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SALT LAKE CITY — Research from a new study suggests that weight-based angling records are detrimental to fish species. The underlying problem is that in order to qualify for a record with the International Game Fish Association, a fish must be weighed on land with a certified scale. It can be a lengthy process that makes it difficult for a fish to survive.
According to the study, published in Marine Policy, a better approach would be to base angling records on length. The IFGA already has catch-and-release records that only tally a fish’s length so eliminating the weight factor wouldn’t be a complete departure from tradition.
The researchers behind the study expressed particular concern for trophy fish species that are nearing extinction. Commercial fishermen are often barred from killing such species, but weight-based records encourage anglers to kill the heaviest and most robust of the species.
The IFGA keeps records for about 1,200 species and the researchers assert that 85 of those species are classified as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The problem is magnified by the fact that the females in these species are often bigger than the males. Losing healthy, egg-bearing females can create serious problems, the scientists claim in the study.
“If the IGFA stopped issuing records that implicitly require killing the fish for IUCN Red List Threatened species, it would immediately reduce fishing pressure on the largest individuals,” the researchers write in the study. “So long as there are incentives to catch the largest, oldest, most fecund and fittest individuals within a population, recreational fishing pressure will continue to target these fish and likely exacerbate population declines.”
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The study’s lead author, David Shiffman, is a marine biologist from the University of Miami. In describing length-based records, he said, “Few policy changes in the world can do so much for so many species for so little cost.”
Unsurprisingly, the IFGA disagrees with Dr. Shiffman’s findings. Jason Schratwieser, the association’s conservation director, recently released an open letter that takes issue with several key points from the study.
Schratwieser claims that over the past five years, 30 percent of IFGA-record fish have been released alive. He acknowledges that recreational fishing impacts threatened fish populations, but said that commercial fishing plays a much larger role. Summing up his arguments, he said that the study “lacks biological credibility.”
Grant Olsen joined the KSL.com team in 2012. He covers outdoor adventures, travel, product reviews and other interesting things. You can contact him at grantorrin@gmail.com.
