25/07/2019
"SOMETHING FISHY!!!" 🦈CATCH-AND-RELEASE FISHING MIGHT ACTUALLY BE DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD. Well, as it turns out, their hypothesis proved to be true. The suction feeding mechanism used by many fish to suck in and secure prey is indeed hampered by injuries to the mouth caused by hooks. Fish with hook injuries are less reliable feeders, which might put their overall survival prospects at risk.
“Fishing injuries in nature are likely to depress feeding performance of fish after they have been released,” the scientists say.
While the focus of the study was on feeding performance, and the results are very clear, the actual impact on the survival of hook-injured fish was not followed. A subsequent study could shed more light on the overall impact on survivability of fish with hook injuries, but the fact that such wounds makes it significantly more difficult to eat suggests that the long-term results could be dire.
