Efficacy of dehooking tools for the removal of hooks from the jaw region of angled fish

Abstract

There are a variety of tools that have been developed to aid in hook removal of angled fish that are intended for release. The premise of these tools is that they enable rapid hook removal while causing negligible injury to fish. Here we scientifically assessed the efficacy of dehooking tools for the removal of single barbed J-hooks from the jaw region (i.e., shallowly hooked) of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). Specifically, we compared dehooking time and physical injuries caused by using bare hands, hemostats, pliers, a push-pull device, and a mechanical dehooking device. Bare hands yielded the most rapid dehooking time and the least injury. Dehooking times were the longest for push-pull and mechanical dehooking tools. Moreover, those two purpose-built tools caused the most injury, including tissue tears and bleeding. Dehooking times were intermediate for hemostats and pliers, and they yielded injury similar to use of bare hands. Overall, there was no evidence of conservation benefit arising from use of dehooking tools with smallmouth bass caught on single barbed J-hooks. However, there are other contexts where they may be use useful, such as dehooking sharp-toothed fishes, and if fish are hooked in areas other than the jaw. This research suggests that dehooking tools are not universally useful to achieve optimal catch-and-release outcomes and their utility likely depends on context. Given the wide diversity of fish caught by recreational anglers, as well as the diversity and sizes of hooks, more research on hook removal tools is needed.