The rally cry “drinkable, swimmable, fishable water” is being championed by many and different groups. On this week’s Sustainable Fish Friday 1-minute tip we pose the question, who best is situated to speak on behalf of fishable water?

Humans have been catching, selecting, harvesting and consuming wild fish for tens-of-thousands of years. We have the knowledge to carry out this practice in a responsible and respectful manner. Listen to this week’s Sustainable Fish Friday 1-minute tip to make sure you’re continuing the tradition of dispatching your selected catch in a humane manner.

Large trophy game fish captures are rare moments – the memories of which we cherish for years to come. However, how we caught those big fish is more important than how they may have tasted. This week’s Sustainable Fish Friday 1-minute tip offers food for thought on the consumption of older trophy-size fish.

Many fishing boats now have raised platforms for anglers to stand on when fishing. The increased height improves visibility and casting accuracy. For fish being released, this increased height can also spell trouble. This week’s Sustainable Fish Friday 1-minute tip offers the best approach to releasing fish from higher elevations such as raised casting decks or docks.

Belly Up

While there’s nothing wrong with selectively harvesting the odd fish, returning fish to the water to live another day is a practice that should be applied more often than not. Sometimes, fish are a bit overwhelmed when returned to the water and may hang upside down with their bellies up. This week’s Sustainable Fish Friday 1-minute tip addresses what you can do as a responsible angler to ensure these fish recover quickly and swim off safely.

Lawrence holding his catch of a 26lb pike

Years ago, miners would take canaries into the mine shafts with them as early warning indicators of dangerous gasses. Large apex predatory fish are like our canaries in that they serve to alert us when their ecosystems are dysfunctional. Listen to this week’s Sustainable Fish Friday tip to learn why we need apex predators in our fishing holes.