NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFC-258

COOPERATIVE GAME FISHTAGGING PROGRAM

ANNUAL NEWSLETTER19891

EDWIN L. SCOTTJOSEPH TASHIROROBERT E. BAYLEY

astFISHERIESCENTER

lContribution MIA·89/90-03 from the Southeast Fisheries Center, Miami, Laboratory, Oceanics Pelagics Division

NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFC-258

U.S. Department of CommerceRobert A Mosbacher, Secretary

National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationJohn A lCnauss, Administrator

National Marine Fisheries ServiceWilliam W. Fox, Jr., Assistant Administrator

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) does not approve, recommend or endorse any proprietary product of material mentionedin this publication. No reference shall be made to NMFS, or to this publication furnished by NMFS, in any advertising of salespromotion which would indicate or imply that NMFS approves, recommends, or endorses any proprietary product or proprietarymaterial mentioned herein or which has as its purpose any intent to cause directly or indirectly the advertised product to be used orpurchased because of NMFS publication.

This report should be cited as follows:

Scott, Edwin L., et al 1990. Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Newsletter Annual Newsletter 1989. NOAA TechnicalMemorandum NMFS-SEFC-258, 15pp.

Copies may be obtained by writing:

Mr. Edwin L. ScottNational Marine Fisheries ServiceSoutheast Fisheries Center75 Virginia Beach DriveMiami, FL 33149

or

National TechnicalInformation Service5258 Port Royal RoadSpringfield, VA 22161

This technical memorandum series is used for documentation and timely communication of preliminary results, interim reports, or similarspecial-purpose information. Although the memoranda are not subject to complete formal review, editorial control, or detailed editing,they reflect sound professional work.

The Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Program is a jointresearch effort by scientists, recreational, and commercialfishermen. It is designed to provide basic information on themovements and biology of game fish populations in theAtlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Seathrough the direct participation of the public in scientificresearch.

released off Ft. Lauderdale: 1 in the area of release, 2 off theFlorida Keys, and 1 each off Miami, Florida and Palm Beach.There was 1 recapture each of fish released in the followingareas: Dakar, Senegal, recaptured in the same area; Belize,recovered in the Gulf of Mexico off the south Texas coast;Miami, recaptured off Palm Beach; Isla Mujeres, Mexico,recaptured in the same area of release; Venezuela, recapturedin the same area of release.

Sailfish

There were 31 sailfish recaptures in 1989 (Table 1; Figure 1):28 by recreational fishermen, 2 by commercial fIShermen, and1 where gear was unknown. Fifteen (15) were recaptures of

Number on bIIr Indlca •• enUlllber 01 II." repreeenledby 1".1 colUllln

t •• '

SailfishPERCENT OFRECAPTUREII

80

70 •••80 IT

60

40

SO20

10

00-1

There were 11 white marlin recaptures reported in 1989 (Table1; Figure 3). Eight were recaptured from releases off the mid-Atlantic states: 4 were recaptured in the same general area ofrelease, 3 in the Gulf of Mexico, and 1 off the Bahamas.

Seventeen (17) sailfISh were recaptured that had been at largefor less than 1 year, 7 for 1-2 years, 6 for 2-3 years, and 1 forover 4 years (Figure 2). The longest distance traveled by asailfish recaptured in 1989 was by a fish tagged and releasedand recaptured in the Gulf of Mexico, 641 miles from therelease point.

There were 1,179 white marlin tagged and released in 1989.Recreational fishermen tagged 1,094 white marlin, commercialfishermen tagged 85. The leading tagging area was the mid-Atlantic states with 615 releases, followed by La Guaira,Venezuela, with 195 fish, 113 in the Gulf of Mexico, 51 off theeast Florida coast, 44 off Cancun, 34 off St. Thomas, U.S.Virgin Islands, 35 in the Bahamas, 28 off Cozumel, 23 offPuerto Rico. Tagging was also conducted by programcooperators in: Hispaniola, off the northeastern coast of theUnited States, Bermuda, Jamaica, Cuba, west coast of Africa,and the western Atlantic (more than 100 miles offshore of theU.S. coast).

White Marlin

1-22-33-44-15 15-8 10-11YEARS AT LIBERTY

PIpft 2:Percent of sailfish recaptures, 1954-88and 1989.

_ TOTAL18154-88 CJ_II

N·1582 N· 31

There were 5 recaptures from previous years reported in 1989:2 recaptures from 1986 and 1987 that did not have releasedata; a 1984 release from the Gulf of Mexico, recaptured inthe Gulf of Mexico; 2 releases from 1988, one released offJupiter, Florida and recaptured off Miami, and one releasedoff Juno, Florida, and recaptured near Islamorada.

eo•

20

PIpft 1: Straight-line travel distance of 1989sailfish recaptures.

In 1989, 2,103 sailfish were tagged and released. Recreationalfishermen tagged and released 2,046. Commercial fIShermentagged 57 fISh. As in past years, the east coast of Florida wasthe leading tagging area with 1,016 releases. Areas where morethan 100 fish were tagged and released were: 332 off Cancun,Mexico, 253 off Venezuela, 234 off Cozumel, Mexico, 156 offthe mid-Atlantic states (North Carolina to New Jersey).Tagging of sailfIShwas also conducted by program cooperatorsin the Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands,and the west coast of Africa.

fish released off Palm Beach, Florida: 6 were recaptured inthe same general area of release, 4 off the Florida Keys, 4 offFt. Lauderdale, Florida, and 1 off St Augustine, Florida. Therewere 6 recaptures of sailfish released off the Florida Keys: 2in the same area of release, 3 off the Palm Beach area, and 1off Ft. Lauderdale. There were 5 recaptures of sailfish

•

In 1989, program cooperators and scientists tagged andreleased 8,101 fish of 41 species in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulfof Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. A total of 5,330 billfishwere tagged and released: 2,103 sailfish, 1,179 white marlin,1,887 blue marlin, and 161 swordfISh. There were 536 tunastagged and released: 296 yellowfin, 104 bluefin, and 136miscellaneous tunas. Other species tagged and released byprogram cooperators were: 963 red drum, 431 tarpon, 268 kingmackerel, 211 amberjack, and 37 cobia. In addition, 325 fIShof 30 miscellaneous species were tagged and released.

