We encourage you to catch and release, so that others may enjoy these fine fish, and so we don’t decimate the fish population.

When you do keep fish, please don’t always keep the maximum legally allowable, unless you really need that many.

1. Remember: when fishing for salmon, barbless hooks are mandatory.
2. Use large lures or artificial baits to reduce the incidental catch of undersize fish.
3. Do not overplay the fish, bring it in as quickly as possible.
4. For a salmon under 30 cm, unhook it at the water surface to minimize handling.
5. For a larger salmon, if it is too difficult to unhook it in the water, bring it onboard, remove the hook quickly and release it. This will cause less stress and damage to the fish.
6. Use a soft knotless mesh net to minimize scale loss.
7. Handle the fish securely. Keep it immobile while the hook is removed then quickly release it into the water.
8. Remove the hook with needle-nose pliers or surgical hemostats.
9. Do not touch or handle a fish by its gills.
10. To avoid injury, support the fish when lifting by placing one hand around the base of its tail and the other under its belly. Do not lift it by the tail as this will stretch the vertebrae.

11. To return the fish to water, release it at a 45° angle with the head pointing down and just above the waterline. If the fish is exhausted, revive it in the water by keeping a grip on its tail; move it back and forth slowly to increase water flow over the gills; wait until it is strong enough to swim out of your hands.
12. Some fish may be hooked deep inside the mouth. If this is the case, cut the line as close to the hook as possible and leave it in. The hook will erode in time