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Pescador
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Proper release of Billfish
I have received both negative and positive criticism for my posting that it is irresponsible to remove a billfish from the water for a picture unless
you are going to harvest the fish. The latest article from the Billfish foundation backs up, with scientific information, that it is very destructive
to remove the fish from the water for a "hero shot" and even has been declared illegal in the Atlantic Ocean area to do that. So I am a little like
the guy on the beach throwing back starfish who claims to a bystander that it was worth it for the one he just threw back. If I can get one less
billfish on the back of the boat for a picture and we get one more survivor, it will be worth all of the flack.
The article is worth a read:
http://www.billfish.org/news/keep-em-water-safe-handling-tip...
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toronja
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I am quite interested in this topic, and the article seems well written. As a scientist and fisherman, however, it is completely worthless to me, as
they don't cite any of the research they describe. News articles and summaries like this are good for getting people's attention, but are not
something to base either personal policies or regulations on - you need to go to the source material.
If you have a link to the VIMS white marlin tagging research described, please share it, or if you have contact with this organization, please
consider letting them know how important it is that they cite their sources.
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AKgringo
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Toranja is right! While I agree with the goal of not wasting bill fish, they can't just throw numbers like "2% mortality, based on thirty fish
released" without explaining how that was determined.
I have a few trophy's to reflect back on, and don't want to shut the door on someone else's moment, but I don't need any more.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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Pescador
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The Billfish Foundation has all of that and is a very valuable resource. I have seen the original study and will see if I can find the link for you.
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Pescador
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Here is Sportfishing Mag and some
sources:http://http://www.vims.edu/_docs/mid-atlantic_500K_summer_2011.pdf/blogs/top-shots/air-time-good-politicians-and-smart-phones-not-billfish
And here:
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Cappy
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BRAVO
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toronja
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Your second link did not come through. From what I can find, this data has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal yet (though correct me if I
am wrong). For anyone else interested, the graduate thesis it is based on is available here: http://web.vims.edu/library/Theses/Schlenker14.pdf
I haven't had time to thoroughly review it, but from first appearances: It it really interesting stuff, but sample sizes are extremely small (22
tagged; four fish died), and there are an enormous number of confounding factors. As one important example, the fish were on deck for 2-3.5 minutes
for blood sampling, muscle biopsy, and to attach sat tags, all of which can impact survival. The firmest conclusion drawn is that "blood sampling or
removal from the water may influence survival."
I look forward to seeing more research of this type - it's expensive and difficult, but important. That said, from this research it is totally
inappropriate to imply that 21% of marlin die if anglers remove them the water for photos compared to 2% if not. At least, I don't know many anglers
who are photographing and measuring, then blood sampling, then muscle biopsying, then sat tagging, then putting them back.
[Edited on 3-10-2015 by toronja]
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Pompano
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Folks are getting the message.
I think most serious fishermen have become or are becoming very responsible in adhering to saving any fishery. Good information like this is crucial,
as is hands-on experience.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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mtgoat666
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anyone that has pulled a few fish out of the water has probably seen that fish are easily injured out of water. seems like common sense to not remove
fish from water. of course, some people resist common sense and will obfuscate by asking for more study!
and on the flip side,... how would you feel if the fish pulled you below the surface to take a few snapshots before releasing you? you think you
would like being submerged for a few minutes?
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toronja
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There is no question that catching fish, handling them, and removing them from the water all cause stress and have some impact, every angler knows
that. From a management perspective, the question is ALWAYS "How great is the impact?" The mortality rate of keeping a fish is 100%. The mortality
rate of not fishing at all is 0%. Will people pay $$$$ to catch a marlin if they can't take the hero photo? Will they instead keep the fish if that's
the only other option? Is the number of fish dying harmful to the population? Or is the fishery sustainable and worth the amount of money going into
the local economy, conservation, and education?
Complicated questions, without black and white answers.
P.S., goat, if a shark grabbed me, held me under for a photo, then resuscitated and released me, I'd be peeed off but consider myself mighty lucky
that he wasn't hungry.