1

40

30

20

1090 80 70

PIpre 3: Straight-line travel distarn:e of 1989 white marlinrecaptures.

There were 2 recaptures from Florida east coast releases: 1off Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and 1 off the mid-Atlantic states. A white tagged and released off La Guairawas recaptured in the same area of release. There were 2recaptures from 1988 and 1 from 1987 reported in 1989; only1 recapture from 1988 had release data, a white released offMiami was recaptured off Cuba.

There were 5 white marlin at large for less than 1 year, 4 for1-2 years, 1 for 4-5 years, and 1 for over 5 years (Figure 4).The longest distance traveled by a white marlin was from arelease off the Mid-Atlantic Bight recaptured in the Gulf ofMexico, a distance of 1,608 miles (down the coast and aroundFlorida).

Blue Marlin

There were 1,887 blue marlin tagged and released in 1989:1,832 by recreational fishermen, and 55 by commercialfishermen. This is the third year in a row that a record hasbeen set for the most blue marlin tagged in a single year. Asin past years, it was due in part to the number of blue marlintagged off St. Thomas, where 823 were tagged and released.Other areas of tagging were: 276 off Puerto Rico, 204 in theGulf of Mexico, 141 in the Bahamas, 114 off the east coast ofFlorida, 105 off the west coast of Africa, and 77 off thenortheastern coast of the United States. Additional areaswhere program cooperators tagged blue marlin were Cozumeland Cancun, Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the westernAtlantic.

There were 11 blue marlin recaptures in 1989 (Table 1; Figure5). Five of the recaptures were from blue marlin tagged andreleased off St. Thomas: 2 of the recaptures were from the

•lID

FJpre 5: Straight-line travel distarn:e of 1989 blue marlinrecaptures.

Island of Guadaloupe, West Indies, 1 off the Florida eastcoast, and 2 fIShmade a transatlantic migration to the Gulf ofGuinea, off the coast of Ghana, western Africa. Two bluemarlin recaptures were from releases off the Bahamas: 1 wasrecaptured in the eastern Bahamas and the other off MiamiBeach, Florida. Two blue marlin released in the Gulf ofMexicowere recaptured in the Gulf of Mexico. A blue taggedand released at Horta Faial, Azores, was recaptured in thesame area. A blue tagged and released at Cozumel, Mexico,was recaptured in the Gulf of Mexico.

There were 6 blue marlin at large for less than 1 year, 1 for1-2 years, 1 for 2-3 years, 2 for 3-4 years, and 1 for over 7years (Figure 6). The longest distance traveled by blue marlin

10

White Marlin

.•........•.. .., •...•..•...•...'" ..... ,.........•.•.Ibr tMl 004•• "

_01'"- ....•..•

10

10

40

10

Blue Marlin

10

10

.~t '-1 I-I '-4 4-. I-I '-7 '-I ,-,. ,. ••

YEARS AT LIBERTY_ TOTAL __ o_

N· ••• _-It

10

to

0-1 1-1 a-I 1-4 4-'YEARS AT LIIlERTY

_ TOTAL_-M D _

N-at ft-"

7-1

FJpre 4: Percent of white marlin recaptures, 1954-88and 1989.

2

FJpre" Percent of blue marlin recaptures, 1954-1988and1989.

in 1989 was a doubleheader--both fISh had been tagged andreleased off St. Thomas, VI, and were recaptured offAxim,Ghana, West Africa. The distance traveled was approximately3,862 straight line miles. One of the marlin made the trip in104 days, an average of 37 miles a day or 1.6 miles per hour--this is assuming that the marlin swam in a straight line.

Swordfish

~EIlCENT OFAECA~TUREI

<10

.,30

20 I· ·

Swordfish

NURlbe,on bar indica".nu••ber 01fleh •• 11•••• n.dby that coli"""

YEARS AT LIBERTY

_ TOTAL 111114-88 D Willi

Non No"

There were 161 swordfIShtagged and released in 1989: 158 bycommercial fishermen and 3 by recreational fIShermen.Numbers and areas of fish tagged were: 66 off the east coastof Florida, 54 in the Caribbean Sea, 16 in the Bahamas; othertagging areas were the western north Atlantic (over 200 milesoffshore, all tagged by commercial fIShermen) and thenortheastern United States (Georges Bank and Canada).

10

o0-1 '-1 1-8 8-4 4•.• a-e 1-7 .11 1.-11

There were 11 swordfIShrecaptures in 1989 (fable 1; Figure7). There were 8 swordfIShrecaptured from releases off the

....- Ie Percent of swordfish recaptures, 1954-88 and1989.

80 70 eoI'IpR 7: Straight-line travel distances of 1989 swordfish

recaptures.

There were 9 bluefin recaptures in 1989 (fable 1; Figure 9).Commercial fishermen reported 6 recaptures, 2 were reported

40

_.I••••••

-----t,," •••

••••••

Bluefin Tuna

There were 104 bluefin tagged and released in 1989: 91 weretagged and released off the mid-Atlantic states. Other taggingareas were Bermuda, Bahamas, Florida east coast, Gulf ofMexico, and the western Atlantic. Recreational fishermentagged and released 103, commercial fishermen tagged andreleased 1.

Ilk •, ,~~\'I'\

'1 - •.,20

30

northeast United States: 6 were recaptured in the same generalarea, 1 off Nova Scotia, and 1 off Hispaniola. There were 2recaptures from releases off the east Florida coast; both wererecaptured off the North Carolina coast. There was arecapture off the northeastern United States from a fIShreleased off the coast of North Carolina.

There were 2 swordfIShat large for less than 1 year, 4 at largefor 1-2 years, 2 at large for 2-3 years, 2 for 3-4 years, and 1for almost 7 years (Figure 8).

I'IpR f: Straight-line travel distances of 1989 bluefin tunarecaptures.

by recreational fishermen, and one did not list gear. Six ofthe recaptures were from fISh released off the mid-Atlanticstates: 2 were recaptured near their release point, 3 recapturedoff the northeastern United States, and one was recapturednear Malta in the Mediterranean Sea--this is the third bluefinthat has been recaptured in the Mediterranean Sea. Therewere 3 recaptures from releases off the northeastern UnitedStates: 2 were recaptured in the same general area and 1 wasrecaptured east of Newfoundland. There was a 1988 recapturereported in 1989, a fISh tagged and released off MontaukPoint, New York, recaptured off the northeast United States.

