THERE’S NO FUTURE IN DEAD FISH SUSTAINABLE ANGLING FOR SEA TROUT AND TEXT: MARTIN JENSEN PHOTOS: FREDERIK LORENTZEN RELEASES: IN SOME PARTS OF THE WORLD OG LARS KYHNAU RELEASING CAUGHT FISH IS FORBIDDEN, WHILE IN OTHERS IT IS COMPULSORY, AND AROUND FYN AND THE ISLANDS THE CHOICE IS ENTIRELY UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL SEA TROUT ANGLER. THIS FORCES YOU TO CONSIDER WHETHER TO RELEASE EVERY TIME YOU’VE SUCCEEDED IN LANDING A SEA TROUT. BASICALLY ALL SEA TROUT BREED SOONER OR LATER, WHICH – WHEN THEY GET THE CHANCE – WILL IMPROVE SEA-TROUT FISHING AROUND FYN EVEN MORE.
WE HOLD THE FUTURE IN OUR OWN HANDS Few anglers would disagree that we want to have more and bigger sea trout around Fyn and the islands. And we have excellent chances of achieving this around Fyn, Ærø and Langeland. Fortunately, we can shape this future ourselves – for the most part. Because the efforts of Sea Trout Fyn (Havørred Fyn) and Water Care Fyn (Vandpleje Fyn) to release smolt and restore water courses will inherently always fall short. Restricted seasons, minimum and maximum size limits, catch limits, bans against selling caught fish and protected zones are well known conservation methods for protecting fish populations. We are all interested in both protecting and using local stocks of sea trout. But whatever the case, the “catch & release” method is
literally in our own hands as anglers. We are a wide variety of anglers fishing along the coast, and our different opinions of C&R are by no means new. On the other hand, new research and knowledge on the topic are emerging all the time. We are gradually gaining deeper insight into how different species of fish in different habitats are impacted by their interaction with us anglers. But the plain truth is that if you want to catch more and bigger sea trout – and you do, don’t you? – then you also have to release more sea trout. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with returning home with a suitable, legal and edible fish, but consider Lee Wulff’s words the next time you’re holding one:
“The finest gift you can give to any fisherman is to put a good fish back, and who knows if the fish that you caught isn’t someone else’s gift to you?”
- Lee Wulff
4 · SEATROUT.DK