble hooks, now that gotta hurt..on the plus side i bashed them over the head before they had a chance to sufer much

A bit silly this thread turned into but makes for reading when your bored i guess.

 

[SIXFOOTSTEVE]

I was just thinking the same Norman ,we as fishermen always either let them go quickly or despatch them just as quickly ,nothing worse than letting a fish "gasp and gulp" to death . The point you make about commercially caught fish is absolutely spot on .