Most anglers who have caught rockfish have seen how they can have difficulties returning to the bottom when released because they lack the ability to release air quickly from their swim bladders. The result is a condition known as barotrauma. Only a small percentage of fish released at the surface suffering with barotrama will be able to get back to the bottom successfully. The solution is to lower the rockfish down to the depth that they were caught and this will result in “rockfish recompression”. There are a number of simple commercial and home-made recompression devices available to aid in returning rockfish to depth and when released at depth research has shown a significant increase in survival.
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I wanted to post this article on FishinBC because knowledge on the effects of barotrauma and on the release techniques will reach alot of anglers and this can have a significant effect on the rockfish populations in the areas that we fish. I think alot of people have wondered about how to do it but not known the best methods.
Also, there has been speculation about using sharp object to penetrate the air bladder, allowing rockfish to decompress and return to the bottom but this technique is not recommended because of the probability for infection, or for damaging other important internal organs of the fish.
Rockfish Release Videos
Here are three videos about rockfish release showing some of the devices that can be used effectively. The first one is produced by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and is an excellent video.
The second video is also very good it starts off with a theme for children but moves into some great discussion on rockfish release relevant for anglers of all ages.
The last video is a short underwater film of a school of rockfish this shows how these fish behave underwater, hanging around rocks and within the water column from the bottom and suspended at quite a depth. You can see how many there are in the school and this relates to the importance of releasing the undersized ones because rockfish populations can be easily overfished.
