I don't know if 1/3 die or not, but I have never really gotten the point of catch and release. When I was a kid, fishing was as much or more about the food than the fun. If you do it and enjoy it, I'm not trying to gripe about it. I've done it once. I just felt a little silly.
I fish probably 250 days a year, and I hate eating fish. It's a good time killer. But anyhow, everything I catch goes back in, unless it's hooked bad, then I'll give it to somebody.
Trout is one of few fish around here that can't handle catch and release, and it has a lot to do with human hands hurting their scales.
Where I crappie fish, Lake Wiess, they have a 10" slot. It has helped get the crappie back to a good level. The problem we had was people coming in at night with nets and just wiping the population out. They were taking the fish to states where you could sell crappie. Wiess used to and is called the Crappie Capital of the World.
I'll keep crappie and sauger and small catfish. That's all I care to eat. I like catching big bass, but I don't fish for them much anymore
That's me to an extent. I don't fish all that much, but I try to stick to stuff I will eat. I am a big fan of catch and release when it comes to carp, drum, etc.
Pretty scary thinking of what they'll do to the great lakes when they make it, if they haven't already. The asian carp, of course.
I generally put them back, but my friends and I try to do a camping trip once a year on the Holston where we don't bring food and only eat what we catch, that's a lot of fun.
Hydrologic seperation has limited potential, but people will have a major fit before that ever happens, by when it'll probably be too late. Even if they could fully implement a plan like that tomorrow, you're still only one good flood from a handful going over.