Handle with care: P.E.I. anglers urged to be gentle with catch-and-release salmon 

Anglers are being urged to speed up their selfies and take greater care when they catch and release fish in P.E.I. rivers this spring. 

In particular, freshwater fish biologist Rosie MacFarlane is worried about Atlantic salmon, which are considered a species of special concern on Prince Edward Island. 

The salmon have what she describes as a complex life cycle. They come in to spawn and spend the winter in Island rivers, and are now making their way back out to the ocean again.

"When those salmon are caught, they're quite sensitive to being handled because they haven't eaten all winter, actually,"  MacFarlane said. "So they're gorging themselves, and they're easily caught because of that."

That fragility led Foresty, Fish and Wildlife officials to post some cautions on social media this spring. 

"Early in the season, we did see some photos online of people holding salmon up out of the water or laying them on the bank," said Hannah Murnaghan, co-ordinator with the Morell River Management Group.

"That's a bit concerning, as they are a sensitive fish. So we want to make sure they're handled with care, kept in the water as much as possible."

She suggested that people who want photos hold the fish upstream in the current, "handling them delicately and carefully so they have the best chance when we release them."

MacFarlane agrees.

"People are excited when they catch a salmon. You do see sometimes that the fish is being taken on the bank, away from the river, and it's being held up for an extended period of time, probably to get a number of photographs."

Anglers on P.E.I. are not allowed to keep any Atlantic salmon, and can catch and release a maximum of two salmon each day.

"You can use certain gear types that would make it easier to release the fish," MacFarlane said, mentioning barbless hooks in particular.

With other gear, she advises removing the hook from the fish's mouth quickly, "and if you can't, remove the hook to cut the line. And then let the fish go."

MacFarlane said they are most concerned about the young salmon, called smolts.