Throwing fish back is cruel, say scientists

 Fishing may be cruel even if the fish are thrown back in the water, because they subsequently struggle to feed, a study found.

“Catch-and-release” policies have become the norm on many British rivers and lakes, considered a more humane method and vital for conserving stocks.

But scientists now believe that hooking fish injures their mouths, leaving them less able to suck in prey.

In the first study of its kind, researchers monitored 20 wild shiner perch caught in Canada. Half had been hooked and half netted. High-speed cameras showed that those that had been hooked fed less well.

The scientists from the University of California Riverside said this was because the hole caused by the hook disrupts the fish’s suction system. The research is published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.