Catch and Release Speech 2025

Big Al reply :

For a final semester speech in my communications class (I'm freshman in college), I'm doing a persuasive speech about the benefits of catch and release. I know, most of my class wont really care, but content doesn't matter as much as how it's presented. I chose the topic because it's something I feel strongly about and it's not boring like yet another speech about war or gay marriage. Basically the idea is to persuade the audience to feel that catch and release is a good idea.

I'm wondering if any of you know of some good statistics, facts, or websites related to catch and release. This is mostly geared to bass fishing but can be all types of fishing.

Thanks for the help in advance! ;D

Quinn reply :

You could read this first:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1231026675/0

This is a very awkward topic on this forum. Also search catch and release here.

Hope it helps

Marty reply :

I'm no scientist, but I know that pure catch and release is not always a good idea for certain bodies of water. For some waters, selective harvest is a better idea.

Here's one article here:

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/selective_harvest_bass.html

SirSnookalot reply :

I have a problem with that term " harvest ". Is harvesting for the benefit of the fish or the fisherman? I would just as soon let nature take it's own course.

As far as catch and release, for me it's 99% of the time, especially releasing larger females that produce more eggs. Some species do not have a size limit, but a slot size instead ie: snook, must be between 28" & 32 " in eastern Florida and only 1 can be kept. From what I understand the snook population in Florida has greatly benefitted from this practice.

Catt reply :

Which would you rather have a problem with a word or a stunted bass population?

Muddy reply :

Quote
I have a problem with that term " harvest ". Is harvesting for the benefit of the fish or the fisherman? I would just as soon let nature take it's own course.
As far as catch and release, for me it's 99% of the time, especially releasing larger females that produce more eggs. Some species do not have a size limit, but a slot size instead ie: snook, must be between 28" & 32 " in eastern Florida and only 1 can be kept. From what I understand the snook population in Florida has greatly benefitted from this practice.

since the original intent of fishing ,farming and hunting were to eat, what is wrong with the word harvest

Def of Harvest according to Merrim Webster:

Main Entry: 1har·vest

Pronunciation: [ch712]här-v[ch601]st

Function: noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle English harvest, from Old English hærfest; akin to Latin carpere to pluck, gather, Greek karpos fruit

Date: before 12th century

1: the season for gathering in agricultural crops

2: the act or process of gathering in a crop

3 a: a mature crop (as of grain or fruit) : yield b: the quantity of a natural product gathered in a single season <deer harvest> <ice harvest>

4: an accumulated store or productive result <a harvest of revenue>

since my college accepted this source I would say harvest is not a euphemism but a good word to use here

Man is eating the fish, yea it benefits the man, why wouldn't it? We have incisor teeth to eat flesh, so it benefits man as a food source, there are many folks who still fish for the table

And for those inclined to manage bodies of water, to produce more or larger fish then Selective Harvest via length or slot limits have proven to be invaluable tools when doing this

Once we deal with man made water systems or a lot of pressure, nature has no course to take, this is part of what our licences pay for, fish management. This is no longer the New World and if people are to continue to fish for both food and or sport management in a needed tool.

Painter Dude reply :

Try the term " RECYCLE" It's pretty popular these days!

Click the link in my Sig-

SirSnookalot reply :

Harvest would be to eat or to sell to be eaten or cut down and replanted as in trees. Recycling would be to take a product, separate the different metals, grades of steel and iron then return it to it's original state and process it to be used in the manufacturing of a new product.

I was a recycler for 35 years, owned a scrap iron and metal facility.

I see guys taking 10 or more bass at a time, 15-20 bluefish at a time, sneaking out of slot or out of season snook in the middle of the night..........you call that harvest?

"harvest" laws are not strict enough, the emphasis should be on being a sportsman, CATCH AND RELEASE, better for the fish population.

tyrius. reply :

Quote
I see guys taking 10 or more bass at a time, 15-20 bluefish at a time, sneaking out of slot or out of season snook in the middle of the night..........you call that harvest?

Nope, that's poaching.

Selective harvest is the legal taking of a number of individual fish to better the overall health of the entire population. Kind of like deer hunting here in the midwest.

