Why released fish die
Greetings all,
Firstly, let me apologise (once again!) for those of you eagerly awaiting the updated life cycle story on a popular pelagic fish - it’s been one of those weeks with Skipper Meggs and his crew preparing for the upcoming Weipa trip.
I must confess, I’ve just plain run out of time to get that story finished.
We head off on Sunday night (25th May) so you can imagine things have been pretty hectic.
Never mind, today’s topic is fairly relevant to those of you who believe there is merit in releasing fish that you catch and certainly we’ll be doing a fair bit of that in Weipa next week.
So let’s take a minute to explore some of the reasons why released fish die…
Sadly, anglers trying to release fish safely to the water inadvertently cause either life threatening impacts to the fish or place it in immediate danger from predators.
So what kills released fish?
The major causes of mortality to released fish include;
· Fatal hook damage
· Barotrauma
· Excessive handling
· Over exposure to air
· Predators killing the fish upon release
· A slow death may be the result of damage to organs, stress, poisoning by hooks or infection caught by slime or scale loss
Barotrauma is common amongst reef species as their swim bladder inflates as they are raised from the depths. If released in this condition they will remain at the surface and become targets for predators.
In this case it is best to use a fine hollow needle to deflate the swim bladder before releasing or even use a weighted line to return them to the depths quickly out of harm’s way.
Not all injuries lead to death of the fish, other impacts include the loss of ability to spawn, decreased growth rates and resistance to disease.
It is worth remembering these factors the next time you try to release a fish.
Guys, there may be a delay in next week’s amidships blog due to the Weipa trip. I will have a notebook and an internet connection but I’m not sure of coverage.
Anyway, I will try and have it loaded by 6pm EST next Friday.
Until then…
Sea you later,
Skipper Meggs
www.skippermeggs.com