During trawler-fishing, at what point in the process do the fish die?

Question

In many countries, there are regulations stating that under-sized fish must be thrown back, despite the fact that by the time they are classified on board the boat, they are dead and therefore the damage to fish stocks is already done. Many teams are looking at ways to stop this happening. I just wondered at what point the fish actually die. Is it in the net, as the net is hauled out, soon after landing the net or due to the long time taken to classify the fish.

Answer 1

I tend not to dwell on the subject too long as common sense tells me there is death and destruction occuring throughout the entire procedure.