3

One bluefin was at large for less than 1 year, for 1-2 years, 1for 6-7 years, 2 for 8-9 years, 2 for 9-10 years, 1 for 11-12years, and 1 for over 15 years which was the longest time atlarge for a bluefin in 1989 (Figure 10). The longest distance

2 recaptures of yellowfin released in the Gulf of Mexico andrecaptured in the Gulf of Mexico.

There were 4 yellowfin at large for less than 1 year, 2 for 1-2 years, 1 for 2-3 years, and 1 for 3-4 years (Figure 12).

NUMbar on b.r Indlc••••nu••ber of flah _ledby lh., colll ••n

Yellowfin Tuna

1S-81-2 2-3 3-4YEARS AT LIBERTY

PERCENT OFRtECAPTURti8

80II

80

40

20

00-1

N_ber on •••••Indlc•••••••••••ber of fl.h ••••,. •• n••dby 1II., oolllllln

YEARS AT LIBERTY

Bluefin Tuna

_ TOTALIl164-88 CJ 1888N·41S1O N·lI

•••

uu

o

40

20

PERCENT OfRECAPTUREa

80

FIprc 10: Percent of bluefin tuna recaptures, 1954-88and1989.

traveled by a bluefin recaptured in 1989 was from a releaseeast of Virginia Beach, Virginia, recaptured near Malta in theMediterranean Sea, a straight line distance of 5,380 miles.

Yellowfin Tuna

_ TOTAL 1lIl54-" CJ 18811N·8e N.7

FIprc 12: Percent of yeUowfin tuna recaptures, 1954-88 and1989.

Tarpon

There were 296 yellowfin tuna tagged and released in 1989.Recreational fishermen tagged and released 284 fish, andcommercial fishermen tagged and released 12 fish. The majortagging area was off the mid-Atlantic states where 212yellowfin were tagged; 42 in the northern Gulf of Mexico, 17off the Florida coast, 9 in the Bahamas, 9 off the northeasternUnited States. Other tagging areas were Bermuda, VirginIslands, and the western north Atlantic.

There were 8 yellowfin tuna recaptures reported in 1989(fable 1; Figure 11). There were 6 recaptures from mid-Atlantic releases: 4 were recaptured near their release points,and 2 made transatlantic migrations to the west coast of

40

20

10

o15O 10 40 20

FIprc 11: Straight-line travel distmu;es of 1989yeUowfin tunarecaptures.

Africa, one traveling 4,414 miles in 836 days to an area 600miles southwest of Liberia, and the other traveling 4,100 milesin 1,231 days and 821 miles southeast of Liberia. There were

There were 431 tarpon tagged and released in 1989. Themajority of the releases were from the west coast of Floridawhere 231 tarpon were tagged and released; 117 were taggedand released in the Gulf of Mexico (primarily off the westcoast of Florida), and 83 off the Florida east coast.

Eleven (11) tarpon recaptures were reported in 1989: 5recaptures were from releases at Boca Grande, Florida: 2 wererecaptured near the point of release, and 3 were recaptured offthe west coast of Florida. There were 4 recaptures of fIShreleased at Key West: 3 were recaptured in Key West, and 1was recaptured off New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

Due to budget cuts we were forced to drop tarpon from ourlist of target species. Because of interest expressed by tarponfIShingenthusiasts and those concerned about the conservationof this species, we will continue to maintain the data base andprovide our data for analysis. The distribution and purchasingof tags is now being managed by the Florida League ofAnglers. They are attempting to provide tags to those whorequest them and are purchasing the tags with donations madeto them by clubs and individuals. If you would like to assistthem by tagging or by sending a donation please contact:

Florida League of Anglersc/o Norma StopplebeinP.O. Box 1109Sanibel, Florida 33957

4

Amberjack

Program cooperators tagged and released 210 amberjack in1989. The leading tagging area was the south coast of Florida,with 72 fISh tagged, followed by the north Florida coast with46, 44 off the mid-Atlantic states, 43 off the Floridapanhandle, and 5 tagged along the coast of Texas.

Ten (10) amberjack recaptures were reported in 1989. Therewere 3 recaptures from releases off the Florida panhandle: 2were recaptured in the same area as released, 1was recapturedin the Florida Keys. Amberjack from the follow areas wererecaptured near the area of release: 2 off the Florida Keys, 2off south Florida, 1 off the north Florida coast, and 1 offNorth Carolina. One amberjack recaptured off North Carolinadid not have release information available.

All 10 amberjack recaptured in 1989 were at large for lessthan one year, the longest being 360 days for one of the southFlorida coast recaptures. The longest distance traveled wasnearly 600 miles, by an amberjack tagged and released nearMiami and recaptured 100 days later off Panama City, Florida.

King Mackerel

King Mackerel and Red Drum were added as target species in1986. In this report only the recreationally associated releasesand recaptures will be discussed in detail--recaptures of fishreleased by scientists will be discussed in general. A report ofscientific taggings will be released at a later date.

There were 268 king mackerel tagged and released in 1989 byrecreational fishermen: 110 were tagged off Texas, 89 off theeast coast of Florida, 39 in the northern Gulf of Mexico and30 off North Carolina.

There were 138 recaptures of king mackerel tagged andreleased by scientific staff and recreational fishermen.Scientific staff tagged and released 131. Of these, ninety-three(93) recaptures were from releases off the Florida east coast:87 were recaptured in the same area of release, 2 from theFlorida Keys, 1each from Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, andLouisiana. There were 15 recaptures from North Carolinareleases: 10 in the same area of release, and 5 off the Floridaeast coast. There were 11 recaptures from the Floridapanhandle releases: 8 in the same area of release, 2 off Texas,and 1 off Louisiana. There were 5 recaptures from Louisianareleases: 2 in the same area of release, and 3 from Texas.There were 5 recaptures from Texas releases: 4 in the samearea of release, and 1 in the Florida panhandle. There was 1recapture from each of the following areas: Florida Keys,recaptured off the east coast of Florida, and Mexico,recaptured off Louisiana.

