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A fish stringer goes through the gill and mouth of a live fish, providing a way to keep them captive and alive in the lake or river they are caught from.
I would imagine the key to survival is how much the stringer impacts the gills ability to uptake oxygen. This question is limited to fresh water fishing, using a stringer in salt water is likely to get your catch eaten.
Assuming the fish was not significantly harmed when caught, how long can it live on a stringer?
A fish can survive a few hours on a stringer, but they're generally not the best approach. The fish will struggle against the stringer and injure itself, which can damage the fish and raises other questions (as @Desorder highlighted in comments). I recommend finding another option for storing your catch.
Getting the fish home fresh is more important than how long it actually lives on the stringer.
If you don't have a cooler and you don't have a live tank a stringer is your best option. Water is almost always cooler than the air, keeps them moist, and will keep them alive for a period of time.
Do as little damage as possible removing the hook and use a single hook. This may involve clipping the line to feed the line through. Do it quickly and get the fish back in the water. Don't lift the existing fish out of the water to put on a fish on. A stringer does not impede the breathing that much. What it does impede is swimming and that is how they get most of the water flow. In a river or stream put them out in the current. You can easily get a couple hours in good conditions.
If you are going to get to ice in a couple hours then can be sloppy. A stringer is still your best option. But for a couple hours they will keep in fish bag.
Many articles on the Internet now recommend putting the stringer (or clips on a stringer) through the lower lip or bottom of the mouth, not through the gills. A gill stringer not only injures the gills but also impedes "breathing", i.e. moving water into the mouth and through the gills; also, don't put the clip through both lips, for the latter reason.
If you use a stringer with individual spaced clips for each fish, with ball bearings to allow the fish to move freely (rather than sit upside down, for example), the fish can live and stay fresh throughout the fishing day. Keep the fish in shade (e.g., under boat) and/or weight down to 5 or more feet to keep cool.
