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Report Published on Catch and Release in UK Stillwaters

By Editor 11/07/2012 13:26:00

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Report Published on Catch and Release in UK Stillwaters

Over the past two years, Professor Vaughan Ruckley, Bob Perrett and Eric Fox have undertaken a study and produced a report to provide information on the extent and effects of Catch & Release Fishing (C&R) across UK stillwater stocked trout fisheries. It makes interesting reading for anglers and fishery managers alike.

The study came about partly as a result of a "tiresome debate on Catch & Release" within an angling club of which Vaughan Ruckley and Eric Fox were committee members. The study forms part of a wider review that Vaughan Ruckley is undertaking on this subject of Catch & Release.

They were also concerned about the dumping of dead fish after competitions and are aware that similar controversy rages in other clubs as well as the wider public controversies on the ethical issues. They felt that such arguments were often based on ignorance and it was time that someone gathered some facts! They searched the literature and were unable to find any similar studies that had ever been done before in the UK or abroad. They have received encouraging responses from the fishery managers to whom they circulated the results. The Fly Fishing Forums were approached to help publicise the Report as their concern is to let anglers, fishery managers and scientists know of its existence and where they can get their hands on it.

The Report is an independent enterprise, not commissioned by anyone. The cost was funded entirely out of their own pockets and therfore the authors have no affiliations and no axe to grind!

You can read the report, see the full survey questions and results and then make up your own mind by clicking on the front cover of the report below to open a copy. It is not a 'heavy' read at all with nicely summarised sections, clear tables and the authors conclusions - Ed.

Click the front cover below to view the full report as a PDF document.

Let us know your thoughts on this report by making a comment below and let's see what everyone has to say?

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Comments (7 posted):

Editor on 11/07/2012 14:00:52

The availability and relative success of catch and release programmes on stillwater fisheries has often been debated and discussed by anglers and fishery managers alike. Do the fish get harder and harder to catch? Do the fish suffer or even die as a result? Is there a demand for this type of fishing and how many fisheries are responding to this? Are you? Should you? The list goes on... I found this report quite enlightening particularly thanks to the responses from the fishery managers surveyed. Apparently more than 3/4 of all fisheries (of the 198 surveyed) now offer some form of catch and release ticket! What do you think? Is this the future?

Steve Walker on 11/07/2012 14:45:25

Interesting that C&R is more widespread than my experience would suggest - though I live in the South, where the report points out that the practice is less common. The option to release is certainly one of the reasons I fish some local waters and not others - I have no desire to kill anything I'm not going to eat, so unless I specifically want trout to eat (and sometimes I do) it's C&R for me.

Editor on 11/07/2012 15:02:09

As a fellow southerner I agree.

fffvvv on 12/07/2012 01:24:45

Agree Mostyn, without actual bailiffs walking the banks status quo will persist with poachers netting and killing salmon with no worry about punishment. They never seem to worry about having a licence so why will they worry about a bylaw? ------------------------

fffvvv on 12/07/2012 01:28:15

C&R is a good move; but, Enforcing the rule will be difficult, although I believe it'a move in the correct direction; and about time. ---------------------------

brightontrader on 12/07/2012 22:13:10

Interesting report, as a previous southern still water customer my neighbours were sick of trout and avoided answering my door knocks eventually, even my polish cleaner was "forgetting" to take them home with her. I wanted to do C&R but the fisheries didn't offer it, one that did had terrible condition RBs, black fungus patches and a lot of near dead circling fish. As a private fishery owner now (10 acre lake stream fed) not surveyed by authors, I practice C&R but have very few rods here so it works well although as the report says, with the warmer water now, about 19-20 surface temp, the recovery time is much much longer and have to be very careful with the returns. Even so have had a couple of mortalities, although could have died from other causes. A lot of waters though I am sure the pike wipe out huge numbers, more than rods, should practice catch and kill of pike.....in europe they are considered food.

bkjgg on 13/07/2012 01:01:24

That is a great shame ,one of my favorite events . Biggest regret will be the speycasting on the sunday not going ahead . __________________ Gafas Rayban De Sol

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