Ban Cruel Fishhooks

[the gecko]

While I dont use ss hooks either, Im more concerned with where this all is heading.......

The next push will be for barbless hooks all round.
Then more marine sanctuaries.
Then fishing licence costs to cover the red tape.
It all sounds like greenies who dont fish, trying to rule our pastime.

Sorry for my pesimism. Im a believer that most fish can throw a hook in 6 days.
I do agree theres not enough scientific research on it tho.

I suppose we should applaud sunfish for adopting the no ss hook policy.
Its better to take the initiative and make decisions before they are forced on us.
Like everyone who fishes, I care about survival of the species.

Im just sick of minorities having more say than majorities.

OK my whinge is over.

Andrew

[blaze]

just to muddy the water a bit more
IMO a fish has a far better chance of survival after being caught on a stainless hook than if that fish was played for extended periods of time on ultra light line.
cheers
blaze

[tigermullet]

just to muddy the water a bit more
IMO a fish has a far better chance of survival after being caught on a stainless hook than if that fish was played for extended periods of time on ultra light line.
cheers
blaze

I certainly agree with that but I have a preference for stainless steel hooks. For estuarine fish, especially bream, they work just fine and can have their barbs crushed very easily without the problem of brittle steel hooks snapping off when crushing or having their points bent over by hard boney mouths.

Stainless steel might be a tad more expensive but they do last longer in the tackle box, keep their points better during fishing and this leads to less hook changing. The last quality is important at night for those of us whose eyesight is not what it used to be.

Having said that, I don't really care if stainless steel hooks are banned. I will still crush the barbs and put up with more frequent changing of hooks but I do think that the argument about stainless steel versus mild steel is flawed and is a result of bad science or nil science and is just speculation.

[rando]

Brad Smith well known local guide was instrumental in supplying the DPI with the breeding stock for their research on mangrove jack. He supplied them with many live jacks .

He told me, that the fish are able to either pass or eject the hooks in only a matter of hours, even when deeply hooked .
He joked about the two way trade, he would supply them with jacks ,and they would collect his hooks from the bottom of their tanks and return them.

[435_Mark]

A just finished collaborative study on Flathead post release survival is available on http://www.info-fish.net/releasefish...arch%20Reports
Incidence of deep hooking for Flathead is low. Even so for deep hooked fish hooks were observed to be either thrown or pass through the majority of fish kept for observation. The advice is to snip the line as close to the hook as possible and leave the hook in. Various studies are cited in the report that show a substantial increase in survival if this is done.

[mariner_22]

Get rid of them is what I say. I personally never use them for the reasons listed and don't think it is asking much to put a ban to them.

[minno]

Stainless steel hooks Dont waste away, and yes, some fish can throw them. But for the ones that are hooked in the wrong place, its death for the marine creature. Wouldnt it be fair to say, that our ethics on catch and release is pointless, when we want too catch it next time. BAN THEM! Hear is some food for thought. When a fish dies with a stainless steel hook in them, other fish eat them, and because of the life of the hook, it could have a second and a third
chance and so on to do more damage.

Bring on the fast desolving hook.



minno

[435_Mark]

minno,
I hear where you are coming from. But there is no evidence to suggest that stainless hooks are any worse for the fish then steel ones. If a fish is going to die because of the hook location then it doesn't matter a bean whether it is a stainless hook or a steel hook. I've pulled tailor off the beaches at Fraser that have had a set of gangs in their gob and are still able to feed. I'm all for treating the fish you catch ethically and following the advice for best release practise but I don't see banning stainless hooks as having any practicle benefit.

Cheers,

Mark

[minno]

www.landline.com.au Should help in this matter. Yes I see your point about the hook being in a fatal spot. This can not be helped. But at leasted the normal hook
wont cause any more damage.



minno

[Derek Bullock]

This argument is a bit like the similar one on lead sinkers. I wonder when they are going to be banned as well.

Arguments from both sides appear good however in lots of cases lacking credibility.


Derek

[Flex]

Im sure a small stainless hook hanging out the side of a bream's mouth for a couple of weeks before it fell out wouldn't cause too many to die.

But, it's my personal belief that very large large stainless hooks should be totally banned. I have personally caught a large turtle once with a big stainless hook stuck down its throat. Granted it was still feeding as it took my bait. But it was one of the lucky ones.
I imagine alot of stainless hooks used are the really large ones for shark fishing. Mainly to save money as you can easily re-use em. Do a search of the net and look at all the pictures of sharks,dolphins,turtles that have died/suffered from having these massive hooks lodged in their throats.

IMO there is no need to use stainless hooks.