Question: How many fish die unnecessarily each year because they are victims of rough handling and poor release techniques? Research has suggested that the mortality rates of certain species of released fish may be unpalatably high. Why? Because anglers with good intentions don’t always know what they are doing, and as long as the fish swims off, it’s assumed it will live to be caught again some other day.

Catch and release fishing has made tremendous gains in popularity in the past two decades due to regulations like minimum size limits, maximum creel limits, and changes to fish and game laws enacted for environmental reasons. For a few species, catch and release is mandated. In some cases, anglers practice catch and release techniques because they’ve caught enough for supper but want to stay out on the water for a few more hours. Some people even love the act of fishing, but don’t particularly like the taste of fish!

No matter why you’re choosing to engage in catch and release fishing, we’d like to share a few tried and true catch and release fish techniques that will ensure that the fish that swim away from your boat actually do keep on swimming.

1. Treat your fish gently. Don’t squeeze them or try to remove the hook by ripping it out.

2. Don’t put your catch on the ground where it will thrash around and could potentially injure itself.

3. Never put your fingers into the gills of a fish. Sure, it makes for a cool photo, but it’s no fun (and can be deadly) for the fish.

4. When fish swallow the hook, just cut the line. Ingesting a fish hook typically does far less internal damage than a well-meaning angler attempting to yank it out.

5. Minimalize air exposure and make sure you wet your hands before touching your fish.

6. Better yet, do what you can to avoid touching the fish. Leave the fish in the water while you remove the hook, if at all possible.
7. Use soft landing nets without knotted mesh, which can damage a fish’s scales and eyes.

8. Always use the right rig for the fish species you’re catching and releasing. This will make it easier to remove hooks without causing the fish’s early demise. There are even specially made hooks for catch and release fishing.

9. Never toss a fish back into the water – instead, release it gently.

BONUS CATCH AND RELEASE TIP: If your fish is plain exhausted from a long fight, it may enter into what is essentially a state of consciousness. It may simply float in the water, belly up. Release a fish in this state, and you’re almost guaranteed that your good intentions will be for naught. Instead of just putting it back into the water and hoping for the best, do a little fishie CPR. Place your fish into the water, supporting its midsection, and move it back and forth gently until it begins to move on its own. Only then should you release it.

Surprised to see mild fish paired with a full-flavored sausage? We were, too, which is why we researched the pairing to see just what was going on. It turns out that there’s a long tradition in both Spain and Portugal of serving white fish with something more intense to balance out the flavors. In this fish recipe, rich, smoky chorizo turns plain old cod into a complex and flavorful meal.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 3 oz. Spanish chorizo, diced
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 c. dry white wine, divided
• 1 15 oz. can great northern beans, rinsed
• 1/2  tsp. salt, divided
• 1 1/4 lbs. Pacific cod, cut into four pieces
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F, and coat a 9×13″ glass baking dish with cooking spray or a little neutral oil.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped shallot, chorizo, and thyme, then cook, stirring as needed, until fragrant.
3. Add the tomatoes and half the white wine, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the wine has almost evaporated.
4. Stir in the great northern beans and half the salt. Remove from the heat.
5. Sprinkle your fish with the remaining salt and the pepper before placing it in the prepared baking dish. Top each piece of fish with equal amounts of the tomato mixture (about a half cup per filet).
6. Pour the remaining white wine into the pan and cover with foil. Bake until the fish is just cooked through, or about 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Serve the dish with the sauce spooned over the top of each filet.

NOTE: Turkey kielbasa may be substituted for chorizo, and any mild white fish can be used in place of the cod.

