Before the 11th Canadian Bass Championship even begins, we can tell you that the winners will be the fish!
Anyone who has ever watched a fishing tournament automatically feels
some concern for the poor fish that are flopping around while the
fishers have their moment on stage. It takes an average of 30
seconds to weigh the fish after they are removed from their temporary
water filled container. Although the Canadian Bass Championship
aims for a full recovery of all fish caught, those 30 seconds out of
the water contributes to missing that goal by a couple of percentage
points.
For the same reason that we can all hold our breath for a brief
period of time, a short period of air exposure for a resting fish is
not a large problem. However, when the fish’s metabolic
rate is elevated, brought on by the stress of being taken out of its
natural habitat, the exposure becomes much more important. The
best way to appreciate this is to think about what it is like to try
and hold your breath after you’ve been exercising. While
it’s easy to hold your breath at rest, it’s a different
situation after you’ve run a 100 meter dash!
The new weigh-in process that will be used this year is one which has
undergone extensive testing and development by Shimano and
Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario. In a nutshell the
new system will see the fish placed in a pre-calibrated tank of water
while they are being weighed. This means that the fish will spend
only four seconds out of water, drastically reducing their stress
levels and thereby increasing survival rate.
Shimano/Queen’s research has shown that Bass kept in water during
the weigh-in process maintained 150% higher energy stores than those
weighed in air.
According to the Bass Championship’s Director of Tournament
Operations Ray Armit, the number one goal of the tournament is to
minimize any harm to the fish population. “We do everything
we can to return the fish safely back to the water close to where they
were caught,” said Armit. “We’re
constantly looking for better ways to handle the fish. Even if
this new system results in only two more fish surviving, I believe it
will be well worth the effort.”
And of course in a fishing tournament it is important that the accuracy
of the weigh-in procedure not be compromised. Extensive testing
has shown that the wet weigh-in system is accurate. If anything
it may be more accurate than air system as the fish are not flopping
around and jiggling the scale.
According to Shimano’s Phil Morlock, “Most tournament
anglers won’t notice much of a change – but the fish surely
will.”
