Recreational catch-and-release fishing is widely practiced as a conservation measure, but the welfare implications for released fish are more significant than commonly appreciated.
Catch-and-release fishing is often framed as conservation-positive and harm-free, but the welfare evidence suggests that released fish experience significant acute stress and that a meaningful proportion die from injuries or physiological stress after release. A fish that is hooked, played to exhaustion, lifted out of water for unhooking and photography, and then returned to the water may survive in the short term but is physiologically compromised and at elevated predation risk for hours afterward. The welfare case for catch-and-release improvements — barbless hooks, minimal air exposure, in-water hook removal, avoiding fishing in stress-inducing temperature conditions — is supported by mortality data. These practices are compatible with continuing recreational fishing while meaningfully reducing its welfare impact. Fish welfare deserves to be part of recreational fishing ethics, not ignored.