WEBSITE UPDATED Tuesday June 22, 2022
Have you ever lost money in a summer redfish C&R tournament because 1 red died in your livewell? That’s disappointing, really disgusting and expensive too! Tournament fishermen think about the “Dead Fish Punishment” a lot, before and during every summer tournament.
Tournament fishermen are concerned, tither and think about that “dead fish penalty” in summer tournaments often before and during summer tournaments. This is normal and expected high stress affecting all contestants that transport their catch in aerated boat livewells. Fishermen that chose using supplemental oxygen (oxygen-injection life support systems) in boat livewells, kayak livewells and ice chest (transporting live tournament fish) never worry about dead reds, the dreaded death penalty, losing the tournament $ because 1 fish died.
The fishermen that really know how to manage their livewell water quality and stocking density… never have and never will experience increases mortality/morbidity during fishing summer tournaments.
Keeping redfish alive 7-8 hours in aerated boat livewells during summer tournaments is highly stressful for all tournament fishermen and often deadly for redfish (acute + delayed mortality) summer tournament mortality.
REDFISH TOURNAMENT DAY – a hot July/August summer day, the popular belief that hot livewell water (90 F – 95 F) is the killer is a myth. Redfish live in that same hot water and do not die. Sustained deadly low dissolved oxygen saturation in aerated livewell water is the primary killer of tournament redfish being transported all day. All fishermen know that redfish live fine in hot summer environmental water and reds don’t suffocate or die on the hot, shallow grassy flats.
So, when do you first begin thinking about the challenge of keeping your catch alive in summer tournaments? Most contestants think about these things the night before the tournament. How many times in an 8-hour tournament day do you take time out to look into your livewell to see if the fish are sick or dying? Will your aerator or livewell pump fail? Will your battery fail? Will you run out of ice? Will you lose the prize because you failed to keep your catch alive all day?
SUMMER TOURNAMENTS – Before weigh-in at summer tournaments, large winning redfish die in boat livewells due to insufficient oxygenation. Redfish suffocate and die in aerated summer livewells even when your pump and your aerator function perfectly all day, all night.
New livewell aerators and livewell water pumps operate perfectly as they were designed to do and fail to provide minimal safe oxygenation for all the live bait or fish being transported.
The redfish killer in your livewell in summer tournaments is low oxygen, sustained hypoxia (when you fail to provide minimal safe livewell oxygenation for your catch). Chronic suffocation begins at the time you set the hook, during the fight and landing, and later during the transport all day in your boat’s aerated livewell. Suffocation continues during weigh-in, photo-ops and final transport to the live release site back into hot environmental water.
The limiting factor controlling oxygenation for all mechanical aerators and livewell pumps is the small amount of oxygen in air (<21% oxygen). Livewell stocking density, water salinity and water temperature directly affect DO Saturation regardless of the volume of air or water pumped into or through the livewell.
The deadly low oxygen problem in summer livewells cannot be corrected with air, mechanical aeration or multipliable high volume water pumps running continuously. Any livewell or aeration modification you make (ventures, bubblers, spray jets, this, that) will not correct the low oxygen problem in hot summer water or reverse the fish’s cellular oxygen deficit.
The deadly low oxygen livewell problem is corrected by administering the correct dose of supplemental oxygen injection or dramatically reduce tour stocking density. Increase and maintain transport livewell dissolved oxygen saturation at 100% DO to DO Super Saturation is the solution to this ancient live fish summer transports. Supplemental oxygen-injection ensures safe, continuous DO Saturation even in the most adverse summer conditions and serious overstocking. Ninety F (90 F) livewell water and often insures deadly low DO saturations.
BONUS WEIGHT FOR LIVE REDFISH AT WEIGH-IN IS POSITIVE MOTIVATION REWARDING CONTESTANTS WILLING TO PROVIDE THE BEST SUMMER FISH CARE USING OXYGEN-INJECTION LIVEWELL SYSTEMS
Many redfish tournaments reward fishermen with bonus points and bonus weight for providing the best fish care possible on their boats to keep their catch alive and healthy all day. The bonus is a positive motivator for fishermen that really make an effort to provide the best tournament fish care possible for their catch all day. The best tournament fish care any tournament fishermen can provide for his catch is to ensure that the catch is transported all day in their boat livewell that has minimal safe oxygenation and excellent water quality.
FACT: Supplemental oxygen (supplemental oxygen, pure compressed oxygen) is provided by some tournament officials at the weigh-in site for holding tanks and release boat tanks when the tournament officials take possession of the days catch. Officials provide pure oxygen and usually test and record the DO Saturations in their holding tank and release boat tank water… but the total tournament catch only receives oxygen, the best tournament fish care for 30 minutes at the end of the day.
FACT: Thirty minutes of pure oxygen at the end of the day may look great, but that will not reverse the cellular death and irreversible physiological damage caused by the time in the aerated boat livewell. The all-day transport and previous 7-8 hours of chronic sustained hypoxia and suffocation in aerated boat livewells is the primary reason for high summer redfish tournament mortality and morbidity.
SERIOUS QUESTIONS
WHAT IS THE POINT OF ADMINISTERING PURE OXYGEN FOR 30 MINUTES AT THE END OF CAPTIVITY AND FINAL TRANSPORT TO THE RELEASE SITE?
WHY NOT PROVIDE PURE OXYGEN FOR ALL THE CATCH BY THE CONTESTANTS ALL DAY, DURING THE 8-HOUR TRANSPORT IN A BOAT LIVEWELL?
FACT: Poor redfish care all day is the primary cause of higher summer tournament redfish mortality.
FACT: Most tournament fishermen transport their catch all day (7-8 hours) in small, aerated boat livewells in summer tournaments without supplemental oxygen and the catch is suffocated.
FACT: Minimal safe oxygenation in tournament boat livewells is of no concern to tournament directors… because the public doesn’t see and will not see less than the best care provided by fishermen all day.
FACT: The public and the media see the best tournament fish care possible at the weigh-in for at least 30 minutes.
FACT: The best summer tournament redfish care is when tournament directors and tournament fishermen both use supplemental livewell oxygen in tournament boat livewells all day and at the weigh-in when tournament directors take possession of the days catch.
FACT: If supplemental oxygen is not provided to prevent suffocation all day while the redfish is in captivity – know that that kind of tournament fish care is far less that the best fish care possible and expect high tournament summer tournament mortality and morbidity.
SUMMARY
The degree of tournament redfish care tournament officials and tournament fishermen are willing to provide for the catch is always a personal choice. Livewell oxygen supplementation using oxygen- injection ensures the best live fish transport care possible in all summer tournaments.
FACT: Oxygenated boat livewells, weigh-in holding tanks and live release boat livewells ensure the best water quality and tournament redfish care possible in all summer tournaments.