Abstract
The practice within recreational fisheries to release captured fish back to the wild, known as catch-and-release (C&R), is an increasingly important strategy to protect fish stocks from overexploitation. However, C&R is a stressor and since animal reproduction is particularly sensitive to stress there is reason to suspect that such a practice induces sublethal fitness consequences. Here, we investigated whether and how C&R fishing influenced the reproductive potential in an anadromous population of Northern pike (Esox lucius). First, female pike were exposed to authentic C&R using rod-and-reel fishing in a coastal foraging habitat prior to the spawning period. Next, we observed the migration to the freshwater spawning habitat and compared both the timing of arrival and maturity stage between C&R-treated and control individuals. Finally, to evaluate effects on the quality and viability of eggs we stripped captured control and recaptured C&R-treated females, measured egg dry mass to assess nutrient content, conducted artificial fertilisations and incubated eggs in a controlled laboratory experiment. We found no evidence of C&R causing alterations in either arrival time, maturity stage, or the quality and viability of fertilised eggs. In combination, our results suggest that long-term effects of C&R-induced stress on key reproductive traits of pike, if any, are minor.
Highlights
The release of captured individuals within recreational fisheries, a practice known as catch-and-release, is becoming increasingly popular to ensure sustainable use of fish populations and to preserve the quality of fisheries (Arlinghaus et al, 2007; Bartholomew and Bohnsack, 2005)
60 out of 87 (69 %) C&R-treated females were confirmed by detection of their passive integrated transponder tags (PIT)-tags to arrive at their spawning habitat in the wetland
Fish reproduction is sensitive to stress, researchers have advocated C&R fisheries to avoid capturing fish immediately before or during the spawning period, until there is firm evidence that there is no C&R-induced negative impacts on recruitment success (Arlinghaus et al, 2007; Cooke and Suski, 2005)
Summary
The release of captured individuals within recreational fisheries, a practice known as catch-and-release (hereafter C&R), is becoming increasingly popular to ensure sustainable use of fish populations and to preserve the quality of fisheries (Arlinghaus et al, 2007; Bartholomew and Bohnsack, 2005). A typical C&R event will impose multiple stressors on fish including hooking-related tissue damage, exercise during landing and exposure to adverse air temperatures, oxygen deficiency and gravity during handling. These will trigger a full stress-response, similar to exhaustive exercise, leading to energetic, ionic and hormonal changes (such as elevated cortisol, lactate and glucose levels) (Arlinghaus et al, 2007). Whether C&R-induced stress produce such severe effects in wild fish is largely unexplored despite its clear implications for management and sustainable use of fish stocks
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