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toronja
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Seriously?! 'peeed?' What a load of burros.
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Pompano
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Photo times and no need to release.
Sometimes you can get a good photo without hooking and bringing the fish aboard. I enticed this shark up close and personal with the lure shown in
the top part of this photo.
No need to lift him out of the water...even if I was crazy enough to attempt it. We both went away happy.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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toronja
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Nice one, pomp! Agreed, you could not pay me enough to try and put a shark or marlin in our little tin boat. Here's one (big) guy I was lucky enough
to see in Hawaii a few years back.
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chavycha
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Toronja, those things are dinky compared to the whale shark we petted this morning. 
You know your boat is too small when the tail of the fish is under the transom and the dorsal is under the bow. 
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chavycha
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I don't know chit about billfish hooking/handling mortality but have read quite a bit about salmonids and hooking/handling effects. There's a fair
bit of research available on that front and it's exactly as you'd expect -- fish hooked deeply, or thrashing in the boat, or stripped of their
protective slime is going to be bad news bears.
The way I see it, it's a pretty simple continuum no matter what species you're talking about :
100% of fish which are caught and intentionally killed die (whether it be sport or commercial).
A fair percentage of deep-hooked and/or mishandled fish die when released.
A much smaller percentage of lip-hooked, properly handled fish die when released.
0% of fish that are never caught die from hooking mortality.
Now, that all being said, if we think we're "saving" the fishery through catch and release...well... hmm.
Fact is, fishing, even perfectly performed catch and release, kills fish. Every time we put a hook in the water, we're accepting that there could be
some level of incidental take. And that's the bargain that each 'ethical' fisherman has to deal with - exactly how much is too much? I certainly
look for ways to minimize my impact, but make no mistake, I acknowledge that each and every fish I hook may well die.
The 'serious' sport anglers usually are already aware of how to properly release a fish. Whether or not they perform that on a daily basis is
another question entirely, and is somewhat dependent on their knowledge of the *relative* impacts of the different methods. That's where studies like
the one above and education are key.
You see a lot of people switching to circle hooks - they've been proven in practice (as well as in peer-reviewed studies) to not hook fish as deeply
as traditional J hooks. A bleeding fish hooked deeply with a J hook is easy to observe. Same thing for rockfish handing with barotrauma.... a few
minutes to send the rockfish down on a clip prevents easy-to-see floaters.
With billfish and delayed mortality due to handling, it's not as easy to tell. However, if a thorough study documents that billfish are four (or
whatever) times more likely to die when removed from the water, most fishermen will think twice about that photo op. I know that I certainly will
think about it if I ever have the opportunity to bring one aboard.
Quote: Originally posted by Pompano  | Folks are getting the message.
I think most serious fishermen have become or are becoming very responsible in adhering to saving any fishery. Good information like this is crucial,
as is hands-on experience. |
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dtbushpilot
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I don't risk releasing them only to die anyway, I take them to the smoker 
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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Pompano
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If I'm hungry, I release the walleyes right into the pan...
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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chavycha
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I don't know of a worse fighting fish that tastes better than a walleye.
Judging by the tussle they put up, they all want to die anyway. You were just doing them a favor.
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Pescador
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Ok, let me make this a little clearer. Two fairly respected outfitters constantly bring fish aboard for a picture for their clients. I have raised
hell about this and it goes exactly nowhere. They think I am the loonie because I say that the fish should stay in the water. So first of all we
have common sense that says the protective slime and the skeletal structure of the billfish is harmed by being taken out of the water, and now, at
some level, we have some scientific research that seems to indicate that there is a significantly higher mortality rate for fish that are taken out
of the water. I have watched one of the outfitters drag the fish up on the back deck by lifting with the bill, dragging it across the back deck,
setting up with the fishermen to get into position for a photo, and someone wants to tell me the fish has a decent chance to survive that kind of
treatment. If so, I guess you can just plain justify almost anything with that logic.
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redhilltown
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Keep up the good fight Pescador. You are on the winning side of sanity.
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