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New Rules Require Release Tools For Reef Fish

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By FRANK SARGEANT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 1, 2008

As of today, anglers fishing for grouper, snapper and other reef species in the Gulf of Mexico are required to follow a new set of rules regarding how they fish, and how they release the fish they catch. The rules, put in place by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, are aimed at improving survival of released fish.

First, anglers fishing bottom offshore are now required to use only circle hooks. These are hooks with the point bent back toward the shank, forming a semicircle, rather than the conventional J-style hook with the barb parallel to the shank.

The circle hooks, biologists say, are less likely to result in fish being hooked deep in the throat or stomach; the rounded point is designed to slide out of the gullet and catch on the corners of the jaws, where it digs in and holds the fish securely. The jaw hookup is much less damaging to the fish, and also allows easy hook removal, giving unwanted fish a better chance of survival.

In fact, many offshore anglers are already using circle hooks, not because they're easier on the fish, but because they increase hook-up percentages. Once you learn that you can't set a circle hook by jerking on the line, the catch rate goes up rapidly, according to most experts; you simply start reeling when you feel a bite, and the hook nearly always slides to just the right spot on the corner of the jaw. (Anglers in the Boca Grande tarpon fishery learned this secret long ago - all those who fish jigs there use this type of hook.)

For the same reason, offset hooks are no longer permitted for bottom fishing, and all hooks must be made of carbon steel rather than stainless. The theory is the offset hooks, like J hooks, are more likely to catch in the throat. And the use of non-stainless hooks mean that hooks that must be left in fish will soon rust away in the corrosive saltwater environment.

Also new in the requirements is a provision that all boats fishing reef species must carry dehooking devices - long-nosed pliers, fish "flippers" and other tools aimed at getting hooks out quickly and with little damage to the fish.

While pliers often work for fish hooked in the front of the jaw, the various flippers are better for those deeply hooked. Basically, all involve a loop or gap that is slipped around the line, slid down over the hook, and then, as tension is held on the line, the device is raised until the hook turns over. With the weight of the fish now pulling against only the barb, the barb slips out. A nice feature of these devices is they can often be used without even touching the fish, which reduces damage to the fish's slime coat.

All boats also must carry a venting tool when fishing for reef species. The tools are basically hollow needles. When fish are brought up rapidly from depths of more than 50 feet, air inside the body cavity expands with the decrease in pressure, inflating the fish like a balloon and making it impossible for it to return to bottom. The venting tools solve the problem; anglers insert the needle just through the layers of skin aft of the ventral fin, and the compressed air exits through the needle. When the fish is released, it can swim down to bottom quickly, hopefully avoiding predators that would pick it off if left floating at the surface.

The rules are aimed at reducing the kill of undersized fish. Currently, particularly in the gag and red grouper fishery, many anglers release 20 undersized fish for every keeper they box. If all the undersized fish survive thanks to proper handling, the fish stocks should do well.

Biologists also suggest - though this is not in the regulations - that anglers who want a photo of a fish to be released take the shot by leaning down next to it while the fish is in the water. Alternatively, fish that are hoisted into the boat should be supported with a grip on the jaw and on the tail, and raised horizontally. Lifting heavy fish by the jaw often injures them, the researchers say.

ETC.: Captains Woody Gore, Mike Gore and Mark Gore join captain Mel Berman of WFLA, 970 AM, for a free fishing clinic Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Toyota of Tampa Bay, 1101 E. Fletcher Ave. in Tampa; (866) 540-1711. ... Captain Eric Mannino presents a free inshore fishing clinic at 7 p.m. Thursday at Tightlines Tackle, 6924 N. Armenia Ave. in Tampa; (813) 932-4721.

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