Sam is ambivalent without empirical proof! Well empirical or not there is no proof and unlikely to ever be !
It isn't just angling either Sam! The world is mad!
Increasingly the vociferous minority view takes precedence over more rational views and opinions!
They shall not prevail! On the angling perspective if one wants the little fishes to be totally unaffected by fishing take up golf or knitting!
That's fair enough Mike but as with shooting, you try to keep your target species in as good condition as possible so that you have good sport.
If the target species isn't in good fettle then your sport will suffer for it.
I hate catching fish with damaged mouths, split fins and missing scales and that is why I fish places where there are no keepnets and places that are little fished in comparison to most.
From my point of view, not retaining fish in nets is purely to keep them looking and fighting at their best.
Chemical alarm systems have been identified in a number of different taxa, including gastropods,[SUP][2][/SUP]echinoderms,[SUP][3][/SUP]amphibians[SUP][4][/SUP]and fishes. One of the most well-studied chemical alarm signals is schreckstoff, the use of which is widespread in the superorder Ostariophysi (e.g., minnows, characins, catfishes, etc.). About 64% of all freshwater fish species and 27% of all fish species worldwide are found in the ostariophysan superorder, which highlights the widespread use and importance of this chemical alarm system in fishes.[SUP][5][/SUP]
I literally had to read that 3 times to believe it.
Now lets remind people what you said you would do with the fish you catch that are NOT your target species such as Wels.
You said you would club it and chuck it up the bank to rot ! And dont try and justify your actions with Wels being an invasive species. 130 years at least they have already been here. Do you club every Carp on the head ? Would you club every Zander on the head for also being "invasive" ?
I'm sure they will all be kept looking good and fighting fit rotting in the bushes.
What a joke !