The original thread about fluke season touched on some sensitive and controversial issues. One of those issues was about quotas and the formulas that are used to determine those quotas. An element that is used in the equation is the mortality ( dead fish) ratio of those fluke that are released.
The science estimates the mortality rate to be about 10% based on current fishing size regulations and fishing practices. This study done by FDU recommends using larger ( up to 9/0 ) hooks to reduce mortality. Their study seems to indicate that larger hooks will catch larger fish while reducing the number of smaller fish which would have to be released and possibly die. Using smaller hooks will catch more fish including many more undersized fish. The more undersized fish that are caught and released increases the number of fish that will die. Fewer released fish means fewer dead fish. If the mortality rate is decreased, the formula to create a quota shifts in our favor. Those released fish ( 10% mortality) are credited to the recreational total of caught fish.
If using bigger hooks means less mortality and less mortality means that we can have more reasonable size and bag limit, then I'm for using bigger hooks even though I use 6/0 hooks now.
http://static1.squarespace.com/stati...h+Combined.pdf
03-29-2016, 11:27 AM
Fluke Hook Size
Threaded Mode