Want Sustainable Fishing? Keep Only Small Fish, And Let The Big Ones Go
Research shows the wisdom of keep the smaller fish and throw back the big ones-
Want Sustainable Fishing? Keep Only Small Fish, And Let The Big Ones Go. Science Daily.

Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
4 Responses to Want Sustainable Fishing? Keep Only Small Fish, And Let The Big Ones Go
Subscribe to Blog via Email
Join 968 other subscribersRecent Posts
- Wildfire And California Home Insurance Challenges May 27, 2023
- Grizzlies Get A Win On Upper Green May 26, 2023
- Senator Daines Ill-advised Forest Management Advocacy May 25, 2023
- Save Our Sequoias Act–A Stealth Attack On NEPA, ESA and Our Sequoia Groves May 21, 2023
- Oregon’s Eagle Creek Wildfire–Six Years Later May 15, 2023
Recent Comments
- Ida Lupine on Wildfire And California Home Insurance Challenges
- Jeff Hoffman on Wildfire And California Home Insurance Challenges
- Jeff Hoffman on Senator Daines Ill-advised Forest Management Advocacy
- laurie on Grizzlies Get A Win On Upper Green
- Ida Lupine on Grizzlies Get A Win On Upper Green
- Jeff Hoffman on Grizzlies Get A Win On Upper Green
- Ida Lupine on Grizzlies Get A Win On Upper Green
- Ida Lupine on Grizzlies Get A Win On Upper Green
- Jeff Hoffman on Grizzlies Get A Win On Upper Green
- Maggie Frazier on Senator Daines Ill-advised Forest Management Advocacy
- Ida Lupine on Tribal Bison Slaughter Illegal?
- Jeff Hoffman on Save Our Sequoias Act–A Stealth Attack On NEPA, ESA and Our Sequoia Groves
- Ida Lupine on Save Our Sequoias Act–A Stealth Attack On NEPA, ESA and Our Sequoia Groves
- Jeff Hoffman on Save Our Sequoias Act–A Stealth Attack On NEPA, ESA and Our Sequoia Groves
- Maggie Frazier on Save Our Sequoias Act–A Stealth Attack On NEPA, ESA and Our Sequoia Groves
when fishing in the Califormia Sierras a number of years ago, I caught a 12 inch golden trout. For a golden, it was huge. We cooked it for dinner that night. It was tough and the meat was stringy, not at all good. Since then, I have been fishing catch and release. That old fish was a turning point in my angling ethic; toss them back for someone else to catch.
Rick
There is another thing to consider here too. Larger fish also tend to have more mercury and other toxins in them so smaller fish are healthier for you too.
Serious bass fisherman have been doing that for a good while.
Although I am a very strong catch and release fisherman, this concept does not apply to all species, especially trout.
It is sometimes good to reduce the biomass of species in certain waters in order to allow smaller fish to take over. This holds true especially for Trout or Char. This is the approach that both Wyoming and Utah have used in creating sustainable trophy fisheries for Lake Trout, Brook Trout, and now the ever popular Tiger Trout.
Here is a good article from the Utah Division of Wildlife concerning this topic.
http://wildlife.utah.gov/blueribbon/4-step_plan.pdf