Do catch and release regulations harm fish?
A. There will always be some mortality involved when fish are released. While catch and release regulations insure the survival of the vast majority of fish that are caught, there will always be a few losses that are unavoidable such as when a fish swallows the hook deeply or is foul hooked. Of course not every foul hooked fish will die and even some fish that are not handled correctly will make it. But, it is largely up to the angler if the fish will die. Fish caught on artificial lures or flies experience a substantially lower mortality than do fish caught on bait. That’s why bait is usually restricted on waters where regulations require release of some fish, such as “slot limit” waters. To maximize the chance of survival, the angler should play they fish as quickly as possible, keep the fish in the water as much as possible, avoid squeezing the fish, gently remove the hook and keep your fingers out of the gills, allow an exhausted fish to gain its strength before releasing, and move
