Recent research from Carleton University has shed some interesting facts on catch and release statistics. Many variables contribute to survival rates of C&R fish, ranging from angler experience to hook type to fish species. The most interesting finding was that in areas that receive a lot of angling pressure, C&R actually has higher overall mortality rates than a standard limit.
For instance, I am a meat fisherman, so after I reach my limit, I usually go home. In the lakes around here, tourists will often catch and release over a hundred fish a day. The mortality rate can go as high as 30 to 40 percent. My four fish is a small amount compared to the death rate from catch and release.
Another interesting finding is that if you badly hook a fish, like deep in the throat or gill, simply cut your line. They found that within three weeks, over 30% of the released fish had managed to shed the hook. If I foul hook a fish, I usually keep it, even if it is on the small size, as part of my limit.
When I do practice C&R, I try not to take the fish out of the water and release it immediately. Using pliers or some kind of hook extraction tool helps a lot. If you keep a fish on a stringer for a few hours, its survival rate is very low.
On the lighter side, I have never understood the American obsession with pike. I don't want the slimy bast@rds in my canoe. Perhaps if i had dogs to feed, or I was starving, but pickerel is a lunch bucket with skin, so easy to clean, and so tasty to eat.
