Careful Catch and Release - Atlantic Highly Migratory Species

Helping large pelagic fish survive to fight another day.

Practicing careful catch and release is important because it can drastically decrease the number of fish that die after being released. For example, a 2016 study by Dr. John Graves and others from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science showed that by simply not removing the fish the from the water, white marlin mortality after release could fall from 33.3% to 1.7%.

Every fish released alive and in good condition moves the nation one step closer to the goal of maintaining sustainable fisheries.