FISHING -- Anglers and scientists are promoting a descending device that saves fish that are released after being hooked in deep water and reeled up to the surface.

Anglers have winced at the bulging eyes and swim bladder protruding from the mouth of fish caught from the depths. The fish are suffering from "the bends," but they're still alive and many will survive if they can be released and returned to the depths quickly.

But if you just toss the fish back in the water, its inflated swim bladder prevents it from submerging.

Weighted devices are being promoted to clip onto a fish's jaw so it can be returned to its original depth as fast as an angler could lower a heavily weighted jig.

The impact of descending devices could be substantial because there are more than 10 million marine recreational fishermen in the U.S. who catch more than 345 million fish a year, saysTom Raftican, president of the Sportfishing Conservancy in a story produced  by National Public Radio.

And these sport fishermen release nearly two-thirds of the fish they reel in, he says.

So the Sportfishing Conservancy has been running workshops around the nation, explaining how and why fishermen should use descending devices. It's an easy pitch to make, Raftican says, because fishermen want to preserve their sport. "I love to fish, and I'd like to see my kids and grandkids out there fishing too," he says.