Efficacy of dehooking tools for the removal of hooks from the jaw region of angled fish

•Dehooking tools have been developed to aid in hook removal of angled fish.•To date, little is known about the efficacy of these devices.•We tested dehooking tools for the removal of single barbed J-hooks from the jaw region.•There was no evidence of conservation benefit arising from use of dehooking tools; bare hands were the best.•More research on hook removal devices is needed on more species and contexts.