Mod Which Allows Fish to be Caught, Transported, and Released Without Killing Them

[Gaelyn]

The easiest way to accomplish this would be to change the fishing mechanic added in 1.22 to make it so that a live fish is added to your inventory instead of a dead one. This live fish could then be placed into the world in the same way that the wolf pup sold by the survival goods trader can be placed into the world. A simple crafting recipe could turn the fish into a dead fish, and having the fish in your inventory for too long could also result in it dying (just like how creatures in reed chest or crate traps eventually die).

The reason I want such a mod is so that I can have an aquarium to which I can add all the beautiful and interesting fish that I catch. I like seeing the fishies swim around, and so I am more interested in collecting them this way than I am in collecting taxidermied versions of them.

[Az3r1x]

Doesn't Primitive Survival allow for this? Or is it more of a standalone mod you want for it?

[Gaelyn]

On 6/30/2026 at 10:42 PM, Az3r1x said:

Doesn't Primitive Survival allow for this? Or is it more of a standalone mod you want for it?

I wanted a more standalone mod, yes, but Primitive Survival apparently does not make the fish you catch into persistent entities (so they despawn after a while).

Since I initially asked for this mod, multiple mods have been made that match what I wanted:

Aquaponics and Fish Breeding: https://mods.vintagestory.at/aquaponicsfb

Ithania Expanded Fishing: https://mods.vintagestory.at/ithaniaexpandedfishing

Catch and Release: Fish: https://mods.vintagestory.at/crfish
Fishy Bucket: https://mods.vintagestory.at/fishybucket

I'm currently using all of those mods except for Fishy Bucket, and the three of them seem to work together without any issues. The first mod adds fish breeding, the second mod adds the ability to catch live fish in traps and name them (among other features), and the third mod adds craftable aquariums that you can place fish into. All of the mods allow you to catch and transport fish without killing them.

[Az3r1x]

2 hours ago, Gaelyn said:

I wanted a more standalone mod, yes, but Primitive Survival apparently does not make the fish you catch into persistent entities (so they despawn after a while).

Since I initially asked for this mod, multiple mods have been made that match what I wanted:

Aquaponics and Fish Breeding: https://mods.vintagestory.at/aquaponicsfb

Ithania Expanded Fishing: https://mods.vintagestory.at/ithaniaexpandedfishing

Catch and Release: Fish: https://mods.vintagestory.at/crfish
Fishy Bucket: https://mods.vintagestory.at/fishybucket

I'm currently using all of those mods except for Fishy Bucket, and the three of them seem to work together without any issues. The first mod adds fish breeding, the second mod adds the ability to catch live fish in traps and name them (among other features), and the third mod adds craftable aquariums that you can place fish into. All of the mods allow you to catch and transport fish without killing them.

Thanks for this! I was also looking for similar mods and now I got plenty to try out too