I have been fishing all my life and when I was younger I can remember watching shows where they would catch marlin or sharks and before they released them they would tag each fish. I can remember asking my dad why we never tagged fish and he told me how he use to but it became much to time consuming. You would have to tag the fish, pay the service, phone in your data, and if you ever wanted results (ie if you fish was ever caught again) you would have to call and ask about a specific tag. Frankly the process he explained to me didn?t seem exactly user friendly.
Last season I decided I wanted to look into what it would take to start tagging fish myself. I came across a website that seemed like it simplified the whole process. This site was Fishtagger.com. There are no service fees and data input is as simple as could be. There is even the option to post a picture of the tagged fish. You can link your tags to your email meaning should the fish be caught again you will get an e-mail updating the data. The only fees are the price of the tags. The tags themselves are extremely easy to implant in the fish with the hollow applicator needle provided with the kit. The tags are also made out of some sort of plastic so it won?t harm the fish. On each tag is a unique number as well as
www.Fishtagger.com so anyone who might come across it knows where to go to report the tag.
I am well aware that the odds of one of my tagged fish ever being caught again (and more so reported) are slim to none but I figure this could be something worth trying.
I?m just wondering if anyone else out there tags fish and if so what service or tags do you use. I also wanna know if anyone else has heard of/uses fishtagger.com? I suppose this could be my plug for the website to get more people out there to give it a try. Before anyone asks I am in no way whatsoever affiliated with fishtagger.com I just happen to think its something worth doing. Ultimately its is good for the fisheries as a whole because the data collected can be used, among other things, to determine what regulations should be in place. This is especially important at a time when fishing regulations are under intense fire from us recreational fisherman as well as commercial fisherman. I would love to hear what others think about this so either post on this topic or send me PM?s. hope to hear your opinions soon
-Dan