Holding fish out of water not an issue - says study

[Jellymon]

 

[Skyvalhunter]

Not sure if this study is correct. As a member of a couple stocking and surveying groups for Hi Lakes in Wa were were told by our Bio that even though when you release the fish in the lake and it appeared to survive 90% of the time later it perished. According to them it was backed by some other study. My point is there is a study out there for every side.

[boneaddict]

Perfect meme for this...
LOL!



Theres a study for everything ....

[huntnnw]

maybe for small trout. This is untrue for steelhead I know several guides on the clearwater. You would see thousands of dead steelhead on the river bottom or banks. 1  I know of sees maybe a few dead on the river bottom all winter fishery and those could be from who knows what

[Antlershed]

How about in the salt where you can get a ticket by taking it out to check species or count fins while in a small boat rocking in the waves?


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Pretty easy to count fins while it’s in the net, in the water. 

[j_h_nimrod]

A recent study found that roughly 70 percent of fish survive being releases from a gill net so I see nothing wrong with the study finding that taking a fish out of the water would be more harmful.

[idahohuntr]

Not sure if this study is correct. As a member of a couple stocking and surveying groups for Hi Lakes in Wa were were told by our Bio that even though when you release the fish in the lake and it appeared to survive 90% of the time later it perished. According to them it was backed by some other study. My point is there is a study out there for every side.

Mortality from stocking fish in high mountain lakes could come from any number of things - and really has no bearing on this topic.

The study I posted was very thorough...they didn't just release the fish and say they were alive.  They tagged and monitored these fish for long after their release (several months) and also used DNA analysis to evaluate their reproductive success.  They found no effect on survival or reproductive success...meaning, not only did the fish not die - it did not have any indirect effects which might harm the population. 

[WSU]

There are a lot of variables that would make me hesitant to apply these results beyond the trout caught in the study. Great news that C&R trout do well though.

Salmon and to some degree steelhead pose other issues. Length of the fight amd exhaustion of the fish are undoubtedly far different, increasing the immediate need for oxygen.  Salmon in salt are very prone to scale and slime loss. Salmon and steelhead transitioning from salt to fresh are in the midst of large physical changes and remain vulnerable to slime and scale loss. Add in being dropped in a boat and it only gets worse.  Point is, while the study may be accurate, it may not translate directly to other fish in other fisheries.

[Antlershed]

There are a lot of variables that would make me hesitant to apply these results beyond the trout caught in the study. Great news that C&R trout do well though.

Salmon and to some degree steelhead pose other issues. Length of the fight amd exhaustion of the fish are undoubtedly far different, increasing the immediate need for oxygen.  Salmon in salt are very prone to scale and slime loss. Salmon and steelhead transitioning from salt to fresh are in the midst of large physical changes and remain vulnerable to slime and scale loss. Add in being dropped in a boat and it only gets worse.  Point is, while the study may be accurate, it may not translate directly to other fish in other fisheries.

I agree. Not to mention the trout were caught in the spring when water temps are pretty optimal. Steelhead in warm water sometimes barely survive the battle to make it to the boat. 

[WSU]

Water temp is hugely important. Lots of our fisheries occur with elevated temps (sometimes lethal temps).  There a lot of research out there on point, much of it directed at commercial harvest and mortality rates.

[idahohuntr]

The application of any study is limited - no doubt high water temps can be a concern - fisheries are sometimes shut down out of this concern...but in warmer (not extreme) temperature situations, how much additive mortality is there for lifting the fish out of water for a pic?

Unless WDFW has data on the effects of short duration holding fish out of water I'd rather they not make blanket regulations that may not achieve anything other than making criminals out of kids proud of their fish.

[WSU]

There is data, but the variables are obviously many and the handling of the fish itself different.  I don't know off hand what mortality rate is applied for fish removed from the water.  I do know that studies have demonstrated that higher temps and oxygen deprivation both raise mortality rate.

The bigger issue is nearly all our fisheries are created by modeling the mortality of non-target fish.  These limiting stocks are killed either by harvest or mortality after release.  If the regulation to keep fish in the water goes away, the mortality rate applied to the fishery will go up.  The season will be shortened because we'll use our "impacts" up quicker.  If we want to continue mixed stock fisheries (which we do), we'll have to live with regulations intended to limit mortality on non-target stocks.  The only other option is less fishing.

[Pegasus]

Did the study include dropping it on the ground or into the boat several times while the pictures are being taken? Did they pass the fish around so everyone present can get a picture with the fish? How about letting your dog play with it for a while before throwing it back?

[boneaddict]

How do they accurately pinpoint what killed the fish?  Was it handling the trout and destroying the slime coat, or was it collapsing their gills so they werent able to breath.  Bottom line is there is a "safer" way to handle the fish to help ensure a contiunued resource. WHY NOT DO IT!    Is it really worth the pic? 

[cavemann]

I fish for the experience of getting outside, the challenge and opportunity to take a few home for the BBQ.  I'm not concerned about how many I can post online..  If there is any validation what so ever that leaving them in the water is better for survival, fine by me.  If its not going home, the quicker it returns to the water the better, including not removing it.

To me its similar to antler restrictions..  Some legal bucks walk for error on the side of caution..  Seems reasonable and a few more fish may do the same.