Catt reply :

Illegally taking over your bag limit has nothing to do with selective harvesting

Selective harvesting has been proven more effective in wildlife management than any catch & release program. I strongly suggest educating yourself in the highly effective results of Selective Harvesting both in wildlife & fisheries.

There is no law or sin against eating bass

Muddy reply :

Quote
Harvest would be to eat or to sell to be eaten or cut down and replanted as in trees. Recycling would be to take a product, separate the different metals, grades of steel and iron then return it to it's original state and process it to be used in the manufacturing of a new product.
I was a recycler for 35 years, owned a scrap iron and metal facility.

I see guys taking 10 or more bass at a time, 15-20 bluefish at a time, sneaking out of slot or out of season snook in the middle of the night..........you call that harvest?

"harvest" laws are not strict enough, the emphasis should be on being a sportsman, CATCH AND RELEASE, better for the fish population.

I remember doing research on Jamestown and how the Native Americans were confused by Englishmen who hunted for sport and were starving in the winter!

Fishing for the table is ETHICAL AND LEAGAL IN EVERY STATE, so why is it unsportsmanlike, Geez gimme a break!

I have never broken a fish and game law NOT ONCE, and I can't say that for other areas of my life

Anyway It's up to the sportsman to be a stand up guy and not do things like this. You can make the laws as hard as you want but total enforcement is not possible due to staffing and amount of water to be covered

I have killed very few bass, all by deep hooking and less tha6 in the last 12 years, because I want to. My partner takes about 4 fish a month during the summer, all over 15 inches long, funny thing his licence entitles him to do so! If I wanted to eat a bass, I certainly would and they taste good.

You know on the Interstate this morning, where the speed limit is 65 about a dozen guys who passed me ( I drive slow) were doing around 85, they need to make the laws tougher, or maybe even close the interstates!

Daniel A. reply :

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You know on the Interstate this morning, where the speed limit is 65 about a dozen guys who passed me ( I drive slow) were doing around 85, they need to make the laws tougher, or maybe even close the interstates!

Nicely put into perspective.

I'd start by Googling "Catch and Release Statistics". I'm sure you'd find more than enough credible information on which to base your speech.

SirSnookalot reply :

Slightly off the subject

Quote
Kind of like deer hunting here in the midwest.

In the areas of over populated deer, which is a fact, I would think having them round up, slaughted in a humane fashion, then parting them out, for food, clothing, shoes etc, would be more than a cottage business but create more significant jobs. Just the business side of my head guys.

Not saying their should not be hunting, it's good pastime. Next time I go hunting I'm going 2 out 3 falls with a young buck, then I can catch and release.

I just love stirring the pot ;D

Raul reply :

Quote
I have a problem with that term " harvest ". Is harvesting for the benefit of the fish or the fisherman? I would just as soon let nature take it's own course.

For both it 's good; size limits & slot limits benefits both the fishERIE and the fisherman.

Muddy reply :

Quote
Slightly off the subject

Quote
Kind of like deer hunting here in the midwest.

In the areas of over populated deer, which is a fact, I would think having them round up, slaughted in a humane fashion, then parting them out, for food, clothing, shoes etc, would be more than a cottage business but create more significant jobs. Just the business side of my head guys.

Not saying their should not be hunting, it's good pastime. Next time I go hunting I'm going 2 out 3 falls with a young buck, then I can catch and release.

I just love stirring the pot ;D

Are you a member of PETA?

Btech reply :

I believe its in the book....

Cant remember where....

" If you give a man a fish he eats for a night - Teach a man to fish and he eats for an Eternity. "

If we didnt harvest we wouldnt live (in the past) - Although I do not eat my catches (except Catfish) its still the rights of the fisherman.

Same with your choise of religion ... We all need to forget about these little details and just fish together ... Keeping them or not!

We are here for the sport of it.

Big Al reply :

Didn't mean to start any conflict here...

I have no problem with selective harvest of fish to benefit a fishery, I was mostly relating to catch and release of trophy sized or potential trophy sized fish to give others the chance to catch them another day.

Any statistics or websites?

Thanks for the interest by the way!

SirSnookalot reply :

Quote
Are you a member of PETA?

Well not yet, but I may if the spotted owl comes back.

