In my opinion, yes. When chinook numbers are so low and dwindling, I feel it's best to stop when I've kept my legal limit. Also, on the U.S. side of the border, it is illegal (to reduce mortality on fish not kept).
Catch n release
- Thread starter Matthias
- Start date
It’s funny when everyone from QCL and other lodges is done holding the spring and tosssing it around in the boat they release it. What is the mortality on that fish after being out of the water for 5/10 minutes.
IMO these guides and guest should be charged with fish molestation. Lots of people have been charged with less....
IMO these guides and guest should be charged with fish molestation. Lots of people have been charged with less....
fish brain
Crew Member
I actually thought it was illegal to continue fishing after your card was full. How does DFO respond when they approach you and you have a tub full of fish and are still fishing?
If fishing is really hot and I want to prolong it, I will continue to release fish until I either get a bleeder, or one that is just too good to put back. It has happened more than once that that last spot on the card doesn't get filled, cuz the bite died off after that last keeper was released.
If fishing is really hot and I want to prolong it, I will continue to release fish until I either get a bleeder, or one that is just too good to put back. It has happened more than once that that last spot on the card doesn't get filled, cuz the bite died off after that last keeper was released.
All your bad experiences and examples for botched C&R are a result of bad practices in handling hooked fish. If you practice C&R you better switch to single hook to begin with, learn how to unhook a fish outside your boat without touching. And even if you must have a trophy shot you can do this with high chance of survival by using a C&R friendly net, net the fish and keep it in the water outside your boat, have your camera man ready with the camera, carefully with wet hands grab the fish out of the net supporting the fish on tail and belly, lift up and in the camera and 5 sec later back in the water. Any salmon will survive that fine.
The bad reputation of C&R stems from crappy knotted nets, fish being thrown on the boat floor and left flopping around, stepping on it while yanking out trebles and stingers, grabbing them with dry hand either just by the tail or in the gills and lifting with point load, holding the fish while buddy looks for the camera, probably dropping the fish at least once before picture finally taken....
Do it right and no problem. We better get good with this because the days of meat fishing will be over soon and if you want to continue enjoying your hobby you better learn the sport in fishing!
The bad reputation of C&R stems from crappy knotted nets, fish being thrown on the boat floor and left flopping around, stepping on it while yanking out trebles and stingers, grabbing them with dry hand either just by the tail or in the gills and lifting with point load, holding the fish while buddy looks for the camera, probably dropping the fish at least once before picture finally taken....
Do it right and no problem. We better get good with this because the days of meat fishing will be over soon and if you want to continue enjoying your hobby you better learn the sport in fishing!
BCTony
Active Member
In comparison to freshwater fishing in Europe today catch and release practices, methods and associated equipment for saltwater angling and salmon in particular are back in the dark ages. Fifty years ago practices in Europe were similar to that seen in salmon angling today. Fish were crudely netted (even gaffed) handled roughly with dry hands, allowed to flap about on hard banks, kept out of the water for long periods and then people were surprised when a high percentage of returned fish died. At least people tried to return fish which was a step forward from when every fish was bonked!
These days all fish of all sizes are pampered with landing nets of fish friendly material with fish when landed laid on soft, wet unhooking mats or cradles, carefully unhooked, weighed and photographed. The use of special antiseptic to apply to hook damage in the lips is almost common practice. Some fish live for years through repeated captures. Some specimen carp are known to be 50 years plus. In fact sometimes the joy of catching a known whacker is tempered by the fear that the fish may die of natural causes shortly after your capture – and the care of your handling brought into question. Believe me nobody wants a known 'target fish' to die on them - it happens and the lynch mobs gather!
Landing fish into a boat is a more hostile environment and difficult. And it seems that salmon are not as hardy as some other species in this respect. I am not pretending that I have all or any of the answers but I believe present practices for catch and release can be improved. Unhooking at the side of the boat is not always that easy and at times can be dangerous and with a trophy fish it is not as satisfying as being able to weigh or measure the fish accurately and perhaps grab a photo memento.
As I have said in a previous post, if catch and release of salmon, and not necessarily just Chinook, was banned I would not continue with boat ownership. To travel all the way from Vancouver to Thrasher for example and then have a double header in the first 30 minutes and you’re done - forget it!
