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Something worth discussing forever,
Its a feature of the internet and one worth paying attention too, the ability to comment on someone else’s idea of safe handling techniques of Native fish in and out of the water. We are all guilty of it at some point in time, whether it be when we comment on someone’s photo online somewhere or reflect on a trip were rights turned wrong. I myself have had some dreaded experiences which thankfully not only taught me to respect what I release but to take each situation as being different and be prepared for that fish of a lifetime.
As recent as last year I fished in a competition that required Murray Cod to be photographed on a brag mat to be eligible for placing. Now fishing from my kayak has taught me a few things, one of which is Murray Cod have no place on your kayak and should be photographed in the water. The old school mentality I was taught to ignore was declared intact and profitable in certain situations, unfortunately for me the fact I was in a kayak held no bearing what so ever.
Luckily for me I won with a nice 66cm Cod, but handling that fish became an issue due to weather constraints and deck clutter. No I didn’t lay out the brag mat; I soaked my legs and brought it onboard with an Environet to remove a firm hook set, then supported belly and jaw using spare hand and a pair of Boga Grips. Fish was not out of the water for more than two minutes and swam away briskly after a series of photos that did me or the fish no justice. Was I happy with the fish, better believe it... Was I happy with my handling under pressure, nope?
How could I have improved on that, I was using a knotless net (Environet), I wet my legs, I used Boga Grips and released as soon as possible in a comp scenario. The answer is a million ways (Feels that way anyway) but due to being the only kayak in a field of boats I felt the need to prove myself rather quickly, rather than take my time and do it the correct way. An angler known around these parts as 'Funda' let me observe his handling characteristics on many occasions, unfortunately for me I couldn’t return the favour before he moved interstate.
The fish was very healthy after release, imagine if I had not panicked, used the Boga Grips and omitted the net and left the Cod in the water to get a photograph. I may as well have considering the effort I had to go to get its size credited against my kayaks hull width. Still sounds all acceptable (Initial or rethink) so why am I using this fish as an example, surely there are worse ones? A few hairy situations arose as I was fighting the fish that also put me on notice, one was the wind and close proximity to a sharp cave ledge in 30m of water and the other was inexperience in the area I was fishing and the fact I was attempting proof solo.
Simon Kaminskas B.App.Sci (Hons) (Env.Sci) put together this strategic plan on AKFF for handling Murray Cod. Simon is a native fish ecologist who is passionate about catch-and-release fishing for Murray Cod and Murray Cod conservation. While this plan and writing is not tailored to Kayak Fishing it should be noted and your attitude amended. One can not (Or should not) target this species without adequate tools of the trade for catch and release purposes.
"Murray Cod have very soft skin susceptible to damage from poor handling and subsequent infection. Because of this, Murray cod in the wild suffer seriously from skin diseases and parasites including constant, chronic Lernaea (aka "anchor worm") infections and occasional severe Chilodenella outbreaks. Chronic Lernaea infection create great discomfort and distress for cod and probably kills many more Murray Cod, and is a greater threat to wild stocks, than commonly realised. Chilodenella (a microscopic, single-celled parasite) is usually fatal and has caused several catastrophic cod kills over past decades."
"From a fishing perspective, the mortal enemy of Murray Cod, that have been handled roughly, is Saprolegnia fungus. Like almost all diseases affecting our native fish (including the ones mentioned above), Saprolegnia fungus appears to be introduced, courtesy of reckless imports of alien fish species (i.e. trout, carp, redfin) in the 1800s. Saprolegnia fungus is such a problem for Murray Cod hatcheries that, back in the days when Murray Cod were stripped for eggs, broodfish were usually held in a salt bath for several days afterwards to prevent Saprolegnia infection. (Nowadays natural breeding using "Cod Boxes" placed in brood ponds is more common.)"
"Saprolegnia infection is reasonably easy to prevent, but is extremely difficult to stop once it is well-established. Therefore it is a very serious threat. In summary, roughly handled Murray Cod (i.e. slime or skin damaged) are virtually guaranteed to get Saprolegnia infections which at the very least will be seriously detrimental to the cod, and can be fatal. Good techniques must be used to avoid this."
"Murray Cod are less hardy and more easily stressed than most native fish, and again, good techniques, including strong tackle and short fighting, handling and photo times, are recommended. Murray Cod are also larger and heavier than most native fish, and fishermen must be careful not to strain throat and gill ligaments with bad practices such as hanging cod vertically from the mouth or gills."
