Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
While at face value, catch-and-release may seem like a viable and ethical practice, but unless it’s done properly and with extreme care and concern for the well being of the fish, it can actually promote unacceptably high rates of mortality in whatever is being released.
For C&R to be all that’s it’s supposed to be, fish must be released with a strong chance for survival. That’s usually not too much of a problem for fish caught by anglers who use even just a little concern for the welfare of their catch by employing such techniques as holding or restraining fish in wet rags, using de-hooking devices, returning them quickly to the water and sometimes reviving them with a gentle forward and backward motion in the water before turning them loose to fend for themselves. It shouldn’t take a marine biologist to understand that allowing a fish to beat and bang on a hot deck or pier is not exactly going to help it survive to a ripe-old-age. With a little care and concern, most fish can be released both healthy and happy.
With all the bigeyes, bluefins and yellowfins that have rolled in through the Inlet over the last four months, I think most will concur that it’s been a pretty good season for tuna. But as any HMS Permit carrying fisherman knows, tuna come with a list of catch limits that include both creel and size restrictions. The creel limits are usually pretty easy to abide by – if you’re allowed to keep “X” amount of a certain type of tuna, once you reach that number you simply stop throwing them in the fish box. Simple! About the only way you could get in trouble would be if you can’t tell one species of tuna from another, or if you simply can’t count.
Size limits for tuna can be a little more problematic for anglers who must often make an accurate determination whether or not their catch meets either the 27-inch minimum size or if a bluefin falls above or below the 47-inch mark. At issue is getting the darn thing measured, because unlike most other fish that might be relatively easy to lift out of the water and then will quietly lay on one side to be measured, with a body that’s shaped much like a big football, a live tuna will bounce, slip and slide all over the deck of a boat and be more than a handful to quickly control and measure!
Returns from tagged fish show that tuna can indeed survive from the stress and trauma of being caught and released, but tuna are also quite susceptible to being injured thanks in part to their hyperactive nature and “fight to the end” attitude, which typically means that a released tuna is going to be exhausted as it kicks away from encounters with most fishermen.
Most anglers are probably quite accustomed to handling and safely releasing fish in the small-to-medium size and shape of sea bass, rockfish, flounder and even big bluefish. But properly dealing with a critter that possesses the strength, stamina and “slipperiness” of a 15 to 30 pound tuna can require an entirely different set of skills, tools and a personal commitment to use both to ensure a good chance of survival for the tuna that’s being released. The particular size of these fish make them too small to easily de-hook and release in the water and too big (and strong) to easily handle in the boat.
It’s always better to release a fish while it’s still in the water, but considering the regulations, anglers are sometimes forced to physically measure a tuna before they can decide whether to keep or release it. The first task is getting the tuna into the boat. If it’s not hooked deep inside the mouth it can often be lifted by the leader. But anglers should take care not to lift a tuna aboard and then abruptly drop it “hard” on the deck as this could damage the fins and/or tail or badly bruise the animal. Preferably, anglers will have some sort of a soft “landing” pad prepared for the tuna. At the very least, a large and very wet towel that the fish can be laid on and then wrapped up in to help calm and control it. A foam pad is even better.
Instead of lifting them by the leader, some anglers will actually have large landing nets on board to assist in safely boating tuna that might be released. A netted tuna can be controlled and gently deposited in the boat. Once the tuna is on board, however, it should be immediately removed from the net so that the mesh does not damage its skin, tail or fins.
Before the tuna is brought on board, cameras and a tape measure should be readied so that as soon as it’s in the boat it can be quickly de-hooked, measured, pictures taken and put back over the side without any unnecessary delay. Because tuna are pretty much “short and fat” and designed to have their weight supported by water and not hanging by their tail, anglers must avoid lifting or holding a tuna by it’s tail if it’s going to be released. The tail may be used as a handle but the body of the fish should be cradled or supported by another hand or arm.
Unlike most fish that can be gently placed in the water and “revived” until their strength comes back, and then let-go to swim away on their own power, tuna are best released by plunging them in the water headfirst and straight down off the boat. This gives them a fast “charge” of water across their gills to get their tails kicking off to safety, and hopefully a long, healthy life.
Every fish is some kind of link in the vital chain of events that keep our planet’s waters teeming with life. All fish are precious in their own way and need to be both respected and conserved. Besides their importance to the oceans ecosystem, tuna are one of the world’s most economically valuable marine resources. Through proper handling and release practices, anglers who encounter these magnificent fish can do their part to help ensure that tuna are around for many years to come.
Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and Captain of the charter boat, “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
