Biggest Catch EVER Brings Fisherman to Tears | Fishing Impossible | BBC Earth Explore

[@thinkcivil1627]

These ancient fish are disappearing at an alarming rate, and since it takes the lifetime of a human for one to grow that large, once they are gone, you have a problem. Even though it is catch and release, there is about a 30 percent mortality rate on the large fish that are released. They put up a spectacular fight, which leaves these giants exhausted, and some of these fish are being caught at least a couple of times a year by the guides who know where they are located.

[@jamiecrawford7220]

If the fisherman who catches the sturgeon performs a methodological lengthy slow strategic recuperation adjustment before releasing the sturgeon back to its origin of water it has almost a 100% survival rate at this point unequivocally..

[@thinkcivil1627]

@@jamiecrawford7220 I totally agree with you, but how many people will strictly adhere, or even be capable of performing such a release? Plus, since they are fished with bait on the bottom, the chances of a deep hook in the gills means a death sentence to that fish, no matter how educated you are on releasing fish, and that is how many of the deaths happen with catch and release. You can rehab a fish that is worn out after a long battle, but a big hook ripping the gills means that fish doesn't have a very good chance of surviving. Circle hooks have helped the mortality rate, but they are still capable of ending up where they shouldn't be. The more a fish is caught, the chances of an accident happening increases. I'm a retired outdoor writer who specialized on the Great Lakes and Lake Trout are another species that grows very slow, and the native fish, along with various sub-species are disappearing. I see the same thing happening in areas such as Isle Royale, "The Rock", and a few other smaller areas where the huge native "Red Fin" fish still exist, but it takes a lake trout 7 years before they are mature enough to spawn, and a 30 plus lb. fish is older than most of the people fishing for it. Catch and release helps, and I agree with what your intentions are, but too many people simply don't care like we do. The number of massive catfish in the southern states is another example of a large species fishery that is near the point of no return. Too many tournaments and the number of fishermen who are now told over the internet where and how to catch them is part of the problem they face. The average fisherman can come up to speed faster with regards to their ability to catch fish. But, they also have to know the correct way of releasing these fish. Plus, as the number of people fishing these giants increases, the chances of that fish getting hooked the wrong way or in the wrong area goes up. Take care.

[@hunterG60k]

@@thinkcivil1627 Thank you for taking the time to write this, it's great to see someone knowledgeable give a reasoned response. I was thinking that surely spending that much energy must seriously decrease that fish's ability to survive afterwards. That fish thought it was going to die and it gave everything it had. Now, if it actually has to fight for it's life, what chance does it have? I understand why people would do this but I don't think it's justifiable in terms of costs to the fish, given the precarious state of our ecosystems at this point ( and of course just not hurting other living beings if we can possibly help it).