Tagging Questions

[BlueH20Boss]

So I am looking for information on getting tags to use while offshore..... Where do you guys go about obtaining them? I heard they are free, is this correct? I think it would be really cool to get feedback later in time on a fish you tagged.

Does anyone have any cool tag stories? My one buddy tagged a baby mako and he was contacted like two years later that it had gained about 130 lbs and was caught on a longline way up north. He tagged it in the Baltimore canyon. (I have not had contact with this guy in a few years or else i'd be asking him where to get them) Pretty cool stuff, I want to jump on board with tagging, so any help would be appreciated.

Kevin

[whitey]

Im not sure about free tags but you can buy them from the Billfish Foundation.

In August of 1999 we captured a white marlin in the Wilmington Canyon the was released in October of 1998 in Venezuela. From 1995 to 2000 we tagged 57 white marlin and 2 blues in the NE canyons but never got a return on 1.

[BlueH20Boss]

wow cool story, that is a lot of water to cover in 10 months...and to stay alive while doing it.

Anyone else up on the tags being 'free' or has that ship sailed?

[NJPete]

I have yet to use any of mine but i joined TBF (The Billfish Federation) http://billfish.org/ and they sent me a bunch. Ordered a tag stick/line swatter from Melton, and anxiously await using it.

While in Costa Rica this past winter, it was interesting to see one of the boats carried an "electronic tag reader" (not sure of the proper name) but one of the sailfish we caught was tagged with an electronic tag, and reader recorded all of the information electronically. Was pretty cool seeing it in action.

[clt_capt]

Take a look here - http://na.nefsc.noaa.gov/sharks/

I don't think the tags are free anymore, but they are not very expensive anyway. I think I was told that TBF has become the official registry database instead of NOAA

[dckhd247]

From 1995 to 2000 we tagged 57 white marlin and 2 blues in the NE canyons but never got a return on 1.

Must be because it was before you started using circle hooks...

[Salty Tiger]

tbf supplies them the upon return of tag cards recently