Ethical question: Does anyone weigh live Salmon on a scale then release

[Reel Time]

1) I have never done this - personally dont think its right if fish is to be released

Recently was told on my last trip by some fellow guests (non-guided) that they were taking salmon inside the boat and weighing them on scale. They weighed one over 30 pounds....

I cant imagine this being a reasonable way to record a fish weight. I felt inclined to say something but was enjoying my trip and didnt need an argument.

Anyone have opinions on this, can it be done without harm? Maybe a scale that can cradle a fish and not hook hang?

 

[bigdogg1]

Agree - why do it! Ego-driven decision making

 

[tyeeking]

IMHO it is an unethical practice. Numerous studies have shown that the more salmon are handled the less likely they are to survive after being released. Weighing a fish requires quite a bit of handling (and who knows how many fall of the scale onto the boat's floor) meaning that survival after being released is going to be less likely than if the fish was simply released alongside the boat.

Better to not weigh a fish that is going to be released and then simply enjoy estimating its weight at more than it actually was. Personally I've released lots of "Tyees" ;-)

 

[agentaqua]

easy enough to grab a quick length - even alongside the boat. reasonably accurate way w/o stressing the fish...

 

[S Almon]

My fish are at least 5lbs heavier without a scale!

 

[SpringVelocity]

Kind of like the guys that put a rope around a big oversized hali by tail, haul it in boat and take a picture.

 

[Aces]

I would lose my **** if i saw someone doing that

 

[casper5280]

If you have to measure it or weigh it, it doesn't come on my boat. Like Fishtofino said I too would lose it.

 

[Che]

I'm sure someone could rig up a soft meshed cradle with a scale of some sort. That would work.

But putting the big hook through the gills then hoisting up the fish and high fiving everyone on deck while taking selfies? Yeah no.

 

[walleyes]

I carry a fish cradle with at all times in my boat fishing all species. They have a very soft mesh and hold the fish still I have attached a sling to the top handles for just that to hook the scale into. Done right you don't even have to lift them out of the water very far and it's a very effective way to take a hook off while in the water still. I use it on lake trout, large 20+ pound Pike, Salmon, very handy tool to have, very gentle on the fish.

 

[17 ft sea ranger]

as soon as they are weighed you are stuck to that weight......they can't grow heavier later in the evening when the pops start flowing, and as time goes by.....

Release.....then agree on a weight!

 

[Rockfish]

Some weigh or measure very large salmon in the net beside the boat before releasing it and some tail it with a glove. I even have some vague memory about a Derby where they were held in a net beside the boat until a Derby boat would come over and weight/ measure it. There has been posts on this forum from guys who have weighed a really large trophy class Chinook in the net that they were legally entitled to bonk and then released it. I would think most of these fish survive the experience. In some circumstances the weigh or measure and release method could be considered an act of conservation, considering the alternative could be to bonk it and throw it in the freezer or mount it on the wall. If one was going to be weighing or measuring a lot of big Chinook perhaps a cradle would an alternative to a standard landing net (even the soft ones) or get a glove and learn to tail the big fish.

It does get questionable if the salmon is one you are not allowed to keep such as one that is obviously way over slot or a non retention species. If its close some use two stick with a tuna cord to measure for slot beside the boat, which is easier with Halibut than Salmon.

I guess to me it comes down to what is best for the species gene pool when it comes to large Chinook, being weighed/measured and photoed, or being killed and mounted on the wall. I have heard that some lodges have given their clients a high quality reel in exchange for agreeing to a picture and releasing exceptionally large salmon to protect those large salmon genes.

I have fished for Dinos in the Fraser and the guides hall them in, measure them, check their tag identifier and tag them if they don't have one. Then its time for a picture before they are released. The records are extensive and some have been tracked over the years as they grow and are re-caught.

 

[The Jackel]

I don't even net a fish i am going to release, just get it by the boat if it is lipped hooked as it is 99% of the time i use a gaff to unhook it or just cut the line, there is no need to handle a fish you are releasing

 

[ericl]

In most WA marine area's it's illegal to remove a salmon being released from the water with good reason. They should be released as quickly as possible like Jackel says.

