Releasing fish with Baratrauma

[Dawn Treader]

What we use is even cheaper than the unit Dan presented. It’s called Vent-a-Fish and is a hollow needle unit. Every short sea bass from depth can be vented within 5 seconds and returned very lively. In a pinch, we’ve also used Littoral Society tagging needles with a little bit of wrapped duct tape at the blunt end to help with grip. If we toss a fish inadvertently without venting, I have noticed that quickly tapping head with Rod tip fixes them like Dale said and if not we net them and vent quickly.

No reason in the world why any boat can’t have a few needles and instruct folks to let the mate quickly vent the fish. Could be very hectic when everyone is catching but conservation should be the priority.