Seven of the 138 recaptures were from recreational releases.Four of the recaptures had been tagged and released off theFlorida Keys: 2 were recaptured near the point of release and2 were recaptured off Palm Beach. There was one recapturefrom each of the following release areas: Port Aransas, Texas,recaptured at Freeport, Texas; Calcasieu Lake, Louisiana,recaptured in the same area; Miami Beach, Florida, recapturedat St. Joe Bay, Florida.

5

The longest time-at-Iarge for a king mackerel was from arelease off Grand Isle, Louisiana recaptured 2,370 days lateroff Galveston, Texas.

Red Drum

There were 963 red drum tagged by recreational fIShermen in1989. The majority of these (750) were tagged in the northernGulf of Mexico, 207 off the east coast of Florida, and 6 offthe coasts of North and South Carolina.

There were 23 red drum recaptures reported in 1989. Ninewere from releases off Pensacola Pass, Florida, and were allrecaptured in the same area of release; 9 released from SouthPass, Louisiana were recaptured in the same area of release;2 released at Boca Grande, Florida, were recaptured in thesame area of release; 3 recaptures did not have releaseinformation available.

There were 47 recaptures of scientifically tagged and releasedred drum: 38 were from releases off the Florida Panhandle--ail were recaptured in the same area of release; 7 were fromLouisiana releases, 6 recaptured in the same area of releaseand 1 recaptured off the Texas coast. Two recaptures werefrom Texas releases and were recovered in the same area asreleased.

The longest time-at-large for a red drum was from a releaseoff Timbalier Bay, Louisiana, and recaptured 946 days later offGrand Isle, Louisiana.

Bait Box

For 8 years we have examined the tagging data concerning theuse of live bait and its possible effect on the mortality ofsailfish. In 1981, we had data on 175 releases that providedinformation on bait use. By 1989, data providing informationof bait use increased to 2,642 reports. During this period theuse of live bait has shown a dramatic increase. This increaseis probably due to improved reporting techniques. From 1981to 1982, the recapture rate was greater for dead bait. In 1983,the recapture rate was the same for both baits, and for theperiod 1984-89, the recapture rates have been greater for livebait. This pattern continues to support our contention, basedon tagging data, that there does not appear to be increasedmortality of sailfish tagged and released using live baitcompared to dead bait.

Tagging Awards

In 1989, the Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Program begana cooperative effort with AFTCO TAGIF1.AG Tournament inthe conservation of our marine fish resources. Several othertagging program also backed the program, including FishTrackers, Gulf Coast Conservation Association Tag Program,and the South Carolina Marine Game Fish Tag Program.Anglers and Captains were able to compete for handsometrophies for those tagging the most of each of the ninedesignated species. The species covered in the tournamentinclude albacore, bluefin tuna, yelIowfin and bigeye (combinedspecies), blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, amberjack, andcobia. All species designated above had to be tagged andreleased in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, or Caribbean Sea.Anglers and captains who tagged a designated number of the

listed species received an AFfCO Tag Flag award. Thenumber for each species is listed as follows: albacore 5,amberjack 10, bigeye and yellowfin 5, bluefin 5, blue marlin 3,white marlin 5, sailfish 10, and cobia 10.

For further information about the AFfCO TAG/FLAGTournament contact the Cooperative Game FISh TaggingProgram or the AFfCO Manufacturing Co., 17351 MurphyAv., Irvine, CA 92714.

The winners of the individual trophies awarded to both anglers and captains tagging the most fish in the designated species are listedbelow:

SPECIES CAPTAIN ANGLER

Albacore Ben Tribken Jeff MerrillDonated by: American Fishing New York Sport FIShing

Tackle Association Federation

Bluefin Dennis Merten James RannoDonated by: International Game International Game

Fishing Association Game Fishing Association

Bigeye andYellowfin Walter Yon Koppen David BregmanDonated by: American Fishing American Fishing

Tackle Association Tackle Association

Blue Marlin Dan Timmons RUBHensleyDonated by: National Coalition for National Coalition for

Marine Conservation Marine Conservation

White Marlin Luis Suarez RUBHensleyDonated by: The Billfish Foundation The Billfish Foundation

Sailfish Brad Simonds RUBHensleyDonated by: Sport Fishing International Game

Institute FIShing Association

Amberjack Bill Mathews Richard WilcoxDonated by: Atlantic Coastal The Florida Conservation

Conservation Assoc. Association

Cobia Joe Richard Fred AndersonDonated by: The Florida Conservation Atlantic Coastal

Association Conservation Assoc.

King Mackerel David CibulkaDonated by: Florida League of Anglers

6

The Angler of the Year was Rus Hensley; the trophy was sponsored by the AFTCO Manufacturing Company. The CooperativeGame FIsh Tagging Program sponsors a trophy to the commercial captain who tags the most flsh--the winner for 1989 was CaptainHank Halliger, the same captain who won the trophy in 1988.

The CGFI'P extends its congratulations to the winning anglers, captains, and to the sponsoring organizations for their effort andcooperation in the conservation of our great natural resources.

Tagging Box

We began to acknowledge participants of the CGFI'P in 1976.Program participants are acknowledged again this year (seeTables 2 and 3) for target species tagged and released in theAtlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Wecannot give participants credit for fISh tagged and releasedunless we receive the tag-release cards. We send youacknowledgment cards as a check to ensure that we havereceived the release cards and to inform participants that wehave received the tagging information. Please make sure yourreturn addresses are correct and legible. Due to operationalchanges, tag acknowledgement cards will only be sent to thecaptains. If a name and address is not listed for a captain,acknowledgment cards will be sent to the anglers. If you wantan acknowledgment card to be sent to both angler and captain,please note this in the remarks section on the release reportcard. If you do not receive an acknowledgement card, pleaseinform us as soon as possible. The tag-release cards areoccasionally lost in the mail, and if we can find out about theloss before too much time passes, there may be a possibilitythat we can work together and retrieve the lost data. We alsothink that it would be a good idea to keep a log of tagginginformation so that you can provide us with accurateinformation in case the tag release card is lost in the mail.

