A friend passed the following info on to me. I'll submit it to the BB not as judgement on anyone but for informational purposes only.

"catch and release is important, but there are some guidelines to keep in mind. Most C&R advocates reconize the importance of barbless hooks, but too few seem to understand the importance of keeping fish submerged.

A study at Queen's University in Ontario examined the effects of exposure to air on trout after exhaustive exercise. The study showed that exposure to air after a tiring experience, even a brief exposure to air, significantly increases the mortality of released trout. When lifted into the air the lamellae (oxygen gathering part of the gills) collapse. When lamellea have collapsed they no longer can absorb oxygen.

The effect does not show up immedately, so a fish lifted from the water for a picture may look healthy and happy and swim away. However, over the next 4-12 hours the fish slowly suffocates.

Here are the terrible numbers. An exhausted fish lifted into the air for 60 seconds has only a 28% chance of survival! If lifted from the water for 30 seconds, the rate improves to 63%. If not lifted out of the water at all, survival is 88%.

The important lesson: DO NOT LIFT FISH OUT OF THE WATER!

Catch and release is an important part of sustainable fisheries, but it must be done correctly. It is not enough to dump the fish back into the river after hauling it out. Trout are fragile beings and connot survive the abuse of being removed from their aqueous enviroment."