Guidelines for releasing undersized fish

Remember to do these things

• Remove fish from the water only if you have to
• Wear cotton or rubber gloves or at least wet your hands
• Lie fish on a soft wet surface if you need to handle them out of water
• Change to a larger hook size if you are catching a lot of undersized fish
• Minimise the time fish are out of the water
• Remove the hook carefully from a lip-hooked fish
• Cut the line for a gut-hooked fish
• Return fish gently to the sea

 
Fish are measured from the tip of the nose to the "V" in the tail.

Please do not

• Hold fish by inserting your fingers inside the gill covers
• Poke or touch the eyes, and never hold fish by the eye sockets
• Use a "gob" stick on fish you will release
• Squeeze the gill covers or gut area hard
• Lift fish by the tail as this can dislocate the spine
• Drop or place fish on a hot, dry deck or on rocks