If you wish to tag fish in the Pacific Ocean or to tag fISh notin our program, please contact the following:

Sharks - Atlantic OceanCooperative Shark Tagging ProgramMr. Jack CaseyNOAA/NMFSNortheast FIsheries CenterNarragansett LaboratoryP. O. Box 522ANarragansett, RI 02882

7

Unrestricted Species (angler pays nominal fee for tags)American Littoral Society FIsh Tagging ProgramAmerican Littoral SocietyNOAA/NMFSSandy Hook LaboratoryHighlands, NJ 02882

Billflshes - other Atlantic areasInternational Commission for Conservation ofAtlantic TunasPrincipe de Vergara, 17 - 728001 Madrid SPAIN

Billflshes - Pacific OceanCooperative Marine Game Fish Tagging ProgramMr. James L. Squire, Jr.NOAA/NMFSLa Jolla LaboratoryP. O. Box 271La Jolla, CA 92027

All Species Recognized by IGFA - AustraliaNew South Wales State FisheriesBox N211Grosvenor St. Post OfficeSydney, NSW 2000, Australia

Table l. Tagged oceanic pelagic fishes recaptured during 1989 as part of the Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Program, National Marine FISheriesService, Miami Laboratory. Methods of fishing are: rod and reel (RIR), longline (LL), purse seine (PS), handline (HL), harpoon (HAR),impoundment (1M), and gill net (GIL). Country abbreviations are: Canada (CA), Japan (JAP), Mexico (MX), United States (US),Dominican Republic (DR), Virgin Islands (VI), Cuba (CU), Puerto Rico (PR), Ghana (GH), Granada (GN), Bahamas (BA), Spain (SP),and Venezuela (VE).

Location and Location and DaysRelease Recapture at Tagger FinderDate Date Large Captain Method Captain Method

Sailfish

Stuart, FL Stuart, FL Peggy Parker Thad Hicks1-2-89 1-2-89 0 Bob Parker RIR RIR

Big Pine Key, FL Ft. Lauderdale, FL Patrick Kelly Tom Stephens10-29-89 11-3-89 5 Frank Kirwin RIR John Stephens RIR

Ft. Lauderdale, FL Hillsboro, FL Dennis Martin Stan Reuwer11-07-89 11-17-89 10 Pete Luckenback RIR RIR

Hobe Sound, FL Key Largo, FL Robert Frevert William Martica2-11-89 2-27-89 16 RIR Jerry Pohl RIR

Dakar, Senegal Dakar, Senegal J. Claude Dufour Mousse Diop Samb7-27-89 8-17-89 21 B. Christian RIR N/A

20"00'N, 86"OO'W 26°55'N,94"08'W Kevin Deerman Thong Huynh US5-22-89 6-13-89 22 Kevin Deerman RIR LL

Ft. Lauderdale, FL Miami, FL Howard Blitslein Robert Tracy1-26-89 2-21-89 26 Peter Fallon RIR John B. Dudas RIR

Islamorada, FL Islamorada, FL Steven A Bohanan Don Gurgiolo2~-89 3~-89 28 Clyde Upchurch RIR RIR

Key Largo, FL Palm Beach, FL Bert Iseminger Charles Bouchard3-3-89 4-15-89 43 Charles Griffis RIR Adrienne Sorg RIR

Islamorada, FL Stuart, FL W. R. Hirni Larris Tolson11-30-88 1-30-89 61 Bill Harbaugh RIR RIR

Boca Raton, FL Key Largo, FL Bill Hanifin Jerry Pohl12-4-88 2-22-89 80 Drew Anderson RIR RIR

Islamorada, FL Boynton Beach, FL Lee Pender Dan Olson US12-11-88 4-15-89 125 BilI Hartman RIR LL

Jupiter, FL 29"52'N, 8O"28'W Charles Bouchard Ted Bozarth4-2-89 11-4-89 216 RIR Bob Thousand RIR

Miami, FL Palm Beach, FL Mike Wyden John M. Forcum4-22-88 1-14-89 267 RIR Rocky Harrison RIR

Stuart, FL Boca Raton, FL Andrea Lake Gary Koback12-25-88 11-18-89 328 Boyd Myers RIR RIR

Mayport, FL Ft. Lauderdale, FL Debra Scanlan Bill Roberts8-3-88 7-1-89 332 Mike Scanlan RIR RIR

8

SalIOsh (contmued)

Hollywood, F1.. Ft. Lauderdale, F1.. Mike Leech Nancy Cohen12-4-88 11-18-89 349 RIR Bob Dowling RIR

Juno, F1.. Pompano Beach, F1.. J. R. Jeek Robert Lohmeyer3-16-88 5-2-89 413 RIR Mal)' Strickland RIR

St. Lucie, F1.. Palm Beach, F1.. J. E. Imhoff Uzelle Ellis12-11-87 1-31-89 417 Charlie Waring RIR RIR

Pompano Beach, F1.. Islamorada, F1.. David Baggett Don Gurgiolo12-22-87 3-8-89 441 RIR RIR

Ft. Lauderdale, F1.. Key Largo, F1.. Tom Zack Amy Musia12-19-87 3-5-89 442 RIR RIR

Stuart, F1.. Jupiter, F1.. Beth Clark Michael Spivey8-29-87 1.0-89 496 Lowell Clark RIR RIR

Delray Beach, F1.. Hillsboro Inlet, F1.. Brian Manchester Dean Anderson12-22-87 11-10-89 689 RIR Stan Reuwer RIR

Stuart, F1.. Key Largo, F1.. Gloria Applegate Billie Watson5-1-87 4-1-89 700 Nelson Applegate RIR Matt Shunk RIR

Juno Beach, F1.. Ft. Lauderdale, F1.. Tom Wood Lindsay Forde12-17-86 1-24-89 769 Peter Foley RIR RIR

Boynton Beach, F1.. Looe Key, F1.. Arthur H. Lang Bruce O'Grady2-14-87 4-20-89 796 RIR RIR

Islamorada, F1.. Islamorada, F1.. AI Norman Tim Wright11-28-86 2-28-89 823 John R. Hopwood RIR RIR

Isla Mujeres, Mex. Prt. EI Cuyo, Yucatan Bob Allen Gilberto Peeh5-12-87 12-21-89 954 Robert L. Kolb RIR RIR

La Guaira, Venez. La Guaira, Venez. Scott Storer EIoy Penot10-28-86 9-23-89 1061 RIR RIR

Jupiter, F1.. St. Lucie, F1.. Allen Silzle Robert Franklin1-24-87 12-29-89 1070 Eddie Herbert RIR RIR

