Depredation on Descender Devices
Barotrauma, or pressure-related injuries that fishes experience when reeled up from depth, is a leading cause of post-release mortality in Gulf of Mexico reef fishes (e.g., snappers and groupers).
Descender devices, like the SeaQualizer, are effective tools for mitigating barotrauma and increasing a fish’s chances of survival after release.
Depredation, the partial or complete removal of a captured fish by a non-target species, is a growing concern among Gulf of Mexico anglers. This concern not only applies to fishes being caught, but also to fishes being released using descender devices. As such, anglers are hesitant to adopt the use of descender devices.
project Goals
We aimed to examine the rates of depredation on reef fish released using descender devices across the Gulf of Mexico by partnering with charter fishing captains from all five Gulf states to record video footage of fish descents.
Other REsources
