BoatLife Fishing, driven by sustainability, is a catch and release competition. Simply returning a fish is not the only consideration of sustainability and fish welfare though, we have to ensure that very effort is taken to reduce post-release mortality in the handling and return of the fish.
You will see how we have already taken species specific decisions in this regard, in respect of tope and pollack.
More generally, across all species, it is critical to limit the time out of water. As a competition, we have to accept that there will be some areas, such as taking a measurement, that does extend this period of time. We can, however, mitigate and minimise in this area to ensure all fish return with the best possible chance of survival.
Whilst rules on fish handling and welfare, such as keeping a fish wet on a measure, having to record it prior to resuming fishing with that rod and limiting the number of hands allowed on the fish throughout measuring go some way, all of it falls over without the correct technology to support it.
BoatLife Fishing is proud to be utilising the class leading Angling Live app for the recording of fish throughout this series of competitions. The app provides a seamless interface bespoke to the competition requirements, allowing for a quick submission of all of the details required to validate each teams catches.
What anglers don’t see, is how the back end of this app makes the marshalling of the competition so much easier. This allows us to refocus marshalling efforts on to matters of angler safety and fish welfare. The live leaderboards allow for both competitors and those watching from home to keep a close watch on the competition, even seeing the images submitted of each fish. This open and transparent process acts as an incentive to anglers to maintain strong fish welfare considerations at all times.
BoatLife Fishing will be using the app as a basis to engage followers at home, inviting you to bring support to your favoured teams, creating viewer competitions so it becomes as much of an interactive event for you as those competing on the boats.
The data captured in the Angling Live app also promises to support sustainable fishing management now and in the future, with key fish data shared with relevant university led science projects, continuing to create a better picture of the changes to fish abundances and sizes in our inshore coastal waters.
Whether competing or following along from home, you can find the Android download for the Angling Live app here, and the IOS download for the Angling Live app here.