Riviera Beach, F1.. Ho11ywood,F1.. Sean Schaeffer Bud Hollman1-24-85 3-21-89 1517 Bill Hart RIR Bill Robinson RIR

No Release Boca Raton, F1.. Ed PatenaudeInformation 1-4-86- Jim Muhs RIR

No Release Islamorada, F1.. Dale E. PercyInformation 12-11-87- Steven Riley RIR

Juno, F1.. Islamorada, F1.. Charles Bouchard Lee Robinson US11-7-88 11-17-88- 10 RIR HL

South Pass, LA 26°40'N,9O"40'W Louis Freeman US6-23-83 3-1-84- 251 John Peters RIR LL

Jupiter, F1.. Miami, F1.. Bill Gamper David Ross Brown3-15-87 2-28-88- 389 RIR RIR- = other years' recaptures reported in 1989

9

White Marlin

37"31'N, 74"07'W 39"S2'N, n04Q'W Wade Bailey US James Signorin10-16-88 7-2-89 259 LL RIR

Hillsboro Bch, FL Martha's ~, MA Sandra Storer Gal}' Ie. Wetmore12-7-88 9-1-89 268 Scott Storer RIR RIR

Ocean City, MD 27"07'N, 89"32'W Pat Fenwick Dao Van Hue US9-3-88 6-20-89 290 Chet Rohrbach RIR LL

Norfolk Canyon Naples, FL Don Strattman Qinton Golden9-18-88 7-24-89 309 Tim Lecky RIR James Lando RIR

La Guaira, Venez. La Guaira, Venez. Rus Hensley Aquiles Garcia10-11-88 8-20-89 313 Dan TImmons RIR N/A

Oregon Inlet, NC Virginia Beach, VA Mal}' Leigh Harmony Gene Meeltins7-27-88 8-S-89 374 John Bayliss RIR Earl Richardson RIR

Ocean City, MD 28"S2'N, 88"22'W Brad Watltins Tommy Austin US8-8-88 8-20-89 377 Glen Munford RIR LL

28"08'N, 88"08'W Oregon Inlet, NC W.F. Foster Vernon Saunders7-3-88 8-29-89 422 M. Pralle RIR RIR

25°1S'N, 79"Sl'W Oregon Inlet, NC Hank Halliger US Stuart C. Lee4-25-88 8-26-89 488 LL Bill Duval RIR

36°S7'N, 70"S7'W Walkers Cay, Bahamas NMFS Observer JAP Bruce Dorbeck7-10-84 S-2-89 17S7 LL Ted Porter RIR

37"OO'N,74"30'W 36"07'N, 74"3S'W Merrill B. Smith Robert Cox7-12-84 8-16-89 1861 Tim Lecky RIR RIR

No Release Oregon Inlet, NC Mike MerrittInformation 7-31-87- N/A RIR

No Release La Guaira, Venez. Robert GreathouseInformation 1988- N/A RIR

29"Q8'N, 87°14'W Havana, Cuba Gregol}' Werhan US Louis Hernandez9-7-88 12-24-88- 108 LL N/A- = other years' recaptures reported in 1989

Blue Marlin

St. Thomas, VI lsoSS'N,61°4Q'W Brad Simonds Juno Blondin8-25-89 9-2-89 8 RIR N/A

Horta Faial, Azores Horta Faial, Azores Luke Van Puyenbroeck (Vessel: Cecilia)9-2-89 9-23-89 21 Don Merten RIR RIR

Corpus Christi, TX 270z0'N,96°10'W Roger Kertamus John Saunders6-3-89 7-21-89 48 Gal}' Watson RIR Rick Ogle RIR

Cozumel, Mexico Prt. O'Connor, TX Tony Fraseone Bob BirdS-19-89 7-14-89 S6 James Roberts RIR RIR

10

Blue MarUn (continued)

St. Thomas, VI Axim, Ghana Rus Hensley Anthony Quaison9-14-89 12-27-89 104 Dan Timmons RIR N/A

St. Thomas, VI 29"SS'N,80"20'W Jim Hilibs US7-1S-89 12-6-89 144 John Sabonis RIR LL

St. Thomas, VI Basse Terre, Guadel. Patty Motta Francis Ricart7-25-88 9-16-89 418 Joe Motta RIR RIR

Bimini, Bahamas Miami Beach, FL Rus Hensley Larry Males3-25-87 8-9-89 868 Dan Timmons RIR RIR

Treasure Cay, Bhms 25°12'N, 7cr42'W Eric Reed Hank Halliger US7-21-86 10-13-89 1180 Jimbo Barnes RIR LL

Port Aransas, TX 27"08'N, 93°1S'W Michael Gully Nho Le US10-12-8S 1-7-89 1183 R. H. Smith RIR LL

St. Thomas, VI Axim, Ghana Tommy Faust Mallam Krakue GH7-16-81 S-29-89 2874 Arty Trager RIR GIL

St. Thomas, VI Pt. Noire, Guadel. Ed Windes Harry Laugier US8-26-88 9-16-88- 21 RIR HL- = 1988 recapture reported in 1989

Swordfish

4()023'N, 66°S6'W 4ZOS0'N,63000'W NMFS Observer JAP George Hopkins CA12-7-88 10-12-89 309 LL LL

25~I'N, 7crS3'W 31~7'N, 7cr12'W Rick Halliger US 'Don Ryhnn US7-23-88 7-14-89 3S6 LL LL

26°4S'N, 7cr37'W 31°12'N, 7~I'W Rick Ross US Chris Coats US6-21-88 8-17-89 422 LL LL

4O"2S'N, 66°S4'W ~3'N, 72~7'W NMFS Observer JAP Ric Krantz US12-10-87 4-20-89 496 LL LL

3crI2'N,6cr3S'W 4O"18'N, 67"S7'W NMFS Observer JAP Jim Thayer US11-7-87 8-1-89 633 LL GIL

3cr29'N, 68OZS'W 4O"4S'N, 66°41'W NMFS Observer JAP Jim Thayer US9-25-87 8-10-89 68S LL GIL

4O"28'N, 67°14'W 41~3'N, 66°11'W NMFS Observer JAP Arley Wickens CA12-7-86 7-24-89 960 LL HAR

