Catch,
Photograph & Release !!
Catch and Release - How to do it
Properly.
By
William D. Anderson
...
When bringing in fish from the depths,
it's often good to pause every few
feet or so. This allows the fish to
decompress and is similar to the same
concepts taught in scuba classes.
The trade off here is that the fish
will still expend energy and build
up lactic acid while he is hooked.
Also, it may require 30 minutes or
more for a fish to adjust his pressure
so unless you're going to fight the
fish for that long, you might as well
keep him.
I've heard that fish brought up from
deep water will need their swim bladders
popped. This is nonsense. Never stick
a needle into a fish to puncture anything.
You can be sure the fish will die
if you do this. Sometimes the bladder
will expand so much that the stomach
will pop out of the fish’s mouth.
There's nothing you can do in this
case but keep the fish. As I said
earlier, if you plan to release what
you catch, target fish shallower than
30 feet.
Some fishermen have devised methods
to return fish back to deep water
by using materials threaded through
a fish's jaw that will break off when
tugged. I have my doubts about this
practice. Any fish that has had its
swim bladder exert extreme pressure
on its internal organs, or has his
stomach protruding from its throat,
has been damaged and is likely to
die.
Another important thing you can do
to help release your fish in good
shape is to be prepared. Are your
pliers within reach? Is the camera
ready? Anything you can do to get
the fish back in the water as quickly
as possible will help ensure its survival.
If you have everything you need within
your reach, you won’t have to
keep the fish out of water any longer
than you have to.
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