Tag fish at the cost of a local call!
Of course when I was a lad we had a reputation for catching them ugly and drinking them pretty but then again it had nothing to do with the fishing.
You know how it is, you watch the TV shows and they kiss the fish or pose for the camera and they gently let the fish swim away. All good stuff and I agree entirely with the concept of letting fish go.
But there’s a price you pay for all the kindness in releasing your catch and that is that you deprive our fisheries department of vital information about fish movements and their behaviour.
And yet your average fisherman expects that you have to be a Ross Hunter or someone who ventures out to sea every five minutes to be part of the taggng program when nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact the best part about the NSW DPI tagging program is that you can join in all the fun for the cost of a local phone call.
All you need to do is contact the NSW Department of Primary Industries on 1300 550 474 and ask for some tags.
Ok, what next? Well the NSW DPI will send you some tags and also an applicator which is like a hollow needle. This can be attached to a pole with twine and glue and once the tag is placed in the applicator it is ready to thrust into your fish (generally behind the dorsal fin) before releasing.
You will also receive some cards attached to the corresponding tags (they are numbered the same) and here you print all the capture details including the weight and length of the fish, date and time, fight time of capture, condition of the fish upon capture, the species caught and the gps co-ordinates of where it was captured (if known) and of course your own details.
But don’t go sticking tags into every fish you catch! Tags are specifically for pelagics (surface fish) like tuna, mackerels, billfish, mahi mahi, cobia, barracuda or sharks or carangids like kingfish, amberjack, samsonfish or rainbow runners.
It’s a fun and rewarding process to be involved in and if you are lucky enough to snare and tag a fish that is recaptured NSWDPI will contact you and provide you with the updated details on that fish that you let go a few years back! Wow, how’s that for nostalgia and pride to receive feedback on a fish that you had a hand in both catching and releasing years ago.
I must admit that at times it is difficult in estimating the size (hint - look at how it stacks up against the size of your boat in the water) and weight - well all I can say is look at your crew and guess from there. Seriously, perhaps the most important measure is the length as the weight can generally be extrapolated by the experts.
Make sure your catch is capable of swimming away comfortably - if it’s a marlin hold its bill under the water and slowly motor away. Once you see it light up again it’s safe to release.
Tagging instead of bagging lends a new dimension to fishing fun and I highly recommend that you involve yourself in this worthwhile program.
The NSWDPI tagging program has been running for over 30 years and a copy of an historic report outlining a summary of the tagging and recaptures between 1973 and 2005 can be obtained at no cost at;
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/saltwater-fishing/gamefish-tagging/info-sheet
For more detailed information regarding the program and how it operates see;
Sea you later,
Skipper Meggs