fish lip grips

[Guest fishum]

http://www.nt.gov.au/dpifm/Fisheries/ne ... d=379&ws=1Fisheries Minister Chris Natt today said a $17,000 Northern Territory Government research project conducted at the Darwin Aquaculture Centre is set to appear on national television.?Fishing is the lure of the Territory and part of the great Territory lifestyle,? Mr Natt said?We want to make fishing in the Territory even better and that is why the research done by my Department is of great importance to our diverse fisheries and recreational anglers.?I am very pleased that this research will be featured on Escape with ET and seen all across Australia.?The Escape with ET crew will be filming a study into the effects of lifting fish from water using fish grips, which grip onto the fish?s mouth.?Fisheries research began this study in 2006 and we are now taking it to the next step using many more fish, high tech scanning equipment and new examination techniques.?The fish being studied are barramundi, as this research is aimed at determining what effect recreational anglers have on the fish?s bones and tendons when lifted with these types of grips.?There has been very little work investigating whether lifting a fish by the jaw may harm it, with the only other fish investigated having small weak jaws compared to barramundi, which we know is a very tough fish.?Barramundi are the number one target species for local and visiting fishermen and it?s important we know how best to handle them, as more than two thirds barramundi caught by recreational anglers are released.?While catching a barramundi can be a thrill of a life time, it?s also very pleasing to see them swim off strongly, knowing they?ve been handled in a way that maximises their chances of survival.?