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Aquatic animals
National Consultative Committee on Animal Welfare (NCCAW) Position Statement
All vertebrate animals must be treated humanely. This Position Statement provides guidance on humane practices in recreational fishing and some commercial activities which involve recreational fishers.
Fish welfare should be included under the protection of State and Territory animal welfare and fisheries legislation.
Any damage to a fish will impair its ability to survive if released, and should be avoided.
NCCAW's Position
NCCAW's position on specific practices relating to recreational fishing is as follows:
Fishing tackle
- The selection of hooks and their arrangement should be made on the basis of minimising damage to the fish. Barbless hooks inflict less damage to fish so their use is encouraged, particularly if fish are to be released
- Hooks which rust and breakdown quickly are preferable to long lasting hooks if fish are to be released, particularly in fresh water species
- The use of excessively light line is discouraged as it is likely to result in longer landing times and more frequent break offs. Fish which break off may be compromised by attached line.
Landing
- If fish are to be returned to the water, handling and time out of water should be minimised as far as possible. Where practical, fish should be released without being removed from the water
- Fish should be landed quickly in order to minimise damage
- Where a fish is damaged, such as by excessive bleeding, eye injury or prolapse of the swim bladder, the fish should be killed immediately and not released
- Soft knotless landing mesh nets should be used where appropriate rather than gaffs, if it is expected that the fish will be released
- The handling of live fish should be minimised. Fish should not be picked up by the tail or in the gills. Generally fish over 1 kilogram should have their belly supported to prevent damage to the spinal column
- Wet cotton gloves (if available) or wet hands should be used to minimise damage to the fish
- Care should be taken when removing hooks. If internal damage may result by removing the hook, for example in the gills or the gut, the hook should be left in place and the line cut as short as possible
- Captured fish which are to be kept, must be killed as soon as possible, either by a blow to the head or by using the sharp end of a knife to destroy the brain. Prompt killing protects the welfare of the fish and improves the quality of the product.
Tethering of fish
- Tethering through the gills or mouth of live fish for any purpose is unacceptable and should be phased out.
Live baiting (the use of live fish)
- Live baiting is to be discouraged on animal welfare grounds. While live baiting continues, it should be carried out in a way which minimises damage to the bait fish.
Fishing competitions (temporary stocking)
- Fishing competitions involving the temporary stocking of fish in an unsuitable environment (for example, public swimming pools contaminated with chlorine), and/or which involve excessive handling, inappropriate transportation, repetitive capture and/or overcrowding, should be avoided.
Commercial "fish-out" recreational activities
- Commercial "fish-out" operators are encouraged to provide unskilled fishers with instructions on humane handling and killing of captured fish. A program of instruction and monitoring is desirable.
Fish tagging
- Only identification methods which are humane and cause minimal disruption to fish should be adopted.
In addition, NCCAW:
- recognises that the recreational fishing industry supports the need to treat fish humanely
- encourages the progression of State and national Codes of Practice to specifically address animal welfare aspects of recreational fishing, and
- supports an educational approach to this issue.
This Position Statement was first published in April 1999 and was reviewed by NCCAW on 20 February 2008. NCCAW made the decision to retain it without amendment.
Last Updated: 23 Jun 2008
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