Canadian Association of Smallmouth Anglers

FULL CIRCLE

Catch & Release VS Selective Harvest

It seems that anglers have traveled a rather circuitous route in Nova Scotia, specifically with regards to the practice of catch and release. The continued value of total reliance on this practice is at the forefront of discussions in the angling community. The discussions can be split into two main points; a) is it necessarily a continuing management tool; or, b) can it be gauged as simply an ethical issue. To a greater or lesser degree both points appear to be correct.

One thing appears certain - whatever the species - trout, bass, pickerel, salmon, perch - all have an economic value; all have a recreational value. The ability to enjoy the recreational potential of your species of choice should be available to all anglers. The continuation of successful fisheries management practices will allow us to reach this potential. If there are any stumbling blocks, it is the possible lack of respect for the species you do not fish and the callous disregard for the provinces fisheries, and anglers, by those selfish, uninformed few that illegally introduce fish into waters where their presence can be devastating to indigenous fish population.

One wouldn't think there would be much argument that the organized growth of smallmouth bass angling in the province was the impetus for the volunteer effort of catch and release. There is no doubt it was needed - nor that it became an accepted part of species management.

Historically, smallmouth bass were under-utilized and certainly under-appreciated in Nova Scotia. Regulations governing the species were often as an afterthought with no specific consideration into the needs of this introduced "exotic". As a result, bag/possession limits were high - sometimes higher than the protection offered species that were considered more "valuable"; species like trout and salmon. To the detriment of the fishery, SMB were considered by some to be trash fish - and probably there continues to be a very small minority that still considers them so - this led to anglers (hardly classifiable as sportsmen) accidentally hooking bass and then discarding them in the bushes rather than returning them to the lake.

As more and more anglers focused on the SMB fishery, catch and release became the mantra by which the species - and even the angler - was judged. The practice was so successful that fisheries professionals estimated that in excess of 85% of all smallmouth bass caught in the province were returned to the lake. When the province brought in Tournament/Derby regulations, catch and release became a mandatory condition of a licensed tournament.

Catch and release was, for many anglers, part of their first introduction to the bass fishery. It was one component of a very limited arsenal of management tools available. The use of the term limited is deliberate. At that time, fifteen years ago, every proposed change in species management by Inland Fisheries in Nova Scotia had to have the seal of approval from DFO. Trout were in an enviable position because both the provincial and federal governments had earlier signed a separate management sub-agreement. This agreement was basically a payoff for the province, which had assumed the expense and management associated with the operation of the trout hatcheries in Nova Scotia, all formerly operated by DFO.

That situation has changed radically. Today, after nearly 15 years, we have a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) allowing the province to manage the sport fishery for all Nova Scotians.

With that MOU in hand, the Inland Fisheries Division of the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Fisheries can directly focus on various management aspects, zeroing in on regulations that promote and enhance each individual sport fishery. With the ability to regulate the fisheries to, more or less, an unlimited degree, the value of catch and release has somewhat diminished.

Using the SMB fishery as an example, we now have a Special Bass Management Area in some of the Recreational Fishing Areas (RFA), throughout the province. These include Trophy Fishery lakes, which have specific regulations designed to (over time) increase the potential for catching large trophy bass. Examples are; RFA #3 - Grand Lake in Halifax County; RFA #4 - Ten Mile and Salmon River Lakes; and in RFA #5 - Black River, Little River, Methals and Panuke Lakes. In these specific lakes the catch/possession limit is reduced to three fish, and only one fish over 40 cm (16") may be retained. The regulations also state that all fish between 30-40 cm (12"16") must be released.

At the same time, we all recognize that every lake does not have the potential to raise trophy-sized fish. Sometimes the lake is not large enough - it might suffer from a lack of forage fish, perhaps it is too shallow for over-wintering stock, or habitat is not available to ensure successful spawns. Sometimes the converse is true - some lakes suffer from an over-abundance of fish - all of them small or stunted. Here the department has exercised another management option - these are designated as High Harvest Fishery lakes. Examples of these would be; RFA #3 - Banook, Loon, Micmac and Rocky Lakes, all in Halifax County; and in RFA #5 - Elliot and Gaspereau Lakes and Lake George. In this situation the bag/possession limit is actually increased to 10 and only two fish over 25 cm (10") may be retained.

As a precaution and to maximize the chances of a successful spawn, no SMB may be retained, and the use of natural baits is prohibited, from April 21st to June 10th, in all waters in the province (except the High Harvest Fisheries). This is the exact same management tool used for the trout fishery where there is no retention and no natural bait used, from September 1st to September 30th. Throughout our province, various measures are taken to enhance specific fisheries; fly fishing only, seasonal limitations, types and sizes of bag/possession limits. All these are part and parcel of the fisheries management tools available without making catch and release mandatory.

If we accept that catch and release (at least in the SMB fishery) has somewhat diminished in value as a result of the availability of other management tools, then we are in the position to examine the ethical aspect of catch and release.

For several years now, there has been a more concerted and focused effort by various organizations to label catch and release as an unethical practice; branding it as cruel and barbaric. This standard, more common in Europe than in North America, has been pushed by PETA and other organizations - all of them well-funded - nearly all by donors who are unlikely to place angling at the top of their favorite pastimes. In fact, PETA which pushes one of the biggest anti-fishing campaigns, is actually an organization with vegetarian roots, whose goals encompass far more than banning the reputed unethical practice of catch and release.

World wide the success of these campaigns have been well documented. There are many European nations that have banned or radically reduced catch and release citing ethical considerations. This impetus is not limited to Europe. Some American states, fueled by a "this is my property, so it's my river, so they're my fish" attitude have been more receptive to these argument. As we speak, Norway has a ban on catch and release fishing under serious consideration.

There are studies dealing with the consideration that fish feel pain. One of the studies that disputes this "scientific fact", concludes that fish react totally differently than humans due to a lack of similar "pain receptors" that are found in higher order of mammals. It is possible that the question will never be answered satisfactorily for the parties on either side of the question. Much of the increasing worldwide pressure to prohibit catch and release can be obviated by adopting the principal of "selective harvest".

Selective harvest does not propose that you totally discount catch and release. It states that you should retain some fish - selectively choosing the size and number of the fish you wish to keep. The emphasis is on "selective" - it in no way suggests keeping everything you catch.

The only point that is obvious is that each angler should reexamine his or her position on matter. Given the newly acquired ability to focus on micro managing each species - and the willingness to do so - the principle of catch and release does not carry the scientific weight it once did. The ethical viewpoint is not as clear - however, it has never been considered unethical or immoral to catch and retain fish, when they are going to be used as food.

Catch and release was almost a moral imperative to enhance and expand a fishery that needed all the help and protection it could get. After considered examination of the matter, one could conclude that there are substantive reasons for more reliance on Selective Harvest and less dependence on catch and release.

Sometimes the path we journey is so successful that we have difficult recognizing when it ends. In Nova Scotia if we want that trip to continue to include the enhancement of any fish species, perhaps, where conditions warrant and the law allows, we should consider Selective Harvest as that fork in the road that we should now explore.

Michael N. Robinson

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