All kidding aside I'm a meat eater. As a kid my father owned a fish company. I cleaned so many fish that I just don't want to do it anymore. However I have backpacked in around Hawk Junction,Ontario and had eat my catch as it was survival.

Nowadays I may take 1 or 2 grouper or dolphin ayear home as my wife loves them.

farmpond1 reply :

Quote
" If you give a man a fish he eats for a night - Teach a man to fish and he eats for an Eternity. "

Actually, I think the saying goes, "If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day. If you teach him to fish, he'll spend most of his paycheck on fishing gear and won't have enough left over to buy groceries."

Muddy reply :

Quote
Didn't mean to start any conflict here...
I have no problem with selective harvest of fish to benefit a fishery, I was mostly relating to catch and release of trophy sized or potential trophy sized fish to give others the chance to catch them another day.

Any statistics or websites?

Thanks for the interest by the way!

Stats are difficult to find. I do not have time right now, but I had some sucess visiting various wesites for the different state's DNR's and such a few years back. Try asking Raul or Catt, not sure , but they know a lot and try Paul Roberts also

Glenn reply :

Gentlemen let's ditch the rhetoric and answer the young man's question.

Personally, I think the speech should be more about adhering to proper limits and regulations when taking fish, and practice C&R more often than not.

Here's where you can find a lot of information:

Proper catch and release:

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/caring_for_bass.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/handle.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/catch_release_bass.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/after_the_catch.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/reducing_bass_mortality.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/preserving_the_resource.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/livewell1b.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/handling_summer_bass.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/fish1.html

Selective harvest vs. pure catch and release

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/selective_harvest.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/fishing_limits.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/catch_release.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/catch_and_release_bass.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/bass_limits.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/slot_fish_management.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/slot.html

These are just the tip of the iceberg here. With any of these articles, there's more listed on the right margin under "Related Articles".

Enjoy!

Glenn

Raul reply :

Quote
Actually, I think the saying goes, "If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day. If you teach him to fish, he'll spend most of his paycheck on fishing gear and won't have enough left over to buy groceries."

Holy cow , it is true !

Now that is what I call a revelation.

Daniel A. reply :

I thought the saying went: "Give a man a fish, you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you'll frustrate him for a lifetime."

Big Al reply :

Thanks everybody, especially Glenn. Lots of good information here.

The speech will include selective harvest and regulations, with emphasis on catch and release.

Muddy reply :

Good luck young man, lets here your grade when you get done

Btech reply :

Good Luck !

jack1 reply :

LOL...I know how you feel. Last winter my speech class topic was on fishing as well. My last speech was a 15 minute bashing on PETA.

I got a B+ in the class, although I swear to God I deserved at least an A!

fishinfiend reply :

Quote
My last speech was a 15 minute bashing on PETA.

I'm surprised that went over well considering the climate of many college campuses.

The court yard at my college was like a scene out of the movie

PCU on many days >

Roger Hunter reply :

Im sorry but I may be distroying fish lives in the lakes I fish, But I almost always release fish I catch. The simple reason is that I am lazy. I dont want to go home after all day fishing and clean them lizards. I just catch em and get em back in the water. An exception to my rule is if for some reason I injured the fish or I need something for supper. But the fact is that most of the time what I catch isnt reaching the size limit.

bnwcrankin reply :

Are you a member of PETA?

silvercliff_46 reply :

I think a persons attitude toward harvest has a lot to do in where they live and how they were brought up.

I lived in the country most of my life. I hunt, trap, fished and gathered. The wife and I keep a few meals of fish during the summer, a few for the winter, and a couple for folks that can't do it for themselves anymore(believe it or not there are folks older then me). Some are trout, some are bass, most are pan fish.

I shoot a deer every year, which provides most of our meat over winter. We gather ramps, mushrooms, chicory, berries, and wood for our winter fire's.

I don't trap much anymore but when I did that went for a few extra bucks for Christmas. Now I trap a couple of coon and beaver a year because they both taste great (NO SMART REMARKS ABOUT THE BEAVER EITHER).

I loved to duck hunt, but quit because I hated eating them, and the guy I gave them to died. If I lost my taste for venison I wouldn't kill a deer anymore either.

