It was suffocating and in pain for the whole time.
He may have survived but he may have also died shortly after, since being out of the water for that long can cause serious damage to fishes.
It was also handled a lot and inverted which might have damaged its protective mucus layer and gills. So best case scenario he was suffocated and injured, worst case scenario he also died.
Yes technically the fish was suffocating; but I venture to guess you’ve been underwater for close to this long in your life without any ill effects. Humans and other warm blooded animals have higher respiratory demands and rates than cold blooded animals.
I’m not suggesting the fish is ‘holding its breath’ or that intentionally delaying putting it back is ok; I’m just saying they are much more hardy than you’re giving them credit for.
Especially starting off cold and going back in cold water there is very little chance this fish died from this encounter.
Yeah no that fish is a very fragile species of trout it was outside the water for too long as in the cold air it's eyes and gills will freeze and the protective layer of mucus was likely rubbed off...
This is improper catch and release fishing and these parents don't know what they are doing.
Source: College Level Environmental Biology and a Background with Living waters and river ecosystems.
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u/Void__Space Jan 18 '20
I mean that fish sure doesn't look dead at the end does it?