Catch and release

Catch and release is a practice in sport fishing for conservation of the various species. Once caught, the fisherman carefully and quickly removes the hook from the fish's mouth. Then, without causing any harm, returns the fish alive to the water.^[1] Weighing and measuring of the fish, if done, are often done in the water. Using barbless hooks^[a], it is often possible to release the fish without removing it from the water (a slack line is frequently sufficient).

Catch and release is an ethical decision by fishermen but it is not for every situation.^[1] the Snakehead fish, for example, is an invasive species. It is illegal in many places to return them to the water. The Muskellunge is a highly prized game fish in many places. But, in a few places it is seen also as an invasive species and should not be returned to the water.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Ken Schultz, Ken Schultz's Essentials of Fishing (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2010), p. 431