What is "catch and release"

n. (context fishing English) A variety of angling where the fish are released after capture, as a conservation measure

Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing intended as a technique of conservation. After capture, the fish are unhooked and returned to the water. Often, a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is worthwhile. Using barbless hooks, it is often possible to release the fish without removing it from the water (a slack line is frequently sufficient).

Catch and Release is a 2006 romantic comedy film released by Columbia Pictures. It is the directorial debut of Susannah Grant, who wrote the film Erin Brockovich. It stars Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Smith, Sam Jaeger and Juliette Lewis. After Gray Wheeler's (Garner) fiancé dies, she seeks comfort in his friends. While dealing with her fiancé's secrets, Gray falls for his best friend Fritz (Olyphant).

Filming took place in 2005 in Vancouver and Boulder, Colorado. Catch and Release premiered at the Austin Film Festival in October 2006 and was released in the United States on January 26, 2007. The film bombed at the box office, earning $16,158,487 against a $25 million budget.

Catch and release is a form of recreational fishing. Catch and release may also refer to:

• Catch & Release (album), album by Matt Simons
  • "Catch & Release" (song), song by Matt Simons
• Catch and Release (film), a 2006 romantic comedy film
• Catch and release, a practice in patent law
• Catch and release (U.S. immigration policy), a practice in United States immigration enforcement that was officially discontinued in 2006

Catch and release is the unofficial name for a protocol historically followed by immigration enforcement agencies in the United States (specifically, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection) where people caught for being in unlawful immigration status are released while they wait for a hearing with an immigration judge. The policy officially ended in 2006 under President George W. Bush and United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, where it was replaced by a catch and return or catch and detain policy. However, some critics of immigration enforcement in subsequent years, particularly under the presidency of Barack Obama, have dubbed various policies and practices under the administration as catch-and-release policies.