There’s nothing quite like a piece of perfectly cooked fish that’s tender and flaky paired with a zippy, crunchy coating. In this recipe, crunchy pecans and flavorful mustard serve as a wonderful counterpoint to decadent buttery salmon.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. hot tangy English mustard
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 c. unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 4 6-ounce salmon fillets or steaks
• Salt and pepper

-Preheat oven to 400°F

-Blend mustard, butter, honey, and garlic powder, and refrigerate

-Mix bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley, and set aside

-Place salmon in a lightly oiled baking dish, then season to taste with salt and pepper

-Brush salmon liberally with the mustard mixture (reserve a portion for use in serving, if desired)

-Press bread crumb mixture on top of coated salmon

-Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness or until the fish flakes easily

-Serve with reserved mustard mixture and lemon wedges

Fishing is a hobby, and fishing is a profession. Fishing is also one of the greatest teachers a person will ever know. Life lessons abound in the angler’s world, and we thought it would be fun to share a few that we have learned over our combined decades of fishing experience.

There’s a Time for Everything

Good things happen when we fish when the fishing is fine, and the same holds true for life. Waiting until the time is right can save us from a lot of anguish and heartache, and the wait time gives us extra minutes, hours, days, or years to prepare for what’s ahead.

Patience Has Rewards

A virtue in every facet of life, patience is a lesson many anglers learn as children hunched over their first tackle set. Why aren’t the fish biting? Why won’t they just take the bait? Who knows, but there’s no use telling fish to hurry up. A lot of life is like that, actually. You can get as frustrated as you like, but that doesn’t change a thing. Might as well be patient.

The Ripple Effect Is Real

The tiny ripple made by a perfectly cast fly spreads into something larger and brings fish a plenty, just like small actions can have big consequences. A tiny act of compassion or kindness can start a chain reaction of good deeds and good feelings.

Don’t Tell Tales Too Tall

Ever let the Big One get away? Sure, we all have. For most of us, the Big One was a little larger than average, not the length of a school bus or the size of a planet. A little exaggeration is fun, but a lot can lead to hurt feelings. Telling too many fish stories on the water or in life will lead to people doubting your sincerity, and that’s not cool.

Sometimes You Have to Let Go

There’s nothing quite like reeling in what you think is a perfect keeper only to find out that it’s an inch below regulation size. You toss it back… and then? You could get angry or sulk, but what’s the point? Yes, sometimes letting the real fish go is easier than letting the metaphorical fish go, but in both cases, it’s the right thing to do.

What life lessons has fishing taught you?

Did you know that more than 50 million Americans go fishing at least once every year? Men and women, kids, amateurs and professionals, hobby anglers, and more can all be found on the water, tossing in their lines. That’s a lot of people fishing, resulting in a lot of fish caught. With so many anglers out there and a limited number of fish, we can’t afford not to fish responsibly if we want future generations to be able to enjoy fishing as much as we do. Here are 10 tips that everyone who loves fishing can use right now to make sure the fishing is still great when we’re old and gray:

1. Fish mindfully by using barbless hooks and learning proper catch and release techniques to give fish a better chance at survival.

2. When fishing for your supper, don’t take more than can be eaten or stored.

3. Practice proper fishing etiquette by keeping clear of other boats, steering clear of private waters unless permission to fish has been granted, and treating others out on the water with respect and courtesy.

4. Watch your speed and your wake, and always keep a reasonable distance from anglers on shore, jetties, and swimmers.

5. Never use a boat to herd fish on flats or to spook fish so it will reveal itself.

6. Follow fishing regulations, including obtaining licenses when necessary, and report poachers.

7. Educate yourself about coastal habitats, local fish species, fisheries operating in your area, and environmental protections in place related to water-based conservation efforts.

8. Protect your local fishing spots by taking your trash home with you, never dumping oil or fuel, and making an effort to leave sites cleaner than you found them.

9. Never use live bait fish that aren’t native to the waters you are fishing to avoid contamination by invasive species.

10. Engage in and support science-based advocacy geared toward creating better conservation strategies.

In commercial fishing, the need to balance the expense of business ownership can mean that gear is designed to capture as much fish as possible in the least amount of time. Much of the commercial fishing gear out there today is designed to catch any fish that gets in the way. In other words, bycatch. What’s bycatch? Undesirable fish that’s swept up in nets or captured on hooks, and tossed aside to live or to die. Bycatch can have a hugely negative impact on ecosystems and results in a lot of waste.

Avoiding bycatch isn’t always easy, both on a large commercial scale or even for small scale operations. But there’s one simple way to avoid bycatch that’s not only ecologically sound, but also pretty awesome. We’re talking about harpoon fishing. Harpoons were probably used for fishing long before hooks and rods made the scene. While harpoons are mainly associated with whaling, the fact is that this tool has ancient origins and was likely one of the first types of tackle.

Harpoon fishing today has certainly evolved, however. Instead of antler tips on wooden shafts, there are metal harpoons hooked up to electrified lines that can instantly kill a harpooned fish. Though the harpoon has somewhat of a negative image in many people’s minds because of its association with the whaling trade, the fact is that modern harpoon rigs can actually be more humane than other forms of fishing.

But the main appeal of harpoon fishing, as we see it, is the excitement of the catch. Standing out on the long gangway off the bow or sighting giant tuna and swordfish from the height of the crow’s nest… running out onto the bowsprit with harpoon in hand… driving that harpoon home. It’s a method of fishing that pits man against fish. Harpoon fishing is certainly a matter of skill more so than patience; it requires a keen eye, a strong arm, and an understanding of animal behavior that is akin to that required by the hunters of prehistory.

As for harpoon use in commercial fishing, you may be asking yourself how the men and women who specialize in harpoon fishing can possibly make a living. Here’s how: Many people regard quick-killed harpoon caught fish as a higher quality product and a more humane product, so the fish brought in via the harpoon tend to fetch a higher price than fish who lived out their final moments floundering in a net or struggling against a hook.

Fish isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when the cook in the house is considering a rich and hearty dish, but fettuccine with fresh tuna sauce definitely hits that mark. Fresh tuna is paired with flavorful plum tomatoes and zesty garlic to create a dish that will have everyone walking away from the table full and happy.

Ingredients:

• 3 tsp. olive oil, divided in two
• 12 oz. fresh 1″ tuna steak cut into small cubes
• salt and white pepper, to taste
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, very finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, very finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 28 oz. can skinless plum tomatoes
• 3/4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
• 3/4 c. dry white wine
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 strips lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon grated
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 12 oz. whole-wheat fettuccine

Directions:

1. Heat 1 and a half teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tuna and sauté until brown outside but pink inside (about 2 minutes). Once done, remove the fish from the pan and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the remaining 1 and a half teaspoons oil to the pan. Next, add the onions, carrots, celery, and three teaspoons of the chopped garlic. Sauté these together until the vegetables are softened (about 3 minutes).
3. Add tomatoes to the pan and mash with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. Then add the broth, wine, thyme, strips of lemon zest, and bay leaf.
4. Bring the sauce that results to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until slightly thickened (about 15 minutes).
5. Add the tuna to the sauce, and then reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the fish is opaque in the center (about 5 minutes). Remove the lemon zest strips and bay leaf, and then adjust seasonings to taste.
6. Finally combine the parsley, grated lemon zest, and the remaining teaspoon of chopped garlic.
7. Serve tuna sauce hot over the freshly cooked fettuccine sprinkled with the parsley mixture.

Enjoy!

Tarpon fishing is an experience. Imagine battling with a 6′, 150+ pound fish that’s putting on an unforgettable aerial extravaganza while you hold the line. The fight is spectacular. Tarpons do an impressive job of trying to throw the hook and are surprisingly successful. Tangling with a tarpon is, for many, a once in a lifetime event, making this monster fish highly prized. Catching one? Now that’s something to celebrate!

For those unfamiliar with the tarpon and tarpon fishing, we’ve compiled a list of fish facts about this very cool species.

• Marine biologists believe that large female tarpon can lay up to 15,00,000 eggs. During spawning, dozens of fish will swim in tight circles as the males fertilize the eggs released by the females.
• Tarpon, in a pinch, can breathe surface air.
• Catch and release is the way to go when fishing for tarpon. While the flesh of this fish is quite tasty, it’s also very bony, and permits are often required to keep a tarpon catch.
• Tarpon rise to the surface periodically to gulp air. This is called rolling, and it’s a sure giveaway that there are more tarpon under the surface. Sometimes hundreds of these fish can be seen rolling near river mouths.
• There are two species of tarpon, though most people think of the huge Atlantic tarpon rather than its smaller Indo-Pacific cousin.
• Tarpon is the official state saltwater fish of Alabama.

