Quote:
Originally Posted by aiceeslater
What am I doing differently? I’d like to be able to get a “grip and grin” now and then.
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Some people have decided to give up on the grip and grin altogether, there's no way to do it without doing at least some harm. For myself, I may do one or two a year if there is a particularly good reason but that's it.
I worked for years in the aquarium industry handling things like koi, arowana, catfish and other large fish. There's simply no way to hold them in your hands that will keep them secure and not damage the mucus layer unless they are fully out of it. That mucus layer is the fish's primary defence against parasites and skin infections. If you ever keep a fine scaled species like trout have a look after it's been dead 30 minutes or so, you'll see definite marks where you've handled it.
It's a ethical decision each person will have to make. Any fishing activity does some harm, for me it's important to minimize that harm however I can.