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home > coastal economies & recreation > game fish tagging > species & data

Targeted Species, Observations, and Species Movement

These species are selected for four main reasons:

1. They contribute significantly to Virginia's recreational fisheries.


2. Gaps exist in the scientific data available on the species regarding how "Virginia's" populations of these species interact with, and impact upon, the overall populations of which they are a component.


3. Selected species are not included in other tagging efforts in this region.


4. Tagging studies can provide insight into aspects of the species' life history, including local and regional movement patterns of young and sexually mature fish, species' utilization of specific types of habitat to include substrate and water areas, growth data, and survival rates of released fish.

1999 Tag and Recapture Data
VGFTP volunteers tagged and released 7,566 fish in 1999, the second largest annual tagging effort to date for the program. Although the total number of fish tagged and released in 1999 was slightly reduced (13%) from the total number of fish tagged and released in 1998 (8,705), 1999 was still a productive year in terms of tagging and releasing fish. Since 1995, a total of 26,377 fish have been tagged and released in the VGFTP, 62% of which were tagged in 1998-1999. Nine hundred twenty-eight recapture events occurred in 1999, the largest number of recapture events in a year. Many of these recapture events involved multiple recaptures of the same individual tagged and released since the programs inception. Since 1995, a total of 2,222 recapture events have been recorded, 81% of which occurred in 1998-1999.

Tagging effort for two species (tautog, red drum) occurred at record levels in 1999. Tagging effort for three species decreased by 19% (black sea bass), 49% (gray trout), and 51% (spadefish) from 1998, while tagging effort for three species (cobia, black drum, speckled trout) remained relatively unchanged from 1998.

Distribution of tagging effort among targeted species in 1999 was similar to distribution of tagging effort since 1997, with gray trout, tautog, and black sea bass continuing to represent the top three species tagged. For the first time in the history of the VGFTP, more than 1,000 red drum were tagged in a single year, making this the fourth species in the program in 1999 to have this distinction. These four species (red drum, tautog, black sea bass, and gray trout) accounted for 88% of all fish tagged in 1999. Speckled trout and spadefish accounted for 10% of fish tagged in 1999, while cobia and black drum only accounted for 2% of fish tagged in 1999.

Red drum, black sea bass, and tautog recapture events constituted the bulk of recapture events. With the exception of gray trout (for which very little recapture data is available), distribution of recapture data by species mimics the trend observed for tag-release data. In 1999, recapture events of tautog increased by 55% and recapture events of red drum increased by 65% from 1998 levels. Black sea bass recapture events decreased by 18% from 1998 levels, while the number of recapture events for the remaining five species (cobia, black drum, gray trout, speckled trout, spadefish) remained relatively unchanged.

Multiple Recapture Events of the Same Individual, 1995-1999

What Can You Do?

When Catching a Tagged Fish:

1. The most important information on a tag is the tag number. This is the key to identifying the fish. It is critical to record the exact tag number.

If you plan on releasing the fish, quickly write down the tag number, measure or estimate the fish's length, then gently release the fish with the tag in place. Multiple recaptures of tagged fish are particularly valuable to the tagging program. If you keep the fish, remove the tag, for reporting purposes. In either case, contact the tagging office with the tag information (757-491-5160).

2. Measure and record both the total length and fork lenth of the fish, or estimate the length if you do not have a measruing device. Also provide an estimated weight of the fish.


3. Record the species of the fish, date of catch, and exact location where the fish was caught.


4. Record any information about the fish which could be useful; for example, any unusual markings or wounds.


5. When you report the recapture of a tagged fish, you will be provided with information about the fish (when and where it was tagged; size when tagged) and you will also be given a logo award from the Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program.

When Handling and Releasing a Fish:

• PLAN AHEAD. Minimize stress and exhaustion by using tackle strong enough to land fish quickly. Set hooks quickly to minimize the opportunity for fish to swallow hooks and avoid the use of treble hooks. When practical, bend down the barbs on hooks or use barbless hooks.


• MINIMIZE HANDLING. Do not touch the eyes or gills. Large fish are best released by leaving them in the water and removing the hooks. Small fish should be brought on board and handled with a damp towel or damp cotton gloves, which will minimize damage to the skin and protective slime of fish. Control the fish, gently but firmly so it cannot "flop" around and cause itself any further injury. Do not use a gaff.


• USE THE RIGHT TOOLS TO REMOVE THE HOOKS. Needlenose pliers work well for fish hooked in the mouth, while a deep-throat dehooker or disgroger should be used for deeply hooked fish. Cut the leader close to the fish's mouth if hook removal is not possible. Never pull or jerk on the leader to remove a hook.


• RELEASE FISH GENTLY. If the fish is stressed or exhausted, revive it by gently moving it forward through the water until it is able to swim off.