Physiological and behavioural consequences of catch-and-release angling on northern pike (Esox lucius L.)

The impact of catch-and-release on the foraging behaviour of pike (Esox lucius) when released alone or into groups

“…The delays in interest and attack propensities are most likely a consequence of an altered physiological status of the fish. Exposure to stressors like air exposure and extreme physical exercise will result in accumulation of lactate due to anaerobic metabolism and other physiological disturbances, which has been reported in pike and other species (Cooke and Suski, 2005;Gingerich et al, 2007;Klefoth et al, 2008;Arlinghaus et al, 2009). A further reason could be a learning effect to become more cautious after a potentially negative experience, as previously demonstrated in pike by Beukema (1970) in pond studies.…”

“…It has been suggested that pike are relatively robust to C&R overall, including injuries related to capture and to handling-induced stressors (Arlinghaus et al, 2008b(Arlinghaus et al, , 2009. Using telemetry in the wild, it has, however, previously been shown that pike reduce movement activity in response to the C&R event, whilst showing recovery of normal behavioural patterns after a couple of days (Arlinghaus et al, 2008a(Arlinghaus et al, , 2009Klefoth et al, 2008Klefoth et al, , 2011. Decreased activity following release could be caused by the C&R-induced stress response in pike (Arlinghaus et al, 2009), but it is unclear if the activity reduction also includes a decreased foraging propensity.…”

“…Using telemetry in the wild, it has, however, previously been shown that pike reduce movement activity in response to the C&R event, whilst showing recovery of normal behavioural patterns after a couple of days (Arlinghaus et al, 2008a(Arlinghaus et al, , 2009Klefoth et al, 2008Klefoth et al, , 2011. Decreased activity following release could be caused by the C&R-induced stress response in pike (Arlinghaus et al, 2009), but it is unclear if the activity reduction also includes a decreased foraging propensity. If pike alter foraging behaviours after C&R, this angling practice could cause negative effects on both individual growth (Klefoth et al, 2011) and pike predation rates, potentially causing cascades through the food web due to altered behavioural and size-structured interactions with prey (Nilsson, 2001).…”

A lake as a microcosm: reflections on developments in aquatic ecology

“…4 The relation between macrophyte cover (% of the bottom covered with macrophytes) and the number of resting herbivorous waterfowl, mainly coot (Fulica atra; r = 0.86; F = 25.00; p \ 0.001) and invertebrate feeding waterfowl (r = 0.68; F = 7.67; p \ 0.022) in Lake Krankesjön. Each data point represents 1 year (data from: Hansson et al 2010) catch-and-release (C&R) fishing is now commonly practiced, where caught fish are landed, unhooked and released at the capture location with the aim to cause fish as little harm as possible (Klefoth et al 2008;Arlinghaus et al 2009;Stålhammar et al 2012).…”

Use of external Indicators to Evaluate Stress of Largemouth (Micropterus salmoides) and Smallmouth (M. dolomieu) Bass at Tournaments

“…Mortality due to air exposure did not correspond to changes in blood chemistry among commercially captured Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) [10]. A study of northern pike (Esox lucius) response to angling and handling showed that despite a dearth of significant changes in blood chemistry variables, fish that were angled and handled for greater amounts of time took longer to recover post-release [19]. Research on black bass also suggests that blood chemistry responses to air exposure are inconsistent [16].…”