Here are the results from the study that was conducted on our tournament fish from last weekend. Mind you, this is a small control group (# of fish) so the percent rate has to be taken into consideration. There were four catagories : Control Fish (Shock Boat caught); Non-Sick Fish (Did not need fizzing); Sick Fish (Needed to be fizzed,but weren't) and Sick Fish (Fizzed). The fish brought into weigh-in were first put in a tank that had been cooled with ice down to 74 degrees and Sure-Life addatives, pure oxygen from tanks into the tank by bottle/stone, then it was decided which group to put the fish in, then was put in a salt dip tank for 10-12 seconds. After that they were released into net holding pens situated in a boat stall that were 42 ft. deep and as wide as the boat stall. Fish were held for three days. Here are the results :
Total Fish - 58

Control Fish (shock boat) - 100% Survival 7 fish
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Non-Sick Fish (Did not need fizzing) - 60% Survival 18 out of 29
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Sick Fish (Not fizzed) - 76% Survival Rate 8 out of 11
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Sick Fish (Fizzed) - 85% Survival 9 out of 11
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Initial Mortality for tournament - 10.7% 6 dead
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Delayed Mortality with study fish - 27.5% 16 dead
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Total Mortality for both tournament fish and study fish - 38.2%
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Total Survival for tournament and study fish - 62%
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The study fish were introduced to see what would have happened had other ways of doing things had been done to the tournament fish. Not just our way of doing a weigh-in, that way a comparison could be made. Just thought ya'll might like to see this, as we had an outstanding survival rate for a summer tournament. So the on the water weigh-in does work, and compared to other moratality rates other tournaments have had, ours is in the top percentile of survival rates. Had fish care suggestions been followed, a lot more would have survived. As it was, almost 40% of the fish brought in were upside down. And quite a few didn't use any livewell addatives or ice either. That was one of the questions asked. Time to tighten down the teaching hat.

The non sick fish that didn't need fizzing survival rate stands out to me. 40 percent died? also of the fish that needed fizzing and weren't 76 percent lived anyway? only one more lived in the Fizzed sick fish category? I realize the control group was small

Non sick pretty much boils down to livewell care and temps inside the livewell. The fizzing one's you also have to take into account it is in a netted area, away from predators and in the shade. Released fish that need to be fizzed don't have that luxury. They also didn't go back down until two days later.

Yes but if you eliminate the shock boat fish, the survival rate is below 60 percent. and its not that much better if you fizz all the sick fish. This was a three fish tournament with extra care taken to keep them alive. And it was a small tournament. Can you immagine the mortality rate of a 200 boat tournament using the fish chute?

are the study fish you speak of just the seven from the shock boat. Maybe I misunderstand the stats

That's the point. Not that much special care was done in the livewells even though we handed out the pamphlet papers on how to do it.

Study fish were all four catagories. Anotherwords, all the fish that were alive brought in plus the shock fish.

Well another point is that the big tourneys must have frightening mortality rates. Especially those held in the summer with 5 fish limits and sometimes 10 fish to a boat. I would assume that they kill well over half the fish they weigh in.

Some do.........

when you say Non sick fish I am assuming these fish looked ok and swam away as you released them?

yes

and the sick fish Not fizzed, out of 11 of them 8 of them flopped around floating upside down but eventually after a few days righted themselves? I find that interesting.

Yes, in an enclosed net under a covered dock (shade).

Last question I promise .. were the Non sick fish also released in the net and kept in the shade?

yes.Both nets were in the last stall on the Park Service Dock. Pretty much the population was seperated half and half in both nets.