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 before experiencing serious exhaustion or injury. Using barbless hooks, it is often possible to release the fish without removing it from the water (a slack line is frequently sufficient).

In the United Kingdom, catch and release has been performed for more than a century by coarse fishermen in order to prevent target species from disappearing in heavily fished waters. Since the latter part of the 20th century, many salmon and sea trout rivers have been converted to complete or partial catch and release.

In the United States, catch and release was first introduced as a management tool in the state of Michigan in 1952 as an effort to reduce the cost of stocking hatchery-raised trout. Anglers fishing for fun rather than for food accepted the idea of releasing the fish while fishing in so-called "no-kill" zones. Conservationists have advocated catch and release as a way to ensure sustainability and to avoid overfishing of fish stocks. Lee Wulff also promoted catch and release as he observed the Atlantic Salmon population dwindle.

Timothy David Olyphant (born May 20, 1968) is an American actor whose notable roles in television drama series include Seth Bullock in Deadwood, Raylan Givens in Justified, Danny Cordray in The Office, and Wes Krulik in Damages. He has also starred in the films Scream 2, Gone in 60 Seconds, Dreamcatcher, Live Free or Die Hard, The Girl Next Door, A Perfect Getaway, The Crazies, Hitman and I Am Number Four.

Olyphant was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the son of Katherine and John Vernon Bevan Olyphant, a college teacher who worked for a winery. Olyphant's family moved to Modesto, California, a city southeast of San Francisco, where he was raised. Olyphant began competitive swimming at age 6, and in middle school started training seriously under swim coach Darrell Lohrke, who came to Modesto via Arden Hills Swimming and Tennis Club. Olyphant made remarkable strides and soon became a nationally ranked swimmer. He was a finalist at the USA Swimming Short Course National Championships in 1986 in the 200 Individual Medley. He graduated from Modesto's Fred C. Beyer High School that year.