Wild Freshwater Fish Angling Welfare and Best Practice

Recreational angling is one of the UK's most popular pastimes. Adopting best-practice catch-and-release techniques minimises welfare impacts on fish during angling.

Key Facts

Approximately 1 million UK anglers participate regularly, with millions of fish caught annually
Catch-and-release is standard practice for most coarse fishing - fish are returned after capture
Fish experience stress from air exposure, handling, hook injury and predator proximity during angling
Barbless hooks allow faster, less traumatic hook removal and are increasingly standard
Water temperature affects stress response - warm water fishing increases physiological stress
Landing net use prevents fish from being dragged on banks and reduces scale damage
Maximum air exposure recommended is under 30 seconds for most species

Welfare Considerations

Angling welfare reform recognises that fish feel stress and pain, and that capture and handling causes measurable physiological disturbance even when fish appear to recover quickly. A fish held out of water while photos are taken experiences hypoxia and extreme stress - the 'swim away fine' behaviour does not confirm the absence of lasting harm. Barbless hooks, minimised handling, wet hands, quick photography and prompt release in current best practice significantly reduce welfare impact. Catch-and-release fishing with good technique is far less welfare-costly than kill fishing, but is not welfare-neutral.

What You Can Do

Use barbless hooks as standard for all catch-and-release fishing
Minimise air exposure - have landing net, unhooking mat and camera ready before landing
Keep fish in the water during hook removal wherever possible
Use wet hands when handling fish to avoid damaging protective mucus layer
Support barbless hook requirements and best-practice standards in fishing clubs and competitions