Complete 2013 Freshwater Fishing DIGEST - State of New Jersey

Catch & Release:Who Decides?By Christopher Smith, Principal Fisheries BiologistShawn Crouse / NJ Div. of Fish and WildlifeSigns like these are appearing at manylakes throughout the state. Althoughwell-intentioned, this may not be in thebest interest of the fishery.The Division of Fish and Wildlife hasobserved a steady increase in the numberof waterbodies managed by catchand release regulations in the last fewyears. These regulations have beenestablished by local municipal or county governmentagencies and not by our agency. Inmost cases, the regulations were created withthe best intent but unfortunately with a lackof sound science.Fish and Wildlife completes extensive samplingand research before regulations are establishedor changed. Placing regulations on a waterbodythat contradicts Fish and Wildlife’s establishedfishing regulations could have negative impactson that fish population.From a fisheries management perspective,unnecessary catch and release regulation canlead to overpopulation of a species; affectinggrowth rates, condition and population balance.From an angler’s perspective some may find catchand release regulations attractive, whereas forothers it is a deterrent from fishing a waterbody.Catch and release regulations in many cases havebeen utilized as a deterrent to anglers and not asan actual fisheries management tool. Remember,Fish and Wildlife manages the state’s resourcesfor all residents.The popularity of catch and release anglingcontinues to grow every year. Not all anglersrelease fish for the same reasons. Some anglersrelease fish to maintain fish populations, othersbelieve that the fish are not safe to eat andshould be released, while some anglers simply gofishing for the sport and do not want to eat thefish. Despite the popularity of catch and releaseangling, others welcome the opportunity toharvest some fish from time to time. Let’s faceit, fish are tasty! Other anglers want the chanceto bring home the trophy fish of a lifetime.Fishing regulations are established by theDivision of Fish and Wildlife in order to protectand maintain balanced fish populations for allanglers to utilize and enjoy. As long as anglersadhere to the state fishing regulations the decisionto “catch and keep” or “catch and release”should be left to the angler.Fish and Wildlife recently utilized catch andrelease regulations in a very specific managementsituation to protect a developing fishpopulation at Lake Audrey. This managementstrategy was appropriate for this waterbody. Inother instances, catch and release regulationshave actually been a hindrance, preventinganglers from being recognized for catching astate record fish.Fish and Wildlife’s mission is to protect andmanage the state’s fish and wildlife resources tomaximize their long-term biological, recreationaland economic value for all New Jerseyans. Thisis achieved through the regulations establishedby our agency.January 2013 For more information contact New Jersey 2013 New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Digest | 35Division of Fish and Wildlife at (609)292-2965