A RECENT New Zealand study has found an estimated annual release mortality of 248 tonnes of snapper onboard recreational private and charter boats.
While catch & release fishing is widely practised among recreational snapper anglers, researchers estimated that around 22 per cent of released snapper die after release, largely due to factors such as capture depth and hooking location.
The findings come from analysing fishing practices on private and charter boats and combining the results with national harvest data.
Despite these losses, scientists noted that New Zealand’s snapper stock remains in good health, highlighting the importance of accounting for release mortality when assessing recreational fishing impacts.
