Blood lactate loads of redthroat emperor Lethrinus miniatus associated with angling stress and exhaustive exercise

Baseline, post-angling and maximum attainable blood lactate concentrations were measured for the fishery species redthroat emperor Lethrinus miniatus to gain insight into the condition of fish released following c. 30s angling and <45s air exposure. Mean +/- s.d. baseline blood lactate was 15 +/- 06mmoll(-1), which increased and plateaued around 6mmoll(-1) at 15-30min post-angling. These values were significantly lower than those obtained from fish maximally exhausted with a prolonged chase and air exposure protocol following capture (109 +/- 18mmoll(-1)), suggesting that L. miniatus is not maximally exhausted during standard angling practices. (C) 2013 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles