Cooperative Tagging System

The Cooperative Tagging System Atlantic-wide cooperative tagging database provides valuable information on the movement of different species, seasonal patterns of growth and movement, growth rates and general population dynamics. Tagging data is valuable input for fisheries management decisions and fisheries management plans.

The Cooperative Tagging System (CTS) is run by the Cooperative Tagging Center (CTC) of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC).This program was developed in response to the recent expansion of tag release and recapture activities, data requests from other tagging agencies, and domestic and international tagging research needs.

The program was designed to provide basic information on the movements and biology of highly migratory species in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea, through direct participation of the public in scientific research. Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus was the primary target species when the program first started, but after a few years the program expanded to include blue marlin Makaira nigricans, white marlin Tetrapturus albidus, sailfish Istiophorus platypterus, and broadbill swordfish Xiphias gladius. Some of the other scombrids currently included in the program are yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares, albacore tuna T. alalunga, bigeye tuna T. obesus, and blackfin tuna T. atlanticus. With the retirement of Dr. Mather in 1980, the NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) assumed sole responsibility for operation of the program.