In many watersheds, most wild steelhead returning each season will be caught and handled by anglers, some more than once. Regardless of our best intentions, some fish will die, and many will endure sublethal short and/or long-term impacts, such as reduced spawning success.
Dr. Andy Danylchuk and his teams have researched the impacts of catch-and-release fishing on various recreational fisheries around the globe.
In this episode of The Adipose, Andy shares the results of his study to evaluate the factors that influence C&R outcomes in wild steelhead on the Bulkley River in British Columbia and how improvements in catch-and-release survival can influence a population’s ability to sustain or even grow, their numbers.