Thread: Will they live

Originally Posted by Blackdog40

I was at the weigh in at the Melvern Walleye tournament and a number of fish went belly up when the hit the water out of the chute. They stayed that way for a long time, some where returned to the holding tanks again and then put back in the lake they still were belly up for awhile, most did swim away. My question is will they survive long term.

Also a number of fish flopped out of the chute that they had set up and the only people that were there to return them were spectators like myself. No official seemed to be watching.

Blackdog40,

Like any other event/tourney dealing with live fish, some fish make it and some don't.

The weigh-in of a release tournament cannot 'make' good survivability of fish, but it sure can 'break' it! Even the best operated and organized weigh-in cannot magically heal those fish that weren't cared for during the entire tournament. However, the best cared for fish that are in the best shape can be quickly stressed by a poorly run weigh-in.

The KWA runs a very organized and efficient weigh-in. Anglers do not wait in long lines with fish stressing in bags while they wait. Tanks with fresh, circulated, and aerated water are available for the fish before and after the weigh-in. Many event organizers are on hand to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. Unfortunately, walleye that are brought to the scales in poor shape cannot be 'fixed' at the weigh-in to allow for 100% mortality free release.

KWA participants receive a 0.10 pound bonus per live fish they weigh-in. Dead fish receive no bonus. A team weighing in a limit of 6 walleye receives 0.6 pounds of live bonus weight added to their total. This is an incentive given by the KWA to anglers to care for their fish.

While live release tournaments do result in some loss of the target species, percent mortality is obviously far less than the 100% one would have if all legal walleye that were caught were prepared for the table.