Deep Water Grouper Release Problems
By CAPT. MEL BERMAN, 970-WFLA and STEVEN ATRAN, Gulf Council

It's a dilemma many a deep water Gulf grouper digger faces -- especially this time of year when near shore waters cool and grouper fishing is best well offshore. You catch a fish that are below the legal size limit. The law is clear: you must release that fish. But the air bladder is extended out of its mouth. Throwing the grouper back is a sure death sentence. Yet, the regs insist that you put that fish back. What to do?

This is typical of the numerous emails we have received over the years with regard to this Hobson's Choice that many an offshore angler has had to make.

Hi Capt. Mel.

I have a question to ask that bothers me to no end. When you catch a grouper in deep water, it usually comes up with it's stomach blown out of it's mouth. If the fish is undersized ( which most of them are now) what is the best way to release the air? Do you puncture the stomach with the hook point? And what if when you throw the small fish back and it floats off in the current to die or to be eaten by a shark or barracuda? This hurts me to know that you can't keep a fish (by law), but you can release it to die just because it is 1/2 inch to small. Plus when you puncture the stomach or bladder, does it live when it returns to the bottom? I recently went on a trip where we released many, many grouper wondering if they even lived at all.

Thank you very much.

Mike Baier,,,,concerned fisherman

P.S. Imagine how many fish die when they are released improperly all over the bay and gulf.
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In order to get an authentic Scientific answer to this troubling quandary, I have asked Steven Atran, a marine biologist with the federal Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council to explain these regulations and tell us the best way to release grouper under these difficult circumstances. Here is his response:

Hi Capt. Mel:

Although some release mortality is unavoidable, how a fisherman handles a fish to be released can make a difference on whether that fish has an increased chance for survival. If a fish comes up with its stomach protruding from its mouth, DO NOT attempt to vent the stomach. There are two reasons for this. First, it's not the stomach that's the problem, it's that the fish's air bladder has ruptured internally and released air into the fish's body cavity. This trapped air expands so much that it displaces the other organs. The air needs to be released from the body cavity, not the stomach. Second, puncturing the protruding surface of a stomach, air bladder, or any other organ that might be visible creates a direct opening from the sea to the internal organ, which can be a death sentence for the fish.

The best way to vent a fish is through the body using a hollow needle such as a hypodermic needle or a venting tool specifically designed for the task. The body wall does a pretty good job of self-sealing, especially with the small hole produced by such a tool. A knife or ice pick is usually not recommended because they make too big an opening, but if nothing else if available, it's better than nothing, provided the fish is unable to swim down on its own. Return the fish to the water and revive it in an upright position until the fish swims away and descends. Don't try to push the stomach back in, because you risk causing physical damage. As the fish swims back down to its original depth, the increasing water pressure will take care of that for you.

(Note: The article on this web site "How to deflate your fish" explains in detail how to use this venting tool.)   

Florida Sea Grant sells a venting tool along with a brochure on how to use it. To receive the Sea Grant bladder venting tool and a copy of the brochure, send a $6.50 check made out to the University of Florida and mail to: Florida Sea Grant - University of Florida - P.O. Box 110409 - Gainesville, FL 32611-0409. Be sure to specify that you want the venting tool and brochure.

There have been numerous studies done on releasing fish and factors that affect their survival. Aside from venting, some of the factors that have been found to affect survival are:

- Depth of capture. Studies done by Mote Marine Lab on red grouper and scamp indicated a high rate of survival for fish caught shallower than 144 feet, but poor survival in deeper waters.

- Use of circle hooks. Circle hooks nearly always hook a fish in the mouth, whereas regular J-hooks are more likely to gut hook a fish. If the tip of a gut-hooked fish pierces the esophagus, it can strike and damage the fish's internal organs, leading to death.

- Size of fish. Some recent studies done at Florida State University on red grouper and red snapper indicated that, although the relationship between size and release mortality is not very strong, larger fish tended to suffer higher release mortalities than smaller fish.

- Surface interval. The Florida State University study also found a strong relationship between surface interval and depth-related release mortality. With red grouper, red snapper and gag caught at 40 meters (131 feet), mortality ranged from 20% for a 3-minute surface interval to 100% for an 18-minute surface interval.

In recent stock assessments for grouper, the National Marine Fisheries Service used release mortalities of 10 percent for the recreational sector and 33% for the commercial sector. Clearly, the more that released fish survive, the more effective size and bag limits will be in protecting and rebuilding fish stocks. While many of the factors affecting survival are beyond a fisherman's control, there are things a fisherman can do to help improve survival, such as keeping the fish's surface interval to a minimum, using circle hooks, properly venting if necessary, and moving away from areas where the proportion of undersized fish being caught is unusually high.

It may seem like a waste to have to throw back a fish that is obviously not going to survive, but if fishermen were allowed to keep the fish that are obviously dead or dying, size limits would become virtually unenforceable. As long as enough released fish survive, the benefits of letting those fish live to eventually become spawners outweighs the negative impacts from those that don't survive.

Sincerely,

Steven Atran
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council