| 30 September 2008
Acoustic transmitters may be implanted in some snook. These snook are also marked with an external tag.
The FWC is in the middle of two very interesting tagging studies involving snook, and you as a snook angler can play a major role.
One study is intended to compare habits of two apex predators of our estuarine river systems: snook and large mouth bass. Fish have been tagged in the Sebastian, St. Lucie and Loxahatchee Rivers, and habitat and diet overlap will be assessed. The movement of snook will also be tracked.
Both common snook and fat snook have been tagged, and fish of all sizes were included in the study. In other words, some are in the slot (or will grow through it at a later time).
FWC is counting on your support in this study, and you can contribute invaluable data by reading the yellow “dart tag” that signifies the snook has volunteered for this study. Research scientist Jim Whittington gives the “what you should do” scoop:
If you catch a tagged fish, please report the following information to the Tag Return Hotline at 1-800-367-4461 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it : Species, Tag number (snk XXXX); Date, location, and total length at recapture; Status of the fish (harvested, released with tag, released without tag, found dead); Your name, address, phone number, and shirt size.
There is a reward of a t-shirt for your troubles, so don’t forget the shirt size. Along with the shirt, FWC can share the original data for that fish.
FWC is not the only organization tagging snook. MOTE will hold its annual Snook Shindig this October, a snook fishing tournament designed to capture hatchery raised, tagged snook in the Sarasota area. [link1]
Snook tagging in Sarasota
FWC is not the only organization tagging snook. MOTE will hold its annual Snook Shindig this October, a snook fishing tournament designed to capture hatchery raised, tagged snook in the Sarasota area. more info on tagged snook in Sarasota
The movements of snook implanted with acoustic tags can be tracked. Look for an external tag that says "Please release". Leave the tag on. If you must harvest the fish, send the tracking device implanted in the fish back to FWC.
The second study has a little more technology involved. FWC has surgically implanted acoustic tags in fish around the state with the intent of tracking their movement.
The general consensus has been that west coast snook travel very little, whereas east coast snook might jump from inlet to inlet, and maybe beyond.
This type of information can help our understanding of snook in many ways. For example, trends of snook movement during different periods of the year might better clue us in to which habitats are more critical throughout the lifecycle of snook.
The technology comes with a price, and FWC again is counting on us anglers to be as gentle as possible when releasing these fish. These fish are marked with an external tag that reads “Please Release.” When letting these fish go, try to keep the tag intact for the next angler.
Over time, the tags might cover with algae – just scratch the print clean with your thumbnail and jot the info down. If the fish is not in the slot, please gently release the fish after gathering the data.
Should you catch one of these fish within the slot during open season, you are within your rights to keep that fish. In that case, FWC asks that you please return the tag. It’s expensive, but lasts 3 years so it can be reused if returned with some “shelf life.”
The Snook Foundation supports all field research by FWC, and we encourage all Florida anglers to do their part to make this data count. Each chunk of info provides another piece to a very complicated puzzle, and you get a T-shirt to boot
Tagged Tarpon
Interested in chasing tagged tarpon? Better update your passport. The University of Miami has been in the tagging biz for years, with some interesting yields on tarpon research. Bruce Unger, a Tarpon Research Associate, says the info gathered on tarpon movement is critical in understanding more about spawning activity.
They have been tracking fish over monster distances, with the longest recorded distance spanning from Mexico to Louisiana, almost 1,200 miles!
Tagging of juvenile tarpon has yielded critical info as well, as research try to nail down basic movements and critical estuarine habitats.
Bruce says when an angler encounters a tagged tarpon, the critical info includes tag number, location, date, plus fish length and girth (if possible). Submit info by one of 4 ways:
- Online: www.tarponresearch.com (follow reporting instructions)
- Telephone: 1-888-754-7531
- Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
- US postal mail: Bonefish and Tarpon Research Center
University of Miami/RSMAS
4600 Rickenbacker Cswy
Miami, FL 33149
