{"id":5037,"date":"2026-10-19T09:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T13:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/hooklinescience\/?p=5037"},"modified":"2026-10-19T09:14:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T13:14:49","slug":"catch-release-and-survive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/hooklinescience\/catch-release-and-survive\/","title":{"rendered":"Catch, release . . . and survive?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
For false albacore, hook placement means a life-or-death difference.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n North Carolina anglers know that autumn on the Outer Banks means one thing. It\u2019s when the legendary false albacore \u201cblitz.\u201d After cooling northern winds push baitfish offshore in September, schools of “albies” or \u201clittle tunnies\u201d light up the nearshore waters and inlets in October and November, giving coastal anglers a thrilling, hard-fighting target close to the beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Research Need<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While commercial operations heavily target false albacore down in Florida \u2014 where historical landings from 2000 to 2023 were roughly six times higher than the rest of the East Coast combined \u2014 the species is a highly-prized, recreational sport fish from North Carolina to Massachusetts. In fact, federal data shows that northeastern anglers release over 95% of the false albacores they catch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although both commercial and recreational fishers target the species in U.S. Atlantic waters, its population lacks an official assessment anywhere<\/em> in the Atlantic. Evaluating the true post-release survival rate is a critical piece of information for the beginnings of a stock assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, this need is even more important in North Carolina. On June 1, the state officially enacted a new Marine Fisheries Commission Rule, becoming only the second East Coast state to formally regulate false albacores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rule authorizes the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) to implement active harvest limits if yearly landings surpass 200% of the previous five-year average. To manage the stock effectively under this new rule, DMF must understand what happens to a fish once it swims away from an angler’s hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What Did They Study?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To evaluate the true post-release survival of false albacore, researchers partnered with recreational charter boat captains to study how the fish handles real-world angling. The research team monitored 49 false albacore that volunteer anglers caught by standard rod-and-reel tackle in the waters of Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts. To mirror the intense seasonal nature of the sport, the team conducted field sampling exclusively during the peak fall run from August through October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before releasing each catch, scientists carefully noted specific variables to see what causes the most stress and\/or injury to the fish. They recorded the hook types, handling methods, fight times, water temperatures, and locations where the hook caught the fish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The researchers then outfitted the fish with external acoustic transmitters \u2014 small, sound-emitting electronic tags. An extensive underwater network of acoustic receivers deployed throughout the region picked up the signals, allowing researchers to track movement patterns and to confirm which fish survived after release over the following seven days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What Did They Find?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n False albacore are inherently resilient to the stress of catch-and-release angling. Across all tracked fish, the overall estimated post-release survival rate was 77.3%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the placement of the hook heavily dictated survival. For fish that only suffered a shallow hook wound in the jaw, the survival rate was an impressive 86.5%. Conversely, the data revealed a steep drop-off in survival rate when the hook found deeper internal tissues, plummeting to just 27.6%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Factors like fight times and onboard handling methods (such as lifting the fish out of the water for a quick photo) did not have a negative impact on long-term survival \u2014 as long as the fish was safely hooked in the jaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So What?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Assuming that similar survival rates occur in fisheries conducted in other states along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 382,700 false albacore may experience mortality annually in the recreational fishery. Because sport<\/em> overwhelmingly drives the false albacore fishery, these findings give anglers clear, actionable steps to protect the fish they release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given that internal hook placement is the single greatest threat to an albie\u2019s life, using techniques that promote shallow jaw-hooking will directly maximize chances of the fish’s survival. The research team recommends that anglers actively modify their tackle and habits by setting the hook quickly, swapping out soft baits for fast-moving artificial lures, or switching to inline circle hooks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making these simple tactical adjustments on the water can limit internal injury and stress, ensuring survival of albies after catch and release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kim, E., Collatos, C., & Kneebone, J. (2026). Postrelease survival of Little Tunny Euthynnus alletteratus<\/em> in a recreational fishery. North American Journal of Fisheries Management<\/em>, 46<\/em>(2), 535\u2013550. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/najfmt\/vqag010<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This work was primarily supported by the American Saltwater Guides Association. Funds to build and maintain the acoustic receiver array were also provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program award NA21NMF4720531, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration award NA22NMF4690256, the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, and the Nantucket Land and Water Council.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n lead photo: little tunny, Euthynnus alletteratus<\/em>, courtesy of robbieedun\/ iNaturalist\/ Creative Commons<\/a> Attribution 4.0 International<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The text from Hook, Line & Science<\/em> is available to reprint and republish at no cost, but only in its entirety and with this attribution: Hook, Line & Science<\/em>, courtesy of Scott Baker and Sara Mirabilio, North Carolina Sea Grant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For false albacore, hook placement is life or death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":5039,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"Sara Mirabilio","ncst_show_custom_author":true,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"displayCategoryID\":553,\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[553,14,536,534],"tags":[710,708,709,711],"class_list":["post-5037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catch-and-release","category-ecosystems","category-fisheries-management","category-fishing-gear","tag-albies","tag-false-albacore","tag-little-tunny","tag-sportfishing"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":553,"name":"catch and release","slug":"catch-and-release","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":553,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":13,"filter":"raw"},"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"yoast_head":"\n
<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"