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United
States -Canada How to Selective Fish Harvest
Education
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Brought to you By Dundee
Sportsman's Club Inc. |
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50
STATES FISH, GAME and WILDLIFE WEB SITES |
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Selective Harvest
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Selective Harvest is harvesting only the fish you intend to use
for food and releasing the rest of your catch unharmed. It implies
that you understand your role in the environment as both a
conservator and predator. Selective harvest means that you minimize
the waste of fish whenever possible.
Selective harvest depends upon using
catch and release techniques to land
your fish. Using Catch and Release techniques assures you that the fish
will be in the best possible physical condition when you make the
decision to harvest it for food or to release it Back into its
environment.
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Fish Are VERY Good Food! |
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You can improve the taste and freshness of
your catch by following a few simple steps:
Quickly land and kill those fish
you will keep. Extended
fighting adversely affects the flavor of the meat. The longer a
fish is played, the more lactic acid builds up in the muscle
tissue. This adversely affects the ability of the fish to
survive if it is released, or its taste and quality if frozen or
preserved. |
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Quickly land and
kill those fish you will keep |
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Quickly land and kill those fish you will keep. Extended
fighting adversely affects the flavor of the meat. The longer a
fish is played, the more lactic acid builds up in the muscle
tissue. This adversely affects the ability of the fish to
survive if it is released, or its taste and quality if frozen or
preserved. |
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Don't
let your catch flop about on rocks or in the bottom of your boat |
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Don't let your catch flop about on
rocks or in the bottom of your boat.
Place your catch in a Livewell or stun your catch with a sharp
blow to the back of the head. Physical damage can occur to the
muscle tissue while landing your catch. Fish have weaker
connective tissue than other animals. Never handle a fish by the
tail. Don't drop or toss your fish. Use a landing net whenever
possible. |
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Bleed
your catch immediately |
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Bleed your
catch immediately.
Bleeding your catch protects the flavor and increases storage
life. Bleeding eliminates waste products, removes oxygen that
leads to spoilage, and decreases the number of bacteria in the
flesh. Breaking or cutting a gill arch (the heart continues to
pump after you have stunned the fish) will remove much of the
blood from the flesh. |
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Remove
the gills and all blood and viscera from the body cavity |
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Remove the gills and all blood and viscera
from the body cavity. The internal organs contain millions of
bacteria and numerous enzymes. Cleaning should be done immediately
after killing and bleeding. Use a spoon or the back of your thumb to
remove the kidney from along the spine. Use your thumb to gently
push blood from between the ribs toward the spine.
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Ice
your catch |
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Ice your catch.
Icing preserves the quality of the meat by delaying
deterioration. Pack ice inside the body cavity to lower the core
temperature quickly. Pack your catch in ice until you can get it
into long-term storage. Freezing inhibits the growth of
bacteria. By glazing your fish with ice and using vacuum packing
when freezing, your catch can still be very palatable after
several months in the freezer. |
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KEEP
ONLY WHAT YOU WILL USE |
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KEEP ONLY WHAT YOU WILL USE. Selective harvest means that you
keep what you will use and release the remainder of your catch
unharmed. If a fish that is legal is bleeding from the gills or
showing signs of undue stress, kill it and keep it as part of
your bag limit. Because of size
or bag limits, you may not be able to keep some fish that you
think may die.
Use tackle and lures that minimize the chance of injury to fish
if you intend to release your catch. Avoid using bait if you are
catching too many fish. Fish usually take bait more deeply than
lures or flies. As you near the number of fish you can use and
you want to keep fishing, switch to less effective tackle. |
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