Cliff notes version of release mortality.

1) If you want it to be ZERO... don't fish.

2) If you choose to fish, regardless of how you fish (bait/lure/fly)... single biggest way to reduce mortality is to keep the hook from ever being taken into the mouth.

3) Once you hook up, fight 'em as hard as the tackle can stand.... translation = quick is good, slow is bad

4) When releasing, no-touch technique is best, but sometimes you gotta touch 'em (net or hands) to get that hook out fast.

5) Watch the airtime (gills exposed to air), translation = short is good, long is bad. This applies to extracting the hook as well as photo-ops

Photo-ops are NOT the end of the world. J F C .... you just intentionally skewered the critter with a potentially lethal sharp pokey piece of metal and caused it to violently struggle for its life for the past 5 minutes. Any potential harm caused by the 10 second photo-op while it revives pales in comparison... like pissin in the ocean