Many reef fishes targeted by anglers - like red snapper - are found at depths greater than 50 feet. Watch a red grouper with barotrauma recompress as a SeaQualizer descender device returns the fish to its original depth. “What we’re really trying to do is reduce the number of potential dead fish through education,” Oliver says. The cumulative effects from catch and release can greatly impact overall populations. The process of capturing and handling fish can result in injuries or death which presents a major conservation issue for some fisheries. While releasing fish can help conserve their populations, there is more to it than simply tossing them back in the water. “With more people moving to the coast and fishing the coastal waters, more fish are being caught and released,” says Oliver, a communication fellow with the South Atlantic Sea Grants and SAFMC. Oliver and Withers both work for the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) and are traveling along the Carolina, Georgia, and Florida coasts to talk with anglers about best catch and release fishing practices. When the fish are brought aboard, Oliver and Withers quickly dehook, measure, and release them with the aid of a descending device, a newly required piece of fishing gear in the South Atlantic - and the catalyst for their trip. They furiously reel each fish up from the depths while fighting to keep their balance on the slick, rocking deck of the Good Times. Credit Sea Grant/SAFMCĪ few hours later and twenty miles offshore, Oliver and Withers are hooked up on a couple of large red snapper. Oliver (left) prepares to release a red snapper with a descending device.
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