Quote Originally Posted by sweetwater View Post
Shorter tournament hours, lower bag limits, multiple required weigh-ins or better yet an honor system tournament format where you'd weigh the fish yourself then quickly release it. All the above suggestions would give the fish a better chance of surviving than poking their insides with a dirty needle after riding around in a tiny live well for 6 or 8 hours in 80+ degree water would. Like I said, the key to their survival is returning the fish to the water as soon as possible, in the best possible condition without any extra holes in their bodies. (besides the one their mouth of course)

You have not made a point at all.

"Shorter tournament hours" Fish start suffering from this the minute they are caught

"Lower bag limits" Just kill three instead of five?

"Multiple required weigh ins" Again this would not help with barotrauma at all


"Honor system tournament format" See above, but i don't see how a fish floating on it's belling in 80+ degree water, unable to achieve the depth it was prior to being caught, is better than riding around in a livewell all day.

Most biologist's opinions i have read agree that no long term affect comes from doing this if the fish survive.