Catch-and-release angling affects fish welfare through physiological stress, handling, and injury, with specific techniques minimizing harm to released fish.
Catch-and-release welfare is determined by the cumulative stress of the catch event: hook injury, exhaustion from fighting the line, handling, air exposure, and livewell holding. Each element adds to physiological stress that affects post-release survival. Anglers who minimize these elements through barbless hooks, rapid release, wet handling, minimal air exposure, and proper livewell management significantly reduce welfare harm to released fish. The welfare significance of these practices is demonstrated by post-release survival studies showing dramatic differences between careful and careless catch-and-release techniques. The underlying question of whether fish experience pain and distress in ways analogous to mammals is increasingly answered affirmatively by neuroscience, strengthening the welfare case for minimizing catch-and-release harm.