If catch and release is unethical then I think that the whole question of recreational fishing becomes ethically questionable. It is not countered by the argument of ‘fishing for meat’ is OK since anyone who owns a boat soon realises that the salmon brought home for the table is very expensive meat indeed. It is much cheaper to go to the supermarket. We all fish because we love the sport and/or art of fishing.
These days all fish of all sizes are pampered with landing nets of fish friendly material with fish when landed laid on soft, wet unhooking mats or cradles, carefully unhooked, weighed and photographed. The use of special antiseptic to apply to hook damage in the lips is almost common practice. Some fish live for years through repeated captures. Some specimen carp are known to be 50 years plus. In fact sometimes the joy of catching a known whacker is tempered by the fear that the fish may die of natural causes shortly after your capture – and the care of your handling brought into question. Believe me nobody wants a known 'target fish' to die on them - it happens and the lynch mobs gather!
Landing fish into a boat is a more hostile environment and difficult. And it seems that salmon are not as hardy as some other species in this respect. I am not pretending that I have all or any of the answers but I believe present practices for catch and release can be improved. Unhooking at the side of the boat is not always that easy and at times can be dangerous and with a trophy fish it is not as satisfying as being able to weigh or measure the fish accurately and perhaps grab a photo memento.
As I have said in a previous post, if catch and release of salmon, and not necessarily just Chinook, was banned I would not continue with boat ownership. To travel all the way from Vancouver to Thrasher for example and then have a double header in the first 30 minutes and you’re done - forget it!
If catch and release is unethical then I think that the whole question of recreational fishing becomes ethically questionable. It is not countered by the argument of ‘fishing for meat’ is OK since anyone who owns a boat soon realises that the salmon brought home for the table is very expensive meat indeed. It is much cheaper to go to the supermarket. We all fish because we love the sport and/or art of fishing.
Prairie Locked
Well-Known Member
Here’s a question to ponder.
I’m heading to Esperanza for a week of fishing. If I limited out on the big three (halibut, ling and springs) two consecutive days to my maximum possession limit on the first and second day of fishing, I should quit fishing and not wet a line for the next 5 days?
After investing thousands of dollars into the local economy, I’ve now wasted the remaining 70+% of my trip?
Or, alternatively, I practice proper catch and release techniques by not handling or netting fish, use proper barbless hooks, no photo op’s, etc and enjoy my opportunity to recreationally fish for the remainder of my trip? Keeping in mind, I’m being respectful of the resource and doing everything within my power to decrease morbidity and mortality?
I’m heading to Esperanza for a week of fishing. If I limited out on the big three (halibut, ling and springs) two consecutive days to my maximum possession limit on the first and second day of fishing, I should quit fishing and not wet a line for the next 5 days?
After investing thousands of dollars into the local economy, I’ve now wasted the remaining 70+% of my trip?
Or, alternatively, I practice proper catch and release techniques by not handling or netting fish, use proper barbless hooks, no photo op’s, etc and enjoy my opportunity to recreationally fish for the remainder of my trip? Keeping in mind, I’m being respectful of the resource and doing everything within my power to decrease morbidity and mortality?
Aces
Well-Known Member
If it's C&R you enjoy, let them all go until you've had enough then kill a couple.
How about you don't kill your limit so fast? Maybe just keep any mortally hooked fish, that's the ethical way. I've never understood going on a longer trip than 4 days personally.
Aces
Well-Known Member
As I have said in a previous post, if catch and release of salmon, and not necessarily just Chinook, was banned I would not continue with boat ownership. To travel all the way from Vancouver to Thrasher for example and then have a double header in the first 30 minutes and you’re done - forget it!
Maybe release one of those fish on that said double header? Then you can keep fishing ethically
Prairie Locked
Well-Known Member
I can understand not doing a trip of more than 4 days, but when you’re travelling 3,000 Km’s, it’s not really worth such a short trip.
Regardless of how you skin the cat, the number of fish you’re catching remains the same. And, what if none of you’re catch are mortally wounded?
Salmon C&R in freshwater have a lower survival rate than those caught in saltwater.
Aces
Well-Known Member
I have handled well over 10,000 Chinooks in my career as well as lots of Halibut and Ling Cod and i can guarantee you will have mortally wounded fish
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
Personally I would rather have people leave room 1 chinook and play catch and release and high grade/keep the next injured fish. Then finish salmon fishing in 45 mins then go hit bottom fish for the 7 next hours.