 

[Rockfish]

In most WA marine area's it's illegal to remove a salmon being released from the water with good reason. They should be released as quickly as possible like Jackel says.

I get that, but there are situations where the choice may be convincing some lodge client to take a picture and release a 50 lber or bonk it and remove those genes from the pool. Even locally I know of some who have taken a large Chinook and decided to release it, because it is bigger than they really need for the freezer and decide to weigh it and take a quick picture to document the accomplishment. They may also be thinking that they would like to see that large Chinook spawn. If we are going to get up on our high horse and criticize those individuals for their acts of conservation, the results could well be less of those acts of conservation.

Eric -- as I have always understood it, but could be wrong, in Washington you cannot bring salmon over the gunnel into the boat if they must be released such as say unclipped salmon or salmon species that are closed to retention, not that I have ever fished salmon in Washington. Are you saying that you cannot bring a salmon in and take a picture of it in Washington State, that you are entitled to keep and chose to release voluntarily if it is in great shape (not gill bleeding etc)?

Most of the fishers I know can handle live fish well and know how to revive them. Personally I think we should be encouraging this behavior. Perhaps slightly less good than releasing it in the water, but far better than bonking it.

I do agree that far to many salmon get netted, especially the small ones or those closed to retention that will need to be released. I have the impression that a lot of this is done by newbies and guys who don't fish much. I think some of them are so excited they finally caught a fish that they want to get it in, hope its legal and then work out the regs. Take the time to examine them beside the boat and decide if you are allowed to keep it.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Do we think it is Ok to take an oversized halibut by the tail and talk a photo then release it? I know most are going to say No.

Wouldn't same logic apply here?? Just asking the question. Remember we are under microscope now.

 

[Rockfish]

Do we think it is Ok to take an oversized halibut by the tail and talk a photo then release it? I know most are going to say No.

Wouldn't same logic apply here?? Just asking the question. Remember we are under microscope now.

To me the same logic does not apply and we measure large halibut beside the boat and you can take a picture of it there if you are going to release it. They are very different species, a large salmon can be handled safely and released but there are some very interesting videos of guys making the mistake of bring a very large halibut into the boat that has not been subdued/hog tied, including a smashed up boat and broken bones.

It is easy to take the moral high ground here and say that all salmon should be released in the water but I am not convinced that is always good for conservation where the release of that salmon is voluntary.

 

[SpringVelocity]

To me the same logic does not apply and we measure large halibut beside the boat and you can take a picture of it there if you are going to release it. They are very different species, a large salmon can be handle safely and released but there are some very interesting videos of guys making the mistake of bring a large halibut into the boat that has not been subdued/hog tied, including a smashed up boat and broken bones.

It is easy to take the moral high ground here and say that all salmon should be released in the water but I am not convinced that is good for conservation where the release of that salmon is voluntary.

Fair enough buy we are talking about weighing it here not just releasing it. I think weighing a salmon your not keeping is a ****** practice, and it goes in same line is halibut hog tieing over the deck.

 

[Peahead]

So then are all the participants in the Van Classic Chinook C&R derby including the organizers, the many sponsors , those that benefit from the donations (which would include the PSF ) all be considered to be involved with a derby that performs unethical practices? You might even add that because you can win big $ you might lower your ethical standard? I personally believe one can land a Chinook in a 'friendlier' net ( or cradle) and have and experienced person do a girth /length measure....and release a fish with very good chance of survival. Then I look at the derby benefits vs the possibility of mortality. --- The cradle idea I think would be the next step for this derby, personally.

 

[SpringVelocity]

So then are all the participants in the Van Classic Chinook C&R derby including the organizers, the many sponsors , those that benefit from the donations (which would include the PSF ) all be considered to be involved with a derby that performs unethical practices? You might even add that because you can win big $ you might lower your ethical standard? I personally believe one can land a Chinook in a 'friendlier' net ( or cradle) and have and experienced person do a girth /length measure....and release a fish with very good chance of survival. Then I look at the derby benefits vs the possibility of mortality. --- The cradle idea I think would be the next step for this derby, personally.

That is not what were getting at. Taking a fish and hooking it on scale vertically so not good practice at all. No one from a derby is going to agree with that. That was sort of the original post question.