Continue reading Simon's article on the AKFF WIKI:
http://www.akff.net/wiki/index.php?title=Catch_and_Release_-_Murray_Cod
Its a feature of the internet and one worth paying attention too, the ability to comment on someone else’s idea of safe handling techniques of Native fish in and out of the water. We are all guilty of it at some point in time, whether it be when we comment on someone’s photo online somewhere or reflect on a trip were rights turned wrong. I myself have had some dreaded experiences which thankfully not only taught me to respect what I release but to take each situation as being different and be prepared for that fish of a lifetime.
As recent as last year I fished in a competition that required Murray Cod to be photographed on a brag mat to be eligible for placing. Now fishing from my kayak has taught me a few things, one of which is Murray Cod have no place on your kayak and should be photographed in the water. The old school mentality I was taught to ignore was declared intact and profitable in certain situations, unfortunately for me the fact I was in a kayak held no bearing what so ever.
Luckily for me I won with a nice 66cm Cod, but handling that fish became an issue due to weather constraints and deck clutter. No I didn’t lay out the brag mat; I soaked my legs and brought it onboard with an Environet to remove a firm hook set, then supported belly and jaw using spare hand and a pair of Boga Grips. Fish was not out of the water for more than two minutes and swam away briskly after a series of photos that did me or the fish no justice. Was I happy with the fish, better believe it... Was I happy with my handling under pressure, nope?
How could I have improved on that, I was using a knotless net (Environet), I wet my legs, I used Boga Grips and released as soon as possible in a comp scenario. The answer is a million ways (Feels that way anyway) but due to being the only kayak in a field of boats I felt the need to prove myself rather quickly, rather than take my time and do it the correct way. An angler known around these parts as 'Funda' let me observe his handling characteristics on many occasions, unfortunately for me I couldn’t return the favour before he moved interstate.
The fish was very healthy after release, imagine if I had not panicked, used the Boga Grips and omitted the net and left the Cod in the water to get a photograph. I may as well have considering the effort I had to go to get its size credited against my kayaks hull width. Still sounds all acceptable (Initial or rethink) so why am I using this fish as an example, surely there are worse ones? A few hairy situations arose as I was fighting the fish that also put me on notice, one was the wind and close proximity to a sharp cave ledge in 30m of water and the other was inexperience in the area I was fishing and the fact I was attempting proof solo.
Simon Kaminskas B.App.Sci (Hons) (Env.Sci) put together this strategic plan on AKFF for handling Murray Cod. Simon is a native fish ecologist who is passionate about catch-and-release fishing for Murray Cod and Murray Cod conservation. While this plan and writing is not tailored to Kayak Fishing it should be noted and your attitude amended. One can not (Or should not) target this species without adequate tools of the trade for catch and release purposes.
"Murray Cod have very soft skin susceptible to damage from poor handling and subsequent infection. Because of this, Murray cod in the wild suffer seriously from skin diseases and parasites including constant, chronic Lernaea (aka "anchor worm") infections and occasional severe Chilodenella outbreaks. Chronic Lernaea infection create great discomfort and distress for cod and probably kills many more Murray Cod, and is a greater threat to wild stocks, than commonly realised. Chilodenella (a microscopic, single-celled parasite) is usually fatal and has caused several catastrophic cod kills over past decades."
"From a fishing perspective, the mortal enemy of Murray Cod, that have been handled roughly, is Saprolegnia fungus. Like almost all diseases affecting our native fish (including the ones mentioned above), Saprolegnia fungus appears to be introduced, courtesy of reckless imports of alien fish species (i.e. trout, carp, redfin) in the 1800s. Saprolegnia fungus is such a problem for Murray Cod hatcheries that, back in the days when Murray Cod were stripped for eggs, broodfish were usually held in a salt bath for several days afterwards to prevent Saprolegnia infection. (Nowadays natural breeding using "Cod Boxes" placed in brood ponds is more common.)"
"Saprolegnia infection is reasonably easy to prevent, but is extremely difficult to stop once it is well-established. Therefore it is a very serious threat. In summary, roughly handled Murray Cod (i.e. slime or skin damaged) are virtually guaranteed to get Saprolegnia infections which at the very least will be seriously detrimental to the cod, and can be fatal. Good techniques must be used to avoid this."
"Murray Cod are less hardy and more easily stressed than most native fish, and again, good techniques, including strong tackle and short fighting, handling and photo times, are recommended. Murray Cod are also larger and heavier than most native fish, and fishermen must be careful not to strain throat and gill ligaments with bad practices such as hanging cod vertically from the mouth or gills."
Continue reading Simon's article on the AKFF WIKI:
http://www.akff.net/wiki/index.php?title=Catch_and_Release_-_Murray_Cod
