Return ‘Em Right: A Collective Drive to Tackle Barotrauma

A Push for Better Releases

Most avid offshore anglers have heard a lot of chatter about venting tools, descending devices and maybe even Return ‘Em Right over the last couple of years. Return ‘Em Right is a program that launched in May of 2022 to provide anglers with free training and release gear to improve survival of reef fish, such as snapper and grouper, that are suffering from barotrauma. Barotrauma is a pressure-related injury that fish experience when reeled from depth. As a fish is pulled to the surface, gasses expand internally and displace organs often leaving them bloated and unable to return to depth on their own.

But why is there a continued push for offshore anglers to adopt best release practices, such as the use of descending devices? Simply put, there are a lot of anglers fishing offshore and a lot of fish being released due to stricter regulations. This means a small improvement in survival rates can lead to great benefits for the resource. Additionally, there is a need for it. In 2021, only one-third of offshore reef fish anglers in the Gulf of Mexico were aware of descending devices, and less than half of those had ever used one. A huge gap exists in the knowledge and awareness of a practice that significantly benefits both anglers and the resource.

The Role of Return ‘Em Right

Getting fish back to the bottom that are impacted from barotrauma can be difficult at times for both novice and experienced anglers. Return ‘Em Right serves as a resource to improve anglers' experiences with release gear, leading to higher survival of released fish. The program provides anglers with both the knowledge and gear, for free, to return fish back to depth. After all, none of us enjoy seeing a bunch of fish float off after release.

Return ‘Em Right offers a short 15-minute online training on barotrauma and best release practices, then ships eligible anglers a $100 package of release gear, particularly descending devices, for free. Yes, you heard that right; it’s completely free! The program provides descending devices to help overcome the knowledge and awareness gap of the utility of such devices, and to promote a practice that works more reliably than venting. Venting, or inserting a hollow needle into the body cavity of a fish, has been the primary method of release for the last couple of decades. Despite best efforts to return fish to depth, every avid offshore angler has had venting fail. If even the most experienced anglers struggle with venting at times, imagine the success rate of novice anglers. Descending devices take the error out of the venting process and are easier to use for many anglers who aren’t confident in their venting skills.

In addition to providing free gear, Return ‘Em Right aims to build a community of anglers that support better releases offshore. Gone are the days of hanging tarpon from the dock, taking billfish out of the water, and even holding trout out of the water too long prior to release. The conservation ethic of anglers has taken hold in most fisheries, but offshore bottom fishing is lagging behind. It takes a collective drive to ensure a future where a string of fish floating off behind the boat is no longer the norm or accepted in the angling community.

Return ‘Em Right - Response from the Community

The Return ‘Em Right program has been supporting Gulf fishermen for just over 2 years. Let’s dive into an update from the program and hear from the community that supports it. The n-value indicates the number of anglers that responded to each question on a follow up-survey delivered to program participants.

• Over 35,000 offshore anglers, including 1,200 for-hire captains, that fish for reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico have completed the online education module and received free release gear. Of those completions, approximately 3,000 fish in Texas.

• 93% of participating anglers are extremely satisfied with the package of gear they received (n=3191). This package includes a standard SeaQualizer descending device pre-rigged to a 3-pound weight and a 3-way swivel, and an inverted hook descending device. The package does not include a venting tool as they are more readily available to anglers at local tackle shops.

• Anglers’ release preference is beginning to shift away from venting towards using descending devices. After trying the devices included in the package, 83% of anglers prefer to use descending devices (71% SeaQualizer, 12% SeaYaLater), while only 14% still prefer a venting tool (n=2348).

• 94% of anglers reported having no issues using the release gear. Of the 6% that had issues, the most common was having either too much or too little weight. (n=2709). Anglers can easily add or remove weight to accommodate the size fish they are releasing. In general, 1-pound of weight will return up to 5-pounds of fish back to depth.

• 51% of anglers were extremely likely to buy fishing descending devices on their own, while only 1% were extremely unlikely to. A quarter of anglers reported already purchasing descending devices (n=1179). There are many commercially available descending devices on the market or you can even make them at home yourself. Prices range from $10-60 depending on style.

Be a Leader in Conservation

Despite initial success, a tremendous positive response from the fishing community, and requests for expansion of Return ‘Em Right, there is a lot more work to do in the Gulf of Mexico. With hundreds of thousands of recreational anglers fishing offshore in the Gulf, the program has barely scratched the surface in reaching a significant proportion of the fishing community. Return ‘Em Right plans to continue to be a resource to anglers Gulf-wide and further promote better releases offshore.

If you fish offshore and haven’t yet taken the quick training to receive free gear, check it out at returnemright.org. If you don’t fish offshore, share the program with your fishing network to continue to promote conservation and prevent waste in our fisheries. If any marine businesses, podcasts, fishing shows, tackle shops or others want to promote conservation offshore, reach out to Return ‘Em Right at [email protected]. As anglers, we’re all in this together to keep our resources healthy so our kids and grandkids can enjoy the fishing we are lucky enough to experience. Don’t let today be the good old days!