Tournaments

[hhguide]

Is it true that next year after the 14th of june all tournaments are going to be catch only and NOT release? Thanks for any info just trying to understand why that law would be passed and if it is a law?

[Team Otter]

It's law in SD but not sure about MN.

[b1gf1sh1]

lmbo. what??? i'm really at a loss for words here. wow

[PerchJerker]

I don't know if it's a new law or not.

I'm not 100% sure about "the way it used to be" either, but I think the way it used to work is when a tournament applied for a permit, the DNR decided if the fish could be released or if they had to be kept based on the expected water temperatures (higher water temps, higher mortality). It may have also had to do with the tournament's capability to monitor and revive fish before releasing them.

Many of the tournaments that are catch and kill make plans to use the fish - they ask the fisherman to donate their catch and the tournament organizes a fish fry, or distributing the fish to people that don't normally fish, etc. Or the fisherman can keep their catch themselves.

[tisosy11]

A lot of the ice fishing tournaments. I think the fish are dieing anyway. Fishing in the depths that you get sometimes and the people just reeling in as fast as possible. THose poor fishies aren't going to make it!

[hhguide]

Yea I was just wondering Becuase I think that regardless of water temps or anything that in the summer tournaments they should at least try to let the fish go back. I just thought It was alittle unreal that they want to kill all those fish. THanks For the commments guys any others?

[Team Otter]

 Originally Posted By: PerchJerker

Many of the tournaments that are catch and kill make plans to use the fish - they ask the fisherman to donate their catch and the tournament organizes a fish fry, or distributing the fish to people that don't normally fish, etc. Or the fisherman can keep their catch themselves.

That's what the tournament staff does at a few of the events I do in SD.