Keeping bonefish in “recovery bags” after they have been caught results in significantly improved survival rates, scientiests have found. Allowing captured fish to rest in the “bags”, which are similar to the keepnets favoured by freshwater anglers, improved swimming abilities during the critical time period where most post-release predation occurs, a study published in in the February issue of Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology shows. The work, by a group of US and Canadian researchers in the Bahamas (it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it), was undertaken because it was noted that in predator-rich environments (those with lots of shark and barracuda), bonefish could not escape as effiicently as they normally would if released back into the sea immediately because they were still weakened by the fight. They conclude: “Further testing is needed to determine if the locomotory and behavioural benefits of retaining bonefish in recovery bags translate into improved survival from predation in more predator rich environments.” That means: we may have to go back to the Bahamas and do it all over again.