The Sidney Anglers had a couple DFO officers in as guest speakers at last months meeting, and the "sweater test" got brought up. They said the sweater test isnt something theyre trained or told to use, and by their definition a barb is a 2nd point (or bump) on a hook, and that the barb must be crimped flat or filed down. The speaker went on to say that every officer has their own standards in terms of crimped barbs, and that he had heard anglers refer to a "sweater test" before, but never saw or heard of one being used. So as with many things DFO-related, the rules are enforced using various interpretations of the vague definition laid out. His recommendation was that we purchase barbless hooks to avoid any confusion.
Now if this is ultimately about losing fewer fish, Id say that investing in quality hooks and keeping them sharp will help more than a gimmick like these micro-barbed hooks!