Size limits are used by fisheries managers to increase the number of fish in a lake, increase the number of large fish, or to provide fishing experiences desired by anglers such as catching a trophy fish. Size limits have the potential to increase the number of large fish in a lake (bass or speckled perch).

Limits on the number of fish that can be caught are meant to keep anglers from taking too many fish at one time. Size limits are meant to protect fish of spawning size before they are caught. Fishing seasons protect fish during spawning and limit the catch on heavily fished waters.

Annual catch limits aim to end and prevent overfishing.

Slot limits create an interval to protect fish above or below certain lengths. In Louisiana, a redfish measuring between 16 inches and 27 inches can be harvested with a daily limit of five.

Summary: Contrary to prevailing dogma, plus-sized female fish invest disproportionately more in making eggs than smaller females. Therefore, taking a single big fish has a bigger impact on the fish population than taking multiple small ones.

Fish live and eat in those waterways, so mercury accumulates in their systems. They have trouble expelling it from their bodies as it builds up in their tissue. Mercury poisoning has been known to cause nervous system disorders and reproductive issues as well as developmental problems in children and unborn babies.

Secondly, if a huge fish is released, there is a strong chance that that fish will be caught again, and of course there is also a strong chance that that fish will become some other lucky anglers “best catch of a lifetime” !

Selina Heppell, head of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University, says other fish known to have high numbers of eggs include sturgeon (up to 2.5 million eggs for Atlantic sturgeon) and large tuna (bluefin tuna can produce 10 million eggs a year).

If current trends in overfishing and ocean pollution continue, scientists estimate that we’ll run out of seafood by 2050.