Flaming Gorge

[dubob]

[SARCHASM]It's truely amazing on just how much "bs & malarkey" there is out there on the C&R mortality rates for kokanee salmon.  And it's being spread by unreliable sources such as State Wildlife Agency's and folks with degrees in piscatorial management.  Here's just a mere sampling of the atrocious "bs & malarkey" being fed the unsuspecting fishing public.[/SARCHASM]

As a biologist and angler who spends a lot of time on the reservoir, I have received reports and witnessed kokanee mortalities on the surface of the reservoir during the summer months. Sometimes there are so many dead fish, they look like bread crumbs trailing behind trolling boats. This loss could have population impacts, but taking some simple precautions can minimize it.

Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, Fisheries Scientists Dr. Paul Askey adds; “Trolling with  downriggers can be a very effective method to catch fish on large lakes in summer months. The reason why downriggers are so effective is that fish are forced to congregate at specific depths in the water column where they can find temperatures that meet their thermal tolerance limits. However, for this same reason, fish are put under a lot of stress when they are hooked and reeled to the warm surface water. This is not an appropriate method to practice catch-and-release because we expect a high portion of released fish will die. Basically anglers should view summer downrigger trolling as a catch and kill method of fishing.”

The fact is – mortality for caught and released Kokanee and Sockeye are much higher than most of us anglers want to believe or accept. When to choosing to practice catch and release, it comes down to each angler to make their own judgement call based on personal ethics and knowledge. In the end, all Kokanee make incredible table fare no matter what size they are.  So enjoy! By making conservational decisions it will help to ensure we still have an abundance of Kokanee and Sockeye to target and catch well into the future!

The main factors found to reduce survival are: • fishing method • deep hooking leading to tissue damage and bleeding • physical damage from poor and excessive handling leading to scale loss abrasions and infection • being kept out of the water for a prolonged period causing tissue and gill damage • high water temperatures

Fishing at the Gorge
Fish survival rates in Flaming Gorge Reservoir are also a concern, as the water temperature in local reservoirs is also warming up.
Keith said many anglers are proud of the fact that they catch and release fish, however, the percentage of fish lost after release could be as high as 10%.
For kokanee, the death rate is higher than other fish species because they are more fragile than other fish.
“Anglers are having a great year fishing for kokanee salmon,” Keith said. “However, kokanee do not handle catch and release fishing very well and do even more poorly when water temperatures are warm.

“If you are fishing for kokanee, we recommend limiting the practice of catch and release, especially when surface temperatures are warm. Surface temperatures are reaching the low 70’s on hot days. The kokanee are living at depths of 45 to 65 feet where the water temperature is around 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The more than 20 degree temperature change from depth to the surface is stressful to the fish. Add to that the stress of being caught, handled, and released. The result is some kokanee swimming away to die.”
— Green River Fisheries Supervisor Robert Keith

“It's becoming the most popular fishery in the entire west. It's even eclipsing salmon fishing, steelhead fishing across the entire west where you find Kokanee and most of our western states now you'll find Kokanee in bodies of water. A lot of us because of the table fare it's a landlocked sockeye salmon. So again it has a great table far, a great fighting fish. A lot of fun for the kids also. And that's what we're trying to promote is to try to get the kids out and get them involved in this sport because it really can be addicting. It's a lot of fun. So it's not just catch and release. No we don't promote catch and release on Kokanee. When you bring a Kokanee up typically they're in deeper water and they throw out so much energy during the fight that when you get them to the boat they're exhausted and you try to release a Kokanee that is extremely exhausted. The mortality rate is quite high on released Kokanee so it's something that we don't promote. We would just personally like the folk to land that fish if they can and then properly put it in some storage you know in some ice so that you keep it cool and get it home and fillet it out and barbecue it smoke it, can it, do with it the way you want. It's a fabulous fish to eat, a great table fair fish.” So bon appetit.

Fish survival rates in Flaming Gorge Reservoir are also a concern, as the water temperature in local reservoirs is also warming up. Keith said many anglers are proud of the fact that they catch and release fish, however, the percentage of fish lost after release could be as high as 10%. For kokanee, the death rate is higher than other fish species because they are more fragile than other fish.

[SARCHASM]There are an untold number of pages on Google search detailing the claptrap of these unscrupulous heretics when we all KNOW there isn't any reason to believe that C&R will have ANY impact on the mortatlity rate of our beloved kokanee.[/SARCHASM]