Catch and release

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For the 2007 Jennifer Garner film, see Catch and Release.

For the U.S. political term, see Catch and release (Congress).

Catch and release is a form of recreational fishing where releasing the fish (catch) is believed to be a technique of conservation. After capture, the fish are returned to the water before they are totally exhausted or further injured.

In the United Kingdom, catch and release has been performed for more than a century by coarse fishermen in order to prevent target species from disappearing in heavily fished waters. Since the latter part of the 20th century, many salmon and sea trout rivers have been converted to complete or partial catch and release.

In the United States, catch and release was first introduced as a management tool in the state of Michigan in 1952 as an effort to reduce the cost of stocking hatchery-raised trout. Anglers fishing for fun rather than for food accepted the idea of releasing the fish while fishing in so-called "no-kill" zones. Conservationists have advocated catch and release as a way to ensure sustainability and to avoid overfishing of fish stocks.

In Australia, catch and release caught on slowly, with some pioneers practicing it the 1960s, and the practice slowly becoming more widespread in the 1970s and 1980s. Catch and release is now widely used to conserve — and indeed is invaluable in conserving — vulnerable fish species like the large, long lived native freshwater Murray Cod and the prized, slowly growing, heavily fished Australian bass, heavily fished coastal species like Dusky Flathead and prized gamefish like striped marlin.

Catch and release is mandatory for some species in Canada, which also requires, in some cases, the use of barbless hooks to facilitate release and minimize injury.

Catch and release is decried by some who claim it is unethical or immoral to inflict pain, stress and increased mortality on fish for sport or amusement. Some oppose catch and release only and do not oppose fishing for food, per se.

Proponents of catch and release dispute the suggestion that fish feel pain. They insist that fish have tough, bony mouths that often consume spiny, hard prey items such as crayfish and molluscs. They point to studies that fish lack the higher brain functions that physiologists often associate with the ability to feel pain. They quote direct observation of fish behaviour wherein a fish who succeeds in throwing a lure will sometimes turn around and strike at the same lure, again.

Opponents of catch and release point out that fish are highly evolved vertebrates that share many of the same neurological structures that, in humans, are associated with pain perception. They point to studies that show that, neurologically, fish are quite similar to "higher" vertebrates and that blood chemistry reveals that hormones and blood metabolites associated with stress are quite high in fish struggling against hook and line, resulting in increased mortality. Some anglers accept the arguments that fish are highly evolved vertebrates that can feel pain, but again point out that that fish have tough, bony mouths that often consume spiny, hard prey items, and that hooks therefore do not cause fish pain, despite fish being capable of feeling pain.^{[citation needed]} The idea that fish do not feel pain in their mouths has been discredited by studies at the University of Edinburgh and the Roslin Institute, in which bee venom and acetic acid was injected into the lips of rainbow trout, resulted in fish rubbing their lips along the sides and floors of their tanks in an effort to relieve themselves of the pain.^[1] Lead researcher Dr. Lynne Sneddon wrote "Our research demonstrates nociception and suggests that noxious stimulation in the rainbow trout has adverse behavioral and physiological effects. This fulfils the criteria for animal pain." ^[2]

It is also viewed disfavorably by those who believe that fish give themselves up to fishermen for food, as they see it as disrespectful to throw it away. Members of some First Nations groups in Canada have this belief.(yukon fishing regulation)

A neutral analysis of the arguments and counter-arguments demonstrates that a definitive science-based conclusion on the degree fish are harmed by the process of being caught is unavailable. It seems clear that the issues surrounding catch and release will likely yield more readily to ethical analysis than to purely scientific investigation.

Ultimately, many catch and release anglers appeal to conservationist principles. They maintain that catch and release is increasingly necessary to prevent the overharvest of fish stocks in the face of burgeoning human populations, mounting fishing pressure and worsening habitat degradation. They propose that the alternative of banning or severely restricting angling is either unpalatable, unreasonable or not feasible.

A 2006 study suggested that many fish die because of the stress and injuries inflicted by catch-and-release fishing. Fish were tracked after being caught in a La Crosse, WI fishing tournament. Within a few days, hundreds of the fish were found dead, many from Largemouth Bass virus. According to media reports, Largemouth Bass virus "can cause death when the fish is stressed." ^[3]