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North Carolina Department of Environment Quality

NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Marine Fisheries - Tag Techniques

Marine Fisheries

pier tagging

Tagging Techniques

8-point rule

tags

Tagging Methodology
Spotted seatrout are captured using hook-and-line and electrofishing gear. Red drum are captured using gill nets, electrofishing and longlines. Southern flounder are captured by hook-and-line, gillnets, electrofishing and pound nets. Striped bass are captured by electrofishing and hook-and-line Cobia are captured using hook-and-line. To minimize post-release mortality, only healthy fish, captured with no bleeding, are tagged,.

Depending on the species, fish are tagged with either internal anchor tags (Floy FM-95W, FM-84), nylon dart tags (Floy FIM-96), steel dart tags (Hallprint FH-69), or spaghetti tags (Floy FT-4 Spaghetti). Internal anchor tags are inserted into a small incision made by a scalpel approximately 20 millimeters (about ¾ of an inch) behind the pectoral fin, dart tags are inserted near the dorsal fin, and spaghetti tags are inserted through the fish body, just forward of the tail fin. All attempts are made to tagfish throughout the state’s coastal areas. This gives individuals throughout the state an equal chance of catching tagged fish.

N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries • 3441 Arendell Street • Morehead City, NC 28557 • 252-726-7021 or 800-682-2632

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