3cr23'N, 67"01'W 41°S1'N, 6S"08'W NMFS Observer JAP G. W. Donaldson CA11-3-86 8-13-89 1014 LL LL

3cr4S'N, 68"S3'W 4O"2O'N,68"10'W NMFS Observer JAP Fred Mattera US7-17-86 9-1-89 1142 LL GIL

3cr40'N, 71000'W 4O"44'N, 66°40'W James Hardee US Jim Thayer US9-6-85 8-10-89 1434 LL GIL

33000'N, 76000'W 41~3'N, 66°11'W Louis Paskas, Jr US G. W. Donaldson CAS-S-83 7-6-89 2254 LL HL

11

Bluefin Tuna

SE of Fire Island 38"04'N, 74°46'W A Angelo Mark Samson10-20-88 7-18-89 271 RIR RIR

Montauk, NY 39"52'N,72°40'W John DeMarco Bruce Weisinger8-11-88 10-1-89 431 Pete FIsher RIR RIR

Montauk, NY Cape Cod, MA Frank Mather Richard Topham US10-5-83 10-16-89 2203 Alan Anderson RIR HL

36"32'N,75°19'W 4O"OO'N,68OZ9'W Scientific Staff US Edmund Avila US6-21-81 8-28-89 2990 PS PS

36"32'N,75°19'W 41000'N,69"OO'W Scientific Staff US Mike Genovese US6-21-81 9-2-89 2995 PS PS

36OZS'N,75°40'W 35005'N, 14000'E Scientific Staff US Joseph Grech6-22-80 5-30-89 3264 PS N/A

36OZ9'N,75°45'W 41°15'N,69"15'W Scientific Staff US Sal Ingrande US6-21-81 9-14-89 3372 PS PS

41OOO'N,71OZ2'W 45°40'N, 42005'W Scientific Staff US James Meade CA8-22-78 9-17-89 4045 PS HL

39"59'N, 73° 39'W 41"32'N,69"40'W Scientific Staff US Laura Mason US7-16-74 8-16-89 5509 PS HAR

Montauk, NY 4O"24'N,66"39'W Robert J. Andris Harty Upton JAP8-17-86 12-8-88- 843 L Lambrecht RIR LL- = 1988 recapture reported in 1989

Yellowfin Tuna

38000'N, 74°00'W Ocean City, MD Robert Brooks Brian Porter6-30-89 9-17-89 79 J. B. Brooks RIR RIR

Wilmington Canyon Hudson Canyon Tommy Baldwin G. Abrahamson7-20-89 10-24-89 96 RIR RIR

27"50'N,91°40'W 27"23'N, 94"39'W Glenn Giaey Hung Van Nguyen US7-28-88 1-27-89 183 Allen Gallo RIR LL

Hudson Canyon 39"55'N, 71OZ9'W Len Walsh Mike FInazzo10-1-88 9-2-89 336 Ed Dunn RIR RIR

Grande Isle, LA 27005'N,93OZS'W Chip Young Danny Truong US5-7-88 7-8-89 427 RIR LL

36008'N,74"3l'W 39"52'N,72°40'W James Mears US BobHoste10-3-87 6-24-89 569 LL RIR

Hudson Canyon 1"35'N,8°40'W Skip Kane F. X Bard SP9-20-86 1-3-89 836 Pete Barrett RIR PS

39"58'N,71"24'W 00059'N, 15"09'W Robin Lehman F. X Bard SP7-15-86 11-27-89 1231 RIR PS

12

Table 2- Captains who made outstanding contributions to CGFrP in 1989 by assisting in the tagging of 10 or more blue marlin (BM), white marlin(WM), sailfISh (SF), tunas (TN), and swordfISh (SW). Angler column signifies fISh tagged by captains while fIShing as anglers and theyare included in the total.

Species

Captains BM WM SF SW TN Total Tagged asAngler

Dan TImmons 60 33 118 0 0 211 0Brad Simonds 42 9 132 0 0 183 0Luis Suarez 16 95 57 0 0 168 0Hank Halliger 17 13 30 34 13 107 1Fred Riffe 1 28 49 0 0 78 7John Bayliss 2 45 0 0 28 75 0Robt Dehart 19 20 28 0 0 67 0Benazeth Christian 0 0 66 0 0 66 2Randy Jendersee 40 3 22 0 0 65 1Bob Grant 63 0 0 0 0 63 0Luis Millan 4 10 49 0 0 63 0Scott Walker 0 6 56 0 0 62 5Tim McDonough 7 9 15 23 3 57 5Luis Brau 40 9 7 0 0 56 0o B Vernon O'Bryan 42 7 1 0 0 50 2AI Nelson 2S 1 22 0 0 48 0Wooda G Wheeler 6 7 35 0 0 48 0Robert Killey 44 3 0 0 0 47 1Mike Merritt 2 38 0 0 6 46 3James Roberts 4 8 33 0 0 45 0Casey Shea 45 0 0 0 0 45 0Walter Van Koppen 0 3 0 0 41 44 0Donald Merten 40 3 0 0 0 43 0John Sabonis 43 0 0 0 0 43 5Robert Walters 1 2 37 0 0 40 0Mike Benitez 35 4 0 0 0 39 12Rick Ross 4 27 2 5 1 39 0Kevin Deerman 1 7 29 0 0 37 0Joseph "Spike" Herbert 28 5 3 0 0 36 1Finn Crutch 32 1 0 0 0 33 1Mike Lemon 26 2 2 0 0 30 0Jay Berman 1 3 5 0 20 29 4Lee Alonzo 28 0 0 0 0 28 5Pete Barrett 0 1 0 0 2S 26 0Ben Tribken 0 2 0 0 24 26 0J Barlia 20 5 0 0 0 2S 3Allen De Silva 19 6 0 0 0 2S 0Bill Borer 23 1 0 0 0 24 0Guy McClave 0 1 1 22 0 24 1Charles Brown 1 20 2 0 0 23 0G Landi 0 13 10 0 0 23 2Gregory Werhan 2 11 3 7 0 23 0Timothy J Hyde 0 11 10 0 1 22 0Chet Rohrbach 0 22 0 0 0 22 0John Skubal 21 1 0 0 0 22 0Bill Noll 0 0 21 0 0 21 0Brynner Parks 1 14 1 0 5 21 0Dean Adler 15 0 5 0 0 20 7Tim Johnston 7 11 0 2 0 20 0Phil Tedder 20 0 0 0 0 20 0Mark E. Hill 1 14 4 0 0 19 0Charles Ladnier 2 1 0 0 16 19 1Dennis Merten 1 0 9 0 9 19 4

