Mike, it was well written. I have to say though that I find, what with all the years I have been fishing, that a study by the Australians, which might fit a lot of species, has real knowledge of the anatomical make-up of a Striped Bass. The Striper is a fish desgined for rough conditions. I have caught them over mussell beds where they were scraping the things off of the bottom making thier lower jaws red and their undeside as well, they crush seas clams and I have caught them as they were rolling over rocks along the Elizabeths temporarily out of the water stranded on the rock itself while chasing a plug. I have a friend, who on Martha's Vineyard has caught tagged, photographed and released fish, one very large one included and has, a year to the day later, re-caught the very same fish alive and well.
On the flats of Barnstable we catch and realease bass by the hundreds. Shallow water and crystal clear where you can see each and every fish. We lip gaff the bigger ones and lip the smaller ones with our hands each and ervery time we fish there. Wouldn't we see a lot of dead fish if every one released did as the Aussie's report, meaning die?
I am not trying to demean your article, it's that I beleive that bass are much more resistant to the riggors of being handled than the Aussie study would leave us to believe they would be. It's a species by species thing.
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