
Originally Posted by
lewisfishing
It’s definitely all in how the directors of the tourneys handle things.
I have competed in all levels of tournaments in my years, from club level to national, and it has definitely gotten better as to the handling of the fish.
I don’t think I’ve ever been in a tournament that just left any dead fish in the water, or at least in a very long time. If any did happen to die, they were collected and someone cleaned them and the meat given away, or taken and used by the directors.
That said, the tourneys I fish now are run by the national organizations (FLW, BASS) and they have aerated tanks with bubbler aerators that can be dropped in the bags while in line. They weigh in flights so the lines are kept from being too long as well.
These tourneys have also dropped the summer months from most calendars, sticking to early spring to late spring and then picking back up in the fall.
Many of the smaller tournaments are following suit, all with the goal of keeping the sport more fun and making it better for the fish as well. As the larger tourneys see success, they encourage any other tourneys to do the same. It has gotten MUCH better on all levels.
There are, however, still a very small number of tourneys and clubs out there that are still doing things “old school” but not nearly as many as before.
Bass boat livewell systems have gotten better as well, working in different features that keep the fish from being stressed as much as in the past, too.
Nothing is ever perfect, but so much better regulated now. In fact, much of the information and technology developed during tournaments has led to better education and technology available to all anglers.
With all the progress that has been made though the years, yes, occasionally some fish may still die but when you consider that hundreds or thousands of fish are caught in any given tourney weekend, the number that die is very, very small and as I mentioned earlier, the reputable tourneys will do their best to make sure all fish survive. If not, they do try to collect any that may have died and be sure it doesn’t go to waste.
Some are missed, for sure, but I would estimate the rate to be less than the number of fish that die with non tourney anglers due to mishandling or improper hook removal, etc.
It continues to get better from what I’ve seen, though.
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