Cooperative Tagging Center

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The Cooperative Tagging Center relies on information collected by volunteers—charter captains, anglers, and commercial fishermen—who are frequently out on the water. Volunteers not only tag and release billfish (sailfish and marlin), tuna, and swordfish, but also report when they have recaptured one. By recording interactions with tagged fish, scientists are learning more about when and where the fish migrate and the range of their habitat. They also learn seasonal patterns, shifts in behavioral changes, and other aspects of their ecology, as well as post-release survival. All of this information leads to a more sustainably managed fishery. 

Read our story, Saving Fish for Tomorrow: Tagging Provides a New Lens on Charter Fishing

Are you a recreational angler in the Atlantic, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), or Caribbean that targets blue-water species and occasionally releases billfish or tuna? Then you can be a volunteer by requesting a free tagging kit! The kit comes with directions on how to successfully tag and release fish and collect the associated data to support science.

Fishing for Data

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Placing identification tags on highly migratory species is the first step in better understanding them. Once a fish is tagged, we can compare any information collected during future sightings. These sightings, called recaptures, can tell us a lot of information about a fish. First, we know that the fish is still alive. This allows us to estimate the age of the fish and better understand the lifespan of the species. Recaptures also give us data on the fish’s location. By recording these interactions with tagged fish, scientists are learning more about when and where the fish migrate, and the range of their habitat.

Background

Our Cooperative Tagging Center is one of the longest running tag and release programs for highly migratory species in the world. It’s also one of NOAA’s longest-lived community science efforts. Since 1954, recreational anglers and commercial fishermen have deployed more than 270,000 conventional streamer tags on more than 70 species of fish. NOAA works in collaboration with The Billfish Foundation, Gray FishTag Research, and The Dolphinfish Research Program to collect data to advance our understanding of targeted fish populations so that management measures continue to support productive and sustainable fisheries. Collected data helps to inform international stock assessments of tunas and billfishes and are a key component in identifying Essential Fish Habitat in U.S. waters.

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Free Tagging Kits

All volunteers first need a tagging kit. Each kit has instructions on tagging procedures, best practices for fish handling, and how to report needed information if you catch a tagged fish.

Finfish Tags

To request a free tagging kit for finfish, email tagging@noaa.gov or call (800) 437-3936.

Shark Tags

For shark tagging, you can request a free kit from sharkrecap@noaa.gov or call (877) 826-2612.

The collection of tagging information is authorized under the OMB Control Number included in the Citizen Science & Crowdsourcing Information Collection page.

Coastal Pelagics

We are expanding the scope of the Cooperative Tagging Center to include coastal pelagic species such as king and Spanish mackerel, greater amberjack, almaco jack, jack crevalle, and cobia. Please consider requesting tags for those species as well if you catch and release them. 

When Tagging a Fish

Untagged Fish: 

1. Have a tag ready to attach to the fish you plan to release. Handle the fish as carefully as possible. 
2. Verify that the tag number matches the number printed on the Fish Tagging Report associated with the tag.
3. Record the length and weight of the fish.
4. Record the date and the catch location as precisely as possible.
5. Tag the fish and ensure the tag is secure. If the fish is not lively, revive it as long as possible by pulling it alongside the boat to pass water over its gills before release.

 Recaptured fish with a tag:

1. Check every fish you catch for a tag—they can easily be missed.
2. Carefully record the tag number that is printed on the tag. If possible, take a picture with the tag number visible, and note any contact information.
3. If the printing on the tag is illegible or if the situation does not allow for easy viewing, remove and retain the tag. Re-tag the fish with a new tag, making a note of the old tag number on the new Fish Tagging Report. Do not attach the old tag to the new Fish Tagging Report.
4. Send the old tag into our team for confirmation of number and species.
5. Record the length and weight of the fish.
6. Record the date and the catch location as precisely as possible. 
7. Tag the fish and ensure the tag is secure. If the fish is not lively, revive it as long as possible by pulling it alongside the boat to pass water over its gills before release.

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We encourage all participants to read the instructions carefully. It is important that the fishermen include as much information as possible on the Fish Tagging Report.

Contacts

Mailing address:
NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center
75 Virginia Beach Drive 
Miami, FL 33149

Phone: (800) 437-3936

Email: tagging@noaa.gov

Staff: Eric Orbesen, Derke Snodgrass