I think decisions around the ethics of catch and release are highly personal. I have spent a bit of time reading the post release mortality literature and it seems pretty clear that the biggest issue is hooking injury. This is not to say that other aspects of handling don't matter, but if a fish is bleeding it will die, and a proportion of fish hooked on any gear will be bleeders. Personally, needing to release a mortally hooked fish ruins my day, in the rare cases when fishing is good enough, I will therefore only keep fishing if there is at least one spot open in the bag limit for a bleeder. Sometimes I have also self imposed wild fish release when winter spring fishing is good enough.
BCTony
Active Member
As I have said in previous posts I would prefer to continue to do what I do now - and release both fish.
SpringFever552
Well-Known Member
I heard a guide in the valley here went to court just last yr? after being charged by dfo for this ..he said they were fishing for pacific cod and beat the charge
Che
Active Member
The risk of harm to fish from C&R doesn't change based on the number of fish already in the boat. If C&R'ing fish, some of them just are not going to survive the release. That's the reality here.
Hook a small fish that can't pop the downrigger, drag it around for half an hour before a line check; the fish is essentially dead. Hook a wild coho in an area with no wild coho retention, you can't keep it, know it's going to die, so it floats away on it's side gasping for its last breath. Does having zero, one, two, three, or even fifty fish on the deck change any of that? No.
Take this slot limit; one over 67 one under, but minimum 62cm. So you get a 62-66cm then C&R 62-66cm fish until a 67+cm fish comes along? Once it does, you can no longer C&R anymore? Because you might hurt those fish? But all the fish before that 67+ came along we're okay? That doesn't make any sense.
This is more about coveting another man's fish than it is about 'ethics.' Don't try fool yourselves in to some kind of moral high ground here.
Hook a small fish that can't pop the downrigger, drag it around for half an hour before a line check; the fish is essentially dead. Hook a wild coho in an area with no wild coho retention, you can't keep it, know it's going to die, so it floats away on it's side gasping for its last breath. Does having zero, one, two, three, or even fifty fish on the deck change any of that? No.
Take this slot limit; one over 67 one under, but minimum 62cm. So you get a 62-66cm then C&R 62-66cm fish until a 67+cm fish comes along? Once it does, you can no longer C&R anymore? Because you might hurt those fish? But all the fish before that 67+ came along we're okay? That doesn't make any sense.
This is more about coveting another man's fish than it is about 'ethics.' Don't try fool yourselves in to some kind of moral high ground here.
Reel Time
Well-Known Member
I say catch and release them boat side please. Dont bring them into the boat. Know of a couple newbies that bragged about limiting out and kept fishing// then caught a big fish, brought it into the boat, put it on a scale - BIG NO NO - dropped it, and then turffed a smaller fish to keep the big one....ugh. OK, this story never sat well with me, never will. To date, most abusive and wasteful story Ive heard. Sooooo, dont do that.
ILHG
Crew Member
I'm going for a 2 week trip..... I plan on releasing many, many fish.... Why am I going on more than a 4 day trip,,,,, because I love fishing!! That's easy for some one to claim when they live on the water & fish when ever you like.
advTHXance
Well-Known Member
Once my guests are tubbed on chinook, thats it. We can go bottomfishing, sightseeing, whalewatching, but thats it for salmon for the day! Ill let them know when theyre close to their limit that they might want to shake off a few smaller fish before bonking the next one, but most guests are happy with a 15-20#er. If its a bleeder, its a keeper. I leave them in the water and pop them off with the gaff. If its a 30+, I encourage them to release it, but I also tell them that its their fish and theyre entitled to do with it as they wish. Most people understand why we release the big ones and are happy enough getting their tyee pin. All of our boats carry C+R nets, no kill nets!
One thing that I make a conscious effort to avoid is using the word "need" when talking about fish limits. Nobody NEEDS a full tub of chinook, you dont NEED a turkey, and you certainly dont NEED 4 lingcods. So when my guests arrive at the boat in the morning and say "OK, today we need 4 chinooks and 1 turkey" Im quick to let them know that we dont NEED any of those fish at all, but it would be nice to catch them.
One thing that I make a conscious effort to avoid is using the word "need" when talking about fish limits. Nobody NEEDS a full tub of chinook, you dont NEED a turkey, and you certainly dont NEED 4 lingcods. So when my guests arrive at the boat in the morning and say "OK, today we need 4 chinooks and 1 turkey" Im quick to let them know that we dont NEED any of those fish at all, but it would be nice to catch them.
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