• When stressed, tarpon will bite. Combine this with their tendency to jump and you end up with a unique problem. A tarpon minding its own business may accidentally jump into a nearby boat – and when it does, watch out!
• Juvenile tarpon, which generally weigh about 20 pounds, make for a fun catch experience because they jump aggressively in protest when hooked.
• Tarpon fishing requires quiet because as soon as these fish hear you coming, they’ll book and you’ll have to hunt them all over again.

Walk into any sporting goods or fisherman’s outfitter store and there will be an immense fishing tackle section. You will see, among other fishing equipment and accessories, rods, reels, lures, tackle boxes, nets, and boots. A woman or man who’s been bitten by the fishing bug could spend an entire year’s earnings without leaving the aisles!

All of which brings us to the natural question: How is the fishing enthusiast supposed to take it all in and then make an informed decision about what she or he needs? There’s no one perfect answer, of course, which is why we’ve written up three tips to help you get your money’s worth when you’re shopping for fishing equipment.

Tip 1: Know what type of fish you want to catch. The type of equipment you will need to catch a small mouth bass while standing at the water’s edge will be quite different than what you need to land Bluefin tuna on a boat. The small mouth bass will be happy to bite on a bamboo pole, stationery line, and a wiggly night crawler. The tuna… she’ll take some more planning and some heavy duty gear.

Tip 2: Know where you will find the fish you want to catch. Whether it’s standing on the bank, standing on the boat, sitting on a rock, or wading knee deep in the stream, you’ll be shopping for gear that’s venue-specific. Some scenarios require live bait, some artificial, some light-weight flies for casting. Specialty clothing is sometimes involved. If you can’t answer the question of where you will be, you need to head to the library before you buy any tackle.

Tip 3: Know your budget. Once you have figured out what fish you will be after and where you will be when you catch it, sit down and calculate exactly how much you’re willing to spend and on what. Do you need waders? Do you need a casting rod and reel? Will a charter boat supply some of the gear you need? List everything. Go online and estimate the cost of each item you are considering buying. Keep in mind that each piece of tackle comes in several quality levels. Choose wisely and within your budget.

When you have done your homework, go to a fishing outfitter that specializes in the type of fishing you want to do. Ask questions and listen to the answers. The specialists there can give you the advice you need to have everything in place before you ever put a hook in the water.

If you are in New England and you make the decision to tackle the tuna, you will probably be going out for Bluefin. Bluefin tuna are huge, fast and beautiful. They can grow up to 10 feet long, and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. In fact, the largest ever caught weighed 1,496 pounds and was landed off Nova Scotia in 1979. Why tackle the tuna around our neck of the woods? New England is actually one of the best areas for finding Bluefin.

This species has a seasonal feeding migration that takes it to the Gulf of Maine. Massachusetts has been the top Bluefin tuna state since the 1940s. If you can believe it there is so much money spent in Massachusetts on tuna fishing tackle that it is tracked as an economic force.

But as much the Bluefin is a big part of tuna fishing in New England, tackling this monster fish is still a challenge. They are real fighters. Rod and reel catches requires the largest high quality reels fitted with 200 pounds test line. But never fear! Trolling with rigged natural baits or artificial squids on spreader bars and bait fishing on anchor with live baits or chunks of local prey are also effective methods of landing this magnificent fish.

As for how to go about tuna fishing in New England, we recommend you charter a boat as the Bluefin tuna can travel scores of miles from shore. Finding schools of Bluefin in the open ocean is a skill that takes decades to learn. Sure, you could rent a boat and go hunting on your own, but having a guide who knows the ins and outs of tuna fishing can make your excursion a bountiful one.