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Responsible Release
Story and photos by CAPTAIN DOUGLAS COVIN
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Conservation is not simply "Catch and Release"
The sport fishing industry has realized the importance of “catch and release” as a
means of conservation and the sight of dead fish on the dock is becoming a
rarity. There seems, however, to be a hypocritical attitude toward this
method. Simply because a billfish is not brought to the dock does not mean
it has been released alive. I’ve had many rum drinks with great fishermen who told me
of how they released multiple marlin. The harsh reality is that most or all
of the fish they released are now crab food. A marlin cannot survive a J-hook rigged
mackerel dropped in its throat and then snagged in its gills, nor can one last with
its mouth clamped shut by two hooks. Even with a circle hook, a fish cannot survive
while trailing a length of heavy monofilament line behind it after being
“released.”
I use circle hooks as much as possible, and retrieve all
my hook-sets when catching fish on lures, in order to do my
part to help release responsibly. Like many others before me, I realized
that my hook-up percentage actually increased when fishing with circle
hooks. It landed me second place in the 2006 Bahamas White Marlin tournament
even though I was fishing against some famous white marlin fishermen. Weeks
later, we watched the release footage from that tournament and were disappointed
by the sight. The footage showed us releasing a blue marlin around 300
pounds that was caught on a 30-pound outfit. Everything went perfect at
first. The fish stayed on the surface and put on quite
a show. The angler was in knee deep water in the pit as we chased the fish
backward. The mate yelled “release” as the wind-on came through the first
guide. It had been less than 15 minutes since we first hooked up. More than an
hour later, the fish slowly sank away. With no neon left in its fins and barely
paddling its massive tail, its survival was in question. Yes, it
was caught with a circle hook, but this fish was not bleeding or
suffocating, it was just tired as it should be after a battle that lasted
well over an hour. The real dilemma was that we had the release within 15
minutes, but couldn’t get the required digital imagery for another hour.
Without the advantage of having an observer on board, many tournaments
require the fish to be captured with a digital image for a legitimate
release. It was an overcast day, and with the light line and leader we
couldn’t get the fish to break the surface. What else could I have done to
help release that fish in better condition?
The digital imagery requirement is a good idea, but needs to
be fine tuned. If you kill a fish, all you need to do is show up with the
dead carcass. Yet, a release in many tournaments consists of digital
imagery that includes the mate holding up a certain number of fingers, or
the colored ribbons for the specific day, or numbered cards, or some other
silly way to prove the catch other than a time and date stamp. I’ve got a
computer disc loaded with pictures of jumping marlin that would have been
cover shot quality if not for the mate’s fingers shoved in front of the
camera to show a release number. With the amount of money thrown around
in big game tournaments today, there has to be a way to keep us honest. I
commend all the tournament
directors who are slowly making the shift to all release formats, but as
was the case with that exhausted blue, we need to release responsibly.
The crews and anglers, as well as the tournament directors, are responsible
for the lives of the fish we catch. Nearly all marlin tournaments in the
Caribbean put restrictions on the size line test permitted. This might be
the most overlooked cause of billfish mortality today. With heavier line, a
fish can be released faster, in better health, and there is less
chance the line will break and leave the fish trailing
a length of mono which will drag it to the bottom. Why not always use of
the heaviest tackle available? The answer lies with the tournament
directors. The famed North Drop of St. Thomas is perhaps some of the best
blue marlin fishing in the world. It also has
some of the most aggressive sharks. It’s a shame how many blue marlin are
eaten by sharks there every year. The tournaments held in St. Thomas brag
of being all release, but many who have fished there have stories
of marlin eaten by sharks. It is mind boggling that
those tournaments still have 50-pound line restrictions.
To date, I have never heard of a tournament that requires the crews to
retrieve their hooks from a fish, and only one tournament circuit that
requires the leader to be cut close to the hook. Only a handful of
tournaments do not put restrictions on line test. Do
the tournament directors really believe that attendance to their
tournaments would drop drastically if
they implemented some new restrictions that would help the survival rate of
released fish? It seems as though the tournaments that have gone to all
circle hooks are more popular than ever. Maybe a change in the current
IGFA rules is in order?
Releasing billfish is a concept that’s less than a generation old. I am
sure that there won’t be a shift back to the times of piling dead marlin on
the dock, but we’re definitely still in a transitional stage. We need to
figure out the proper way to compete fairly while releasing responsibly and not
hurting the species and endangering the future of the sport.
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