Photo Credit: Delene Jaques
If your outdoor plans include fishing, here are some important tips to decrease stress to the fish and increase their chance of survival, if you plan to release them. The Division of Wildlife Resources shares that first, you should consider fishing in the mornings or late evenings, when temperatures are cooler. If you are fishing on a river, you should pick a spot that has deeper, cooler water, so you can release any caught fish into an area where they are more likely to survive. Anglers should note that fish caught in deep water in a reservoir may experience barotrauma, or pressure damage, when brought up too quickly from the cooler depths and then exposed to such hot temperatures. In hot weather conditions, you may want to consider harvesting the fish as part of your daily limit, rather than releasing it, as barotrauma can be difficult for a fish to recover from. “Basically, be aware of where you are fishing and where you are releasing fish,” shares Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Sportfish Coordinator Trina Hedrick. “Try to pick a spot where you can release your fish into better quality water to increase their survival rates during this extremely hot weather.” Learn more about impacts on fish at wildlife.utah.gov.
