The Case Against Catch And Release Fishing

Historically fish were caught for food, however times have changed and many anglers now catch fish for entertainment purposes. The thrill of the chase and outwitting a wild creature and the satisfaction of catching it, as well as the adrenaline that arises out of a frantic scrap in getting a large fish in the net, is often all that is needed to satisfy an angler. Many anglers are not bothered about eating their catch and will simply catch the fish, weigh it and note it down in a journal, photograph the fish and then return it to the water to fight another day. This type of angling is commonly referred to as catch and release fishing.  

Some view catch and release fishing as inhumane and cruel. After all, impaling a live creature on a hook and dragging it to the bank and out of the water where it may suffocate, and letting it potentially damage itself whilst fighting to get away from the angler doesn’t appear to be the way to treat a fish but it is all part and parcel of catch and release fishing. Fortunately, there are many safeguards an angler can put in place to ensure the fish is returned in tip top condition. Unfortunately, there are many anglers out there that appear to have no respect for the fish they catch and do not put these safeguards in place, and it is these anglers that provide the case against catch and release fishing. 

Some anglers that practice the catch and release method of fishing are intent on using barbed hooks to ensure they get every fish caught in the net. Barbed hooks are barbaric and removing them from a fishes mouth often leads to damage such as ripped lips or the throat being pulled out of the mouth when heavy handed anglers simply attempt to pull the hook out of a deeply hooked fish. Some deeply hooked fish die during the unhooking process, and those that are returned to the water alive may get diseases as the damaged lips become infected. Ripped lips may also hamper the fish’s ability to eat which may lead to starvation. An angler should always use barbless hooks when catch and release fishing. Some argue that a fish can roll off a barbless hook, although there should be few problems if the line is kept tight during the fight. If the fish rolls off the hook during the fight that’s tough and the angler should learn from the experience and move on. 

Many anglers have small landing nets and simply force the fish in, even when it is obvious the fish won’t comfortably fit in it. These nets are often made of large mesh with big knots which can catch on the fish’s scales and remove them or damage the fish’s tail and fins, or worse still get caught up in the gills which may lead to death. All anglers should have large landing nets made out of micromesh to ensure the fish isn’t damaged. 

Once the fish has been netted, many anglers will simply put the fish on the ground to unhook it, which may lead to severe damage obviously depending on the type of ground where the fish is laid. An unhooking mat is an essential piece of equipment that all anglers should carry and use for the unhooking process of fish that are too large to be done in the hands. Prior to using an unhooking mat the angler should always ensure it is wet as this putting a fish on a dry mat is likely to remove its protective layer of slime which leaves the fish vulnerable to sores, parasites, fungi and disease once it is returned to the water. 

If fish are small enough to be unhooked in the hands an angler should always wet their hands prior to touching the fish in order to preserve the protective slime and prevent the risk of diseases. For ease an angler should keep a bowl of lake or river water under their chair so they can simply dip their hands before swinging the fish in. 

Once the fish has been unhooked it should be photographed, if the angler considers it large enough to warrant it, and then gently returned to the water. All fish should be returned to the water carefully, regardless of their size, however many anglers simply toss smaller fish back without any consideration, which is not on. When a large fish has been caught it is likely to need putting back in the water and holding for a few seconds before letting it swim away. The fight often takes a lot out of the fish and holding it in the water for a few minutes allows it to get some water through its gills and recover a little, so this is something that all anglers should practice in catch and release fishing. 

A priority is to return the fish to the water as soon as possible. Fish should never be left on an unhooking mat whilst an angler does something else nor should they be kept out of the water to pose for too many photographs. It should be a case of fish in, do what you have to do and then return the fish. When fish are ill treated on the bank and out of the water their survival rate is likely to decrease significantly and whilst ‘real’ anglers enjoy the thrill of catching something wild none of them ever want to see the fish they have caught floating on top of the water once it has been released since this is not part of the game. 

It is anglers that use insufficient tackle and don’t treat fish with the care and respect they deserve that put forward the case against catch and release. On the whole most anglers care for the fish they catch and once returned to the water these fish simply swim away almost unharmed, however there are those anglers that are not like this and it is these anglers that should be banned from practising catch and release fishing methods.