13

Table 2 (continued)Species

Captains BM WM SF SW TN Total Taaed ••Angler

Daniel Shawhan 0 0 0 13 6 19 0Don Hamilton 16 1 1 0 0 18 0Joe Motta 17 0 1 0 0 18 5Mike Patrick 2 1 15 0 0 18 1Ken Pontari 0 0 18 0 0 18 1Steven Forman 0 2 1 14 0 17 0AI Johnston N 10 1 2 4 0 17 0Ron Rhoades 0 2 15 0 0 17 1F E Bubba Gaston 2 0 14 0 0 16 0Victor Gonzalez 16 0 0 0 0 16 0PaulIvey 16 0 0 0 0 16 0Mike McClamrock 15 1 0 0 0 16 0Mark Montoya 15 1 0 0 0 16 0Harty Hall 15 0 0 0 0 15 0Rodman Leas 1 0 12 0 2 15 2Timothy B Lecky 2 13 0 0 0 15 0Allan P Paschall 0 13 2 0 0 15 0Don Speicher 1 8 6 0 0 15 7Carlos Hernandez 0 4 10 0 0 14 0J Oriach R 0 9 5 0 0 14 0Steve Smith 5 3 6 0 0 14 1John Stranz 1 1 0 8 4 14 0Jay Weed 2 0 12 0 0 14 0Bob Croswait 1 12 0 0 0 13 0Tim Day 4 5 2 0 2 13 0Rich Mazol 2 8 0 0 3 13 3AI Petrosky 12 1 0 0 0 13 0Michael Smith 0 2 11 0 0 13 6John Stack 0 0 0 0 13 13 2Richard Stiers 13 0 0 0 0 13 0Bruce Taymore 0 0 0 0 13 13 3Oscar Acevedo Young 5 1 7 0 0 13 1Michael Leech 0 0 12 0 0 12 2Juan Tito Martinez 10 1 1 0 0 12 1Alex Wood 2 7 3 0 0 12 0Bob Zales II 0 2 0 0 10 12 0Brian Bennett 1 5 5 0 0 11 2Mark Magouirk 9 0 2 0 0 11 0Jeff Roberts 0 0 11 0 0 11 5Butch M Standeven 5 0 5 0 1 11 0Robert Vlcek 0 11 0 0 0 11 0Keith R Winter 1 2 !) 0 8 11 3Carlos A1emany 10 0 0 0 0 10 3Frank Angelini 0 0 0 0 10 10 4Robert Frevert 0 0 10 0 0 10 5Bill Gamper 2 0 8 0 0 10 0Jim Garrity 4 2 4 0 0 10 0Bud Gramer 5 1 4 0 0 10 1Don Griffin 0 6 4 0 0 10 0Ron Katz 3 0 6 1 0 10 0Andrew 0 Morris 2 8 0 0 0 10 0John Jim O'Brien 0 0 0 0 10 10 5Louis Pilotti 10 0 0 0 0 10 0Dave Purdo 0 0 10 0 0 10 0Dan Stephano 0 8 0 0 2 10 3Casey Wagner 1 7 2 0 0 10 0

14

Table 3- Anglers who made outstanding contributions to CGFfP in 1989 by assisting in the tagging of 10 or more blue marlin (BM), white marlin(WM), sailfish (S1'), tunas (TN), and swordfish (SW). Captain column signifies fISh tagged by anglers while fishing as captains and theyare included in the total.

Species

Anglers BM WM SF SW TN Total Tagged 85

Captain

Rus Hensley 55 28 114 0 0 197 0Charles E. Bouchard 1 9 68 0 0 78 25Katie Riffe 0 19 35 0 0 54 0David Bregman 0 3 0 0 41 44 0Matthew Antell 37 0 0 0 0 37 0John Ted Snipes 22 3 3 0 0 28 12Odile Robelin 0 0 21 0 0 21 0Rob Constantineau 0 0 20 0 0 20 2Roland Dixon 8 1 8 0 0 17 0J Richard Jeek 3 0 14 0 0 17 0Page Robertson 1 10 1 0 5 17 0Sylvia Azqueta 16 0 0 0 0 16 0Drew Brookman 0 0 0 0 15 15 5Pat Fenwick 0 15 0 0 0 15 0Edward Gayton 15 0 0 0 0 15 0Jack Christison 6 0 8 0 0 14 0Phil Uchitel 0 2 12 0 0 14 0Chuck Birge 0 0 13 0 0 13 0Patrick Nicole 0 0 13 0 0 13 1Rich Barrett 0 0 0 0 12 12 0Mel Immergut 8 0 1 0 3 12 0Jim Lowney 0 9 3 0 0 12 0Frank Tatum Jr 1 0 0 0 11 12 0F Thomas Westcott 5 2 5 0 0 12 5Jim Busby 0 0 11 0 0 11 0Jimmy David 0 0 11 0 0 11 3Rick Eisenacher 0 6 5 0 0 11 1Lawrence H Furman 0 11 0 0 0 11 0Miguel Hernandez 11 0 0 0 0 11 0James Ranno 0 1 0 0 10 11 0Jim Royder 11 0 0 0 0 11 0Mike Dew 0 0 10 0 0 10 0Jim Edmiston 10 0 0 0 0 10 3Edgar Figueroa 10 0 0 0 0 10 2Roger Krekelbergn 0 0 10 0 0 10 0Paul D Motta 5 0 5 0 0 10 1Hal Prewitt 10 0 0 0 0 10 0W Schmolling 0 9 1 0 0 10 0Joe Shaab 2 2 0 0 6 10 0Alex Slendak 0 0 10 0 0 10 0Phillipe Sleurs 0 0 10 0 0 10 0Adrienne Sorg 1 0 9 0 0 10 2William Spolar 9 1 0 0 0 10 1Jonathan Steiner 0 9 1 0 0 10 0

15""u.s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1990-756-812/190