I saw this on fishmojo...which got this from Cabelas...
http://www.cabelasoutdoors.com/fishing/springer_striper_mortality.html

This report is based on southern states but has some interesting theories on striper mortality... I can't say I'd agree with them with regards to stripers in the oceans and bays of the northeast but you can draw your own conclusions...



For those of you that have had the unfortunate circumstance of taking college statistics, first, my condolences.


If you survived, you might remember that sample size is an all-important variable. How many are you measuring--what’s your sample size? The more data you have, the more meaningful your statistics. A stats professors of mine once jokingly said that a sample size of 10 was nearing infinity, and that the statistical possibilities were boundless. Real funny--more evidence that statisticians are accountants without the personality.

Joking aside, researchers at the Texas Tech Department of Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management recently published in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management their findings on hooking mortality of some 1,200 striped bass -- a huge and quite meaningful sample size -- from fish caught and released from across the southern U.S. They pulled information from previous hooking mortality studies done in North and South Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas. The findings could have implications to striper fisheries across the country.

Dr. Gene Wilde led research looking into how bait type and water temperature affected the survivability of striped bass caught and released. The study essentially asked: Are fish caught on natural baits more apt to die from injury than one caught trolling a crank bait? And temperature, the warmer the water the worse for wear? Here’s what Dr. Wilde and his team of researchers found.

Regardless of bait type, 29 percent of striped bass caught and released died within three days. But compared between bait types, it was higher for fish caught on natural baits, at 42 percent. For artificial baits mortality was a much lower 25 percent.

But bait type alone didn’t explain the variation. Water temperature figures prominently in whether fish will survive. Simply put, the warmer the water, the more likely a released striper is to perish, regardless of size. Climbing into the 80s, nearly 70 percent of stripers caught on natural baits and 57 percent caught on artificials, perished.

According to Dr. Wilde, the exact implications of his findings to striper populations will vary from water to water, but to him, one thing is clear.

"Our results do call into question catch-and-release fishing, especially in summer," said Wilde. "Catch and release is viewed as having little effect on populations, but when more than 30 percent of fish die, even in cooler water, I have a hard time justifying releasing fish. Instead, requiring anglers to keep all fish captured, up to their bag limit may be better."

Another alternative to striper management is seasonal closure. While it would afford some protection to stripers, Wilde admits its not likely to happen with many striper fisheries. Instead, Wilde thinks a seasonal relaxing of length limits might be better. Anglers might just go ahead and keep what would otherwise be an undersized fish, given minimally a third of released fish would perish anyway.

This year as you sally forth to partake of top-notch striper fishing, think about what’s at the end of your line. If you belong to the secular church of catch and release, are you practicing what you preach? Is your quarry going to survive to be caught another day?

I can hardly think of statistics and not have Twain’s famous "Lies, damn lies, and statistics" come to mind, but this evidence is convincing. When and how you fish for stripers could have a lasting impact to your sport. According to Wilde’s research, you do have a choice.

JohnR, interesting little article, but who was financing that study, the commercial fishing industry. I find it hard to believe that they can publish this information on hear say or evidence contributed by a fishermen but not confirmed, maybe I am missing something here, but if they want to do a real study, they should be out on the water in different area's with fisherman and just see what is really happening to these fish after they have been released.
Many of our friends that fish and catch and release day after day, catching sometimes over 100 fish a day, at the same spots, don't see a lot of fish floating in the coves and bay that have come up dead from catch and release. I know we tidal changes but come on. So how are they really confirming such an issue? Before they publish such bull sh## they should come out and spend a few days on the water.
We did a survey a few years ago with the club, don't know if you remember, to get an idea of the average fish caught and size, but it is not based on fact, just opinions from the individuals that caught those fish and filled out the survey. So I would really like to know how they came up with these statistics. JMOP

Several things...

First of all, this study was conducted way on down south where the environment is drastically different than ours, even in the dog days of August. Our waters are much more conducive (well at least the natural part) to survival of these fish which is not factored into that study.

Other studies have indicated that it the mortality of c&r fish is somewhere around 8-10%, the one coming to mind was the one by Diodati a while back.

As far as the artificials -v- bait, I don't know if I agree with the high mortality % but I might agree with the ratio of bait-v-lure caught bass. And as a subset of that, a circle hook-v-regular hook like that one that other DEMFWL fellow mentioned at the 50th Anniv. meeting a few months back when they did the circle hook/regular hook compare on bait fishing. That study showed a much lower mortality rate on circle hooked fish than with regular hooks based on the likelihood of gut hooked fish (still don't think it works well with eels)...

As far as who paid for this study? Who knows, there isn't much of the hard data mentioned to take it too seriously but it does provoke thought. And we do want to be open minded after all :P ,right? Again, it just states that it got its info from here and there, and then draws it's conclusion...

The way they do these studies is to catch fish , put them in a holding tank , take them to an impound pond , release them into the new pond , then count the fish that go belly up. I know from my aquarium days that simply handling fish like that and moving them around from cold ocean water to warm tanks to who knows what ponds , kills fish.

The second point I would make is that I've witnissed thousands of fish caught in a small area in a single day. Some dead fish washed up. However , if the mortality rate was even 10 % , there would have been dead fish washing up everywhere.

We jig fish at the canal. Them fish are brought in fast , no part of the fish is touched except the lip , they are out of the water , unhooked , and back in in 30 seconds. I honestly feel that of the hundreds of fish we catch each year , fewer than a handful have any chance of dying. The ones that might die have been accidently dropped. Those are few and far between.

I have seen large fish landed on too light equipment. They come in too tired after a long fight and usually won't even revive and swim away (Thats why I use a pool cue with 50 LB Spectron to bring them in quickly). Fish in that kind of condition should be kept to provide food and therefore save a healthy "keeper" you catch at a later date.
I also hate to see people put a foot on the fish to keep it down while they struggle with a hook. Mistreating the fish will cause some to die and thats a good reason why we should all show the clueless the proper way to handle a fish so that released fish have a good chance of survival.

Anyway , long winded way of saying that what is reported in this study just doesn't match what I've seen over the years on the water.

Nothing wrong with muscling a fish in unhooking it and turning it around fast. Gentle and quick (often difficult for an uncoordinate like myself :P ). I'd say probably the biggest issue with recreational anglers is the bulk of anglers who don't know or don't care about the way a fish is released. A fish is caught and someone spends 15 minutes trying to save the hook or the drop it on the rocks or beach and kick that fish into the water. Even the real mortality rate, which certainly is lower than that study would be improved with decent and quick releasing of a fish to the water... The biggest problem has got to be getting people to properly release a fish....