Ambassador Profile: Dr. Jake Brownscombe

Keep Fish Wet: Why do you believe Keep Fish Wet is important? 

Jake Brownscombe: Whether or not fish survive catch-and-release depends heavily on angling practices. We have a moral responsibility to treat fish with respect and use best angling practices, i.e., those that minimize impacts on fish survival and welfare, which will also maximize future fishing opportunities. KFW principles are built on scientific knowledge of best angling practices, providing anglers with a useful framework for employing them. 

KFW: If there was one thing about science-based best practices for fish handling that you wish all anglers would remember or do, what would it be? 

JB: Be adaptive in your fishing practices. Every fishing situation is different and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to best angling practices. Fish condition assessments play a huge role in this – notice if fish are getting injured frequently by certain lure types or hook configurations, and whether fish swim off vigorously upon release (there are a set of impairment tests anglers can use to assess fish condition *link to my old article*) and adapt accordingly. If you notice a lot of predators around that may be eating fish post release, change fishing spots. It can be hard to leave a good fishing spot, but you’ll catch more fish in the long run because there will be more fish around to catch, and of course, fishing karma. 

KWF: What do you feel is the next big question to address when it comes to evaluating how fish are handled and released?

JB: Two of the largest knowledge gaps in best angling practices are 1. How to best help fish recover when they struggle to swim away, and 2. How to deal with high rates of fishing-related predation in certain fisheries. 

Jake is a research scientist that works on sportfish conservation through understanding how fish make a living, and developing catch-and-release angling practices that minimize our impacts on fish populations. From Largemouth Bass in Canadian lakes to Bonefish on the flats in The Bahamas, his research helps shape conservation minded angling practices. He works on recreational fisheries throughout the world, catching as many fish as he can along the way.

Dr. Brownscombe explains:

"Keep Fish Wet is one of the most significant cultural movements in the world of angling today. It is showing anglers that keeping fish in the water when practicing catch-and-release is the key to having fish to catch tomorrow – and we can still get amazing photos. This is why I support the movement:
    Fishing has an important role to play in conservation. Anglers care about conserving fish and their habitats more than the average person, and we often push our weight around to preserve the resources we love. Yet, angling can be stressful for fish and have negative impacts on their populations if we aren’t careful about it. It is therefore essential to evolve our angling practices to ensure we contribute in a positive way to conservation.
    Research has shown that one of the greatest causes of stress and mortality in angled fish is air exposure. This is well known in the world of catch-and-release science, but not all anglers recognize this. Angling practices change through angling culture. Through movements like Keep Fish Wet."

Twitter and Instagram: @sci_angler

Research: researchgate.net/profile/Jacob_Brownscombe

Ambassador Profile: John McMillan

John was raised along the banks of the Washougal River in Southwest Washington where he spent most of his youth fly fishing for trout, steelhead and salmon.    His favorite fish were the summer steelhead, from the early June rains through the late Indian Summers. All other interests were set aside during this period.  Only steelhead mattered.

His early interest to steelhead carried over to adulthood.  He has lived much of the past twenty years on the west-side of the Olympic Peninsula, and for over a decade he fished an average of 340 days a year.  He spent that time adapting a style of casting and fishing in isolation -- wading deep, casting far, and swimming the fly broadside rather than solely swinging -- to solve the unique challenges of catching large winter steelhead in the brawling rainforest rivers.

He also spent 100's of days snorkeling the rivers, not only to inform his angling but also because he is a fisheries scientist. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals, the vast majority of which has focused on the biology and ecology of steelhead and rainbow trout.  In addition, he has authored two books and several book chapters on steelhead and other topics, and his underwater photography and videography has been broadly published in books, magazines, newspapers, movies and television.  His latest publication is the book May the Rivers Never Sleep, which was a collaboration with his father Bill McMillan and pays homage to the strong conservation influence of Roderick Haig-Brown. 

He now works as the Science Director for Trout Unlimited's Wild Steelhead Initiative after spending the previous five years studying steelhead and salmon recolonization in the Elwha River. Much of his professional scientific study has focused on the biology, behavior and ecology of steelhead and rainbow trout, with a particular interest in the mechanisms influencing why individual fish adopt particular life history strategies -- such as anadromy and residency.

He also focuses on educating citizens about science and believes that every angler owes it to themselves – and the fish – to minimize their impacts by handling fish well.  That is why he is so excited to be an Ambassador for the Keep Fish Wet.  Not only does the movement include some of the best scientists and advocates, but it also focuses on doing what we can as anglers to ensure that the fish swims away in the best shape possible.  That is something he fully supports the movement, because it is up to each generation to do what they can to ensure the next generation has a chance to fish for the incredible wild steelhead.

John McMillan's Instagram page (@rainforest_steel) is perhaps the most fascinating, interesting and inspiring as anything we've ever seen. View his underwater adventures and captivating narratives here.

Ever thankful for his understanding and lovely wife, Laurel, and his sidekick Gordon Setter, Honey, much of his free time is spent casting Burkheimer spey rods, snorkeling and taking underwater photographs of juvenile and adult steelhead.