BAROTRAUMA...Getting down with recompression:
We are fishermen, we are sportsmen, we care about the health of our fishery. As such, every fish to be released deserves our best effort to insure the very best survival rate possible. Sometimes hungry barracuda, sharks, or even our friend flipper, have different opinions:
Often, when fishing deeper water, 'barotrauma' becomes a real problem. Barotrauma is physical damage to body tissue caused by a difference of pressure between an air space inside the body and the surroundings. Barotrauma typically occurs when the body moves to or from a higher pressure environment. It can and will kill. For the offshore fisherman this is a common occurrence noted by a fish's stomach protruding from the mouth. Proper venting can help relieve to pressure and give the fish a fighting chance of survival. Note the FWC tag. This ARS is being tagged, and vented by my good friend Jon, FWC biologist. When caught again, the tag will provide very valuable data. The # to call is on the tag. As a special reward for helping ourselves, our call will bring a beautiful 'T' shirt.
My good friend Mister Butch Ayala, FWC biologist, provided the following video, and picture, on yet another method to increase barotrauma survival rates. Several different procedures are discussed in the video...'Getting down with recompression!'
Bob Harbison
