| A new guide details how to safely release deepwater bottomfish species | |
| By Sam Hudson |
Source: sportfishingmag |
12/23/2023 |
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Credit: Em Right |
Prized bottomfish such as red snapper, gag grouper and other demersal species are experiencing overfishing. That’s according to state and federal fisheries managers in charge of overseeing fish populations. What that means for recreational anglers in the last decade is often shorter seasons, plus the likelihood of early seasonal closures. As you might imagine, the range of emotions many weekend-warriors experience falls anywhere from anger and frustration, to understanding, all the way to acceptance. |
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Anglers do not set snapper and grouper size limits and seasons — that’s completely out of our hands. What anglers can control is how they safely release a bottom fish that can’t be kept. Study after study shows that a percentage of bottom fish die after release — whether from gut hooking, barotrauma, or shark depredation. |
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