Recreational angling affects millions of fish annually. Evidence-based catch-and-release practices significantly reduce welfare harm, while understanding the welfare costs of angling informs responsible practice.
Recreational angling welfare involves genuine trade-offs between human recreational value and fish welfare harm. Fish caught on hooks experience injury, physiological stress from capture, and handling stress from air exposure. For catch-and-release, the welfare cost depends heavily on how well anglers follow evidence-based handling practices: minimizing air exposure, using barbless hooks, keeping fish in the water during release, and avoiding warm-water fishing. For fish that are killed, rapid humane dispatch minimizes suffering duration. Anglers who engage seriously with the welfare evidence and implement best practices demonstrate that recreational fishing and fish welfare concern are compatible.