Why not have a no cull rule to keep tournament anglers from culling fish?
A no cull rule would help prevent anglers from overly handling or mishandling fish. However, such a rule is difficult to enforce. Several culling strategies are available for anglers and these tools reduce handling stress to the fish. In our Tips for Tidal Black Bass Anglers in Maryland, we suggest a couple of culling strategies that appear to be less invasive and harmful to fish. One of these strategies involves tightly clipping cull balls to the mouth, rather than piercing the flesh. We generally recommend that tournament directors adopt a safe culling strategy for their anglers so that anglers use the best techniques possible.