I like fishing most because I have a choice whether to harvest or put them back. I'm not the best hunter or fisherman, but I can do it every day. If I wanted to I could fill my freezer with fish and game, but I don't and won't.

I guess if what I do is immoral or not sporting, then they should end all the bag limits on everything. I mean we could go after deer with paint balls couldn't we?

Muddy reply :

Hey Silverfish I really respect where you are coming from! 8-)

silvercliff_46 reply :

Thanks Muddy. I guess I fancy myself a Conservationist not a Preservationist.

RobbyZ5001 reply :

I think you need legit sources or at least you should. I would love to see my prof's reaction if I cited bassresource. Your college library should have plenty of books on the subject. If you cannot find books then turn to your Internet databases in which your college spends money to provide for you.

Mac1 reply :

Alin, a couple of sources you might want to check are the Wisconsin DNR site and the UDSA site. Both organizations fund research studies and make those reports available online. Good luck on your speech.

Mac1 reply :

Correction that should be USDA. Click on natural resources and environment and then wildlife.

Johnf1 reply :

The fact is that not releasing any type of fish these days is highly irresponsible. Were are just years away from stripping the oceans dry of fish. I heard on a radio show the other day that in twenty years from now, there might not be any seafood left to consume.

This is even more important in freshwater lakes. Everytime you take a bass out of a small lake, you are killing the lake for future fishing. If you want bass fishing to last for future generations, catch and release is a must.

Also, there is no need to harest fish yourself. This is a primitave human impulse, to hunt, and you must overcome that, These days, you can go to the grocery store and buy farm raised fish. And there are pleanty of other foodsources out there besides bass.

Catch and release of bass is a must IMO, and people should really pay closer attention to what they take out of the ocean as well.

juist my 2 cents.

tyrius. reply :

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This is even more important in freshwater lakes. Everytime you take a bass out of a small lake, you are killing the lake for future fishing. If you want bass fishing to last for future generations, catch and release is a must.

Factually incorrect.

Johnf1 reply :

Quote

Quote
This is even more important in freshwater lakes. Everytime you take a bass out of a small lake, you are killing the lake for future fishing. If you want bass fishing to last for future generations, catch and release is a must.

Factually incorrect.

Taking a large female, for example, from a small pond cannot possibly benifit the lake. That is factual.

Now give me some evidence to support your oppinion. How would removing a healthy, large bass from a lake benifit the population.? Or do anything non- harmful, for that matter?

tyrius. reply :

Quote
Taking a large female, for example, from a small pond cannot possibly benifit the lake. That is factual.
Now give me some evidence to support your oppinion. How would removing a healthy bass from a lake benifit the population.? Or do anything non- harmful, for that matter?

I agree with you on taking a large fish. For the rest google selective harvest or search for it here. I've been through it too many times already and don't really have the energy for it today.

Johnf1 reply :

I have read all about selective harvest,

It involves controlled elimination of smaller fish or other undesirable fish, to give the large, desirable fish less competition and more forage, so the lake will eventually contain higher numbers of desirable fish, as I have come to understand it.

Having established this, we can conclude that removing large bass is both destructive to the lake and to the sport of bass fishing.

I think you and I are on the same page.

Big Al reply :

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I've found some legit DNR studies as there is no way bassresource.com would cut it as a cited source, even though it is my favorite source.

No need to do any more bickering

Muddy reply :

Quote
The fact is that not releasing any type of fish these days is highly irresponsible. Were are just years away from stripping the oceans dry of fish. I heard on a radio show the other day that in twenty years from now, there might not be any seafood left to consume.
This is even more important in freshwater lakes. Everytime you take a bass out of a small lake, you are killing the lake for future fishing. If you want bass fishing to last for future generations, catch and release is a must.

Also, there is no need to harest fish yourself. This is a primitave human impulse, to hunt, and you must overcome that, These days, you can go to the grocery store and buy farm raised fish. And there are pleanty of other foodsources out there besides bass.

Catch and release of bass is a must IMO, and people should really pay closer attention to what they take out of the ocean as well.

juist my 2 cents.

. Where does this stuff come from? Resist primitive impulses, Gimme a break WOW!!!!! :-/

silvercliff_46 reply :

HMmmmmmmmmm! I guess I'm just going to have my wife iron my loincloth. :

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

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