Stream side by Casey Ressler

Catch-and-release fishing is debated

Recently, I got into a spirited discussion with another person about catch and release fishing. For serious anglers, that debate is like politics and religion -- nobody is right, nobody is wrong, and nobody is changing positions.

My position is simple -- I want my daughter to some day be able to enjoy Alaska's resources much like I do today. That's why I practice catch and release fishing, plain and simple. I want the next generation of Alaskans to enjoy the same opportunities streamside that I do, and if we take all of those resources now, there won't be any left.

Let me preface my side by saying that my freezer is full of salmon and halibut. When salmon fishing, for the most part, if I limit out -- and my fishing buddies would laugh at that statement -- those fish are going in my freezer or in the smoker. But by the same token, if I catch a couple of salmon and I know I'm not going to eat them, they go back in the river.

My position on catch-and-release fishing isn't an indictment on those who don't believe in what I do, either. I've got friends who keep everything they catch, legally, and I'm totally fine with that. I'm not pushing my views on anyone.

Is that a double standard? I guess you could say it is. For any other species, however, I strictly practice catch-and-release.

The other side of the argument is about mortality rates of released fish. Is a released rainbow trout going to die because of my actions? Undoubtedly, that's the case with some fish. That's the law of nature. But if you are keeping everything you catch, the mortality rate is 100 percent. If you are releasing your fish, that mortality rate drops exponentially.

Mortality rates increase dramatically if people are reckless, and that is the thing that bothers me the most. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a rainbow trout drug up on the bank and stepped on while an angler takes out the hook. After a minute or two, it's then held up for a round of photographs, then tossed back into the river. That fish is going to die, and releasing it isn't helping anything.

Not only is that unethical, it's illegal.

While there is a debate over the merits of catch-and-release fishing, I think the bigger picture should be looked at -- and that is of angling ethics.

Countless times this summer I've personally witnessed numerous violations -- fishing with bait when it's disallowed, taking overlimits of fish, fishing in closed waters and keeping snagged fish and similar acts.

Those types of things will kill our resources faster than any inadvertent death from catch-and-release fishing.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor.