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Florida Fish Busters Bulletin

February 2013

Angling Ethics and Common Sense

By Bob Wattendorf

Angling ethics is really a matter of common

sense and courtesy. However, since it contributes to

every anglers safety, success and enjoyment today,

and to the future of our sport, it should be of true

concern to everyone who casts a lure or wets a bait.

Conservation agencies, such as your Florida

Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC),

fishing guides, tourism destinations, marinas, tackle

shops, anglers and boaters all play roles in making

fishing more fun and satisfying for everyone on the water. They share an abiding

love for aquatic resources and the conservation stewardship ethic that helps keep

our natural resources pristine.

This checklist of ethical angling practices provides a starting point to make

fishing more enjoyable, safe and sustainable for everyone, including future

generations.

An ethical angler:

Promotes, through example and mentoring, an ethical use of aquaticresources.

nglers learn early to enjoy, respect

and value our fisheries resources.

Photo courtesy of Under the BridgeProductions.

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Values and respects the aquatic environment and all living things. Treatsother anglers, boaters and property owners with courtesy and respect,

including removing boat trailers promptly from active launching areas,

watching wakes around other boaters, and providing adequate fishing space

to anglers already on the fishing spot.

Avoids spilling and never dumps pollutants, such as gas or oil. Appropriatelydisposes of trash, includingworn lines, leaders and hooks. Recycles whenever

possible and keeps fishing sites litter-free.

Purchases required fishing licenses and permits. If you are exempt, you maystill purchase a license to contribute directly to conservation. All fishing

license dollars go to the FWC and bring in matching federal funds to

Florida for Sport Fish Restoration (SeeMyFWC.com/License.)

Learns and obeys angling and boating regulations and can identify local fish

to adhere to the rules.

Keeps no more fish than needed for consumption, and never wastefullydiscards fish, while complying with the law. Carefully handles and releases

alive all fish that are unwanted or illegal to keep. Uses tackle and techniques

that minimize harm to fish when catch-and-release angling is required (see

below for details).

Takes precautionary measures to prevent the spread of exotic plants andanimals and does not use diseased or nonnative baits.

http://fishinglinerecycling.org/http://fishinglinerecycling.org/http://fishinglinerecycling.org/http://myfwc.com/licensehttp://myfwc.com/licensehttp://myfwc.com/licensehttp://myfwc.com/licensehttp://fishinglinerecycling.org/

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Participates in conservation efforts such as river cleanups, vegetationtransplanting, tagging studies and creel surveys.

Practices safe angling and boating by following the laws and using common-sense practices to prevent injury to himself, others or property.

Protects the environment from damage caused by careless boat operation,including prop-scouring of vegetation, wake damage to shorelines, power-

loading problems at ramps, anchoring on reefs and striking animals such as

manatees or sturgeons.

Conserves energy and water on a daily basis, knowing it affects local fish andwildlife.

Practicing catch and release,

especially of larger bass, is one of the

biggest contributions anglers can make

toward the future of Floridas bass fishing,

says Tom Champeau, director of the

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Commissions Division of Freshwater

Fisheries Management. Even though its the right thing to do, its always nice to

have an extra incentive. Hence theTrophyCatchprogram, which rewards anglers

for letting their trophy continue to swim in Florida, with prizes donated by the

fishing industry. Just registering online enrolls anglers into a drawing for a Phoenix

bass boat powered by Mercury.

Gently releasing a big bass is reward in itselfbut

TrophyCatch sweetens the pot with prizes from Bass

Pro Shops, Rapala, Dicks Sporting Goods and

other partners.

http://www.trophycatchflorida.com/http://www.trophycatchflorida.com/http://www.trophycatchflorida.com/http://www.trophycatchflorida.com/

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Fortunately, this ethic has spread rapidly throughout the Sunshine States

freshwater angling fraternity in recent years. All organized tournament

participants now take particular pride in releasing every bass following weigh-ins,

while a substantial number of recreational fishermen are doing the same

immediately after landing a fish. In effect, these fish are being recycled, since it

often takes eight to 10 years to produce a trophy bass, and, because it takes so long,

its likely they have been caught many times before, said Champeau.

The way theyre handled by anglers will determine if they'll live to reach the

larger sizes that people prefer to catch.

By using care, common sense and proper techniques, released largemouth

bass have an excellent chance of survival.

Bass caught on live baits or artificial worms often

swallow a hook, thus reducing their chances for

survival. To offset this circumstance, FWC biologists

recommend setting the hook immediately after a strike,

which may mean losing an occasional fish but

drastically increasing its survival rate. Land the fish as

quickly as possible; dont make it work to exhausation

by playing it too long.

Barbless hooks contribute to easier and quicker

releases. If you dont have a barbless hook, simply pinch down the barbs on regular

hooks with fishing pliers. By keeping tension on a line while playing a fish, its less

Keeping a bass in the water asmuch as possible and only holding

it by the lower jaw helps them to

survive release.

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likely that youll lose any during a battle. Keep in mind that smaller hooks do less

harm than larger ones, single hooks are better than trebles, and circle hooks are

best of all.

FWC further suggests not using

rough or knotted landing nets that cause

abrasions as a fish thrashes about and

scrapes its mucus, that slimy coating that

serves as a primary defense against

disease. Once this mucus barrier is

broken, bacterial and fungal infections can

develop that later cause mortality, even if the fish appears to swim away unharmed.

If you must use a net, get one with a soft, smooth mesh.

When releasing bass, be gentle, grip them only by the lower jaw, if possible,

and try to keep them in the water when removing a hook.

Dont drop or throw a fish back, advises Champeau. Instead, lower it

gently into the water where it can swim away on its own after being revived.

If a fish is taken from the water to measure or photograph, avoid touching its

eyes and gills. Also be careful to support the weight of a large fish with your other

hand, if you must lift it out of the water, but dont bend the jaw downward. One of

the most crucial rules is to avoid keeping the fish out of water for more than 30

seconds at a time (approximately as long as you can hold your own breath). So have

your camera, scales and measuring tape ready to go.

Lower a bass gently into the water and if necessary

move it forward gently in a circular or figure 8

attern to help revive it.

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You can also place the fish back in a live well or dip it back over the side to

let it breathe if you need to reset for another photo. The live well should be aerated,

at nearly the same temperature as the lake water and, if desired, you can use 0.5

percent salt in a live well to stimulate slime production (0.5 pounds unionized salt

per 10 gallons of water). Never place fish in chlorinated tap water.

Such tools as commercial de-hookers, long-nose pliers and surgical

hemostats greatly minimize damage and stress during hook removal operations. If a

fish is hooked so deeply that removal will cause damage, its best to simply cut the

line and leave the hook undisturbed, as the fishs digestive juices will eventually

erode the hook.

Lets keep fishing great in Florida by recycling our catches. Also, let the FWC

help you to boast about your catch by sharing photos and claiming your rewards at

TrophyCatchFlorida.com.

Instant licenses are available atMyFWC.com/Licenseor by calling 888-FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356).

Report violators by calling 888-404-3922, *FWC or #FWC on your cell phone, or texting to

Tip@MyFWC.com. VisitMyFWC.com/Fishingand select more news, or scr.bi/Fish-bustersfor more

Fish Busters Bulletins. To subscribe to FWC columns or to receive news releases, visit

myfwc.com/Contact.

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