|
 |
|||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||
Live-release the Yukon way ( DOC ) |
  |
|||
| Source: | Mark Wedge | Date: | January 1, 2006 | |
| Live-release fishing is valuable conservation tool practiced across North America. In the Yukon, however, we practice it in a unique way. Our model of live-release fishing combines traditional First Nation values with the best of modern science. It’s a model that emphasizes live-release as a selection tool rather than a way to catch a lot of fish. Use live-release as a selection tool. Live-release is most valuable when it’s used as a tool to help you select the fish you are going to kill and eat. Large females carry more eggs and are able to dig deeper redds, which means more of their eggs survive. These are the fish you should release to maintain fish stocks for the future. You can make a healthy fresh meal out of the smaller fish, which are more numerous and have lower survival rates when released. Be careful if you use live-release for recreation If you use live-release for recreation we suggest you think about a personal code of ethics for the practice. Excessive live-release has the potential to harm rather than help the resource. Survival rates are high if you do it right but, if you practice live-release without restraint, the number of dead fish can add up. Read the basic list of ethics below, decide for yourself how much is too much, and don’t over-do it. Live-release ethics Treat the fish gently, with respect. Learn the proper handling techniques. Practice live-release in moderation. Keep any legal fish that is bleeding or injured. Stop fishing when you reach your limit. Do not practice live-release in schools of spawning fish. Do not practice live-release in hot weather or warm water. Do not release fish that have been kept alive on a stringer or in a live well. > You can reduce the mortality rate of released fish to near zero by: careful handling, using single barbless hooks, using artificial lures instead of bait, and cutting the line from deep-hooked fish. Try turning the fish belly-up in the water to quiet it while you remove the hook. "Recreational fishing is a spiritual quest. People are trying to fulfill their spiritual needs, and that’s good. But the value is in getting out there in nature’s creation. It’s not in the fish." Mark Wedge, Carcross-Tagish First Nation. |
||||
| Hosted by: www.nwtel.ca | |
| Designed by: Bruce Ross |