I struggle with this also. I would add that one of the most disappointing things I have encountered while managing my ponds would be the discovery of dead fish.....trophy individuals, caught and released just a few days earlier, so they might continue to grow.

We talk a lot about harvest being necessary due to an expanding population and an increasing biomass, but I have to remind myself that while their growth may be indeterminate, their lifespans are still finite. Fish grow old, and along with advanced age comes the reduced ability to bounce back, and recover from the stress of being caught. Certainly there are other factors in play also, such as the species in question or the environmental conditions and handling procedures encountered while being caught and released, but speaking in general terms fish may get weaker as they age.

We want trophy fish, so the typical procedure is to always release, never keep. Let them continue to grow. But it serves no purpose to release that fish, only to find it belly up a short time later.

I can attest as to the frustration it brings.


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.