A team from Stanford and Duke universities spends a large part of each January off Cape Hatteras and Morehead City catching and tagging Bluefins in the Tag-A-Giant program, led by Stanford researcher Barbara Block.
The information garnered from the tagged fish provides insight into their transatlantic migratory patterns.
Last year, 73 fish were fitted with electronic archival tags for the first time. The surgically implanted devices record data for up to five years. They usually are recovered by commercial fishermen and processors, who receive $1,000 for each unit returned.
An additional 40 fish too small for the archival tags received conventional tags that don't record data but do provide information on where they were caught and released.
Data collected so far indicates that the fish found off the coast of North Carolina in winter can and do migrate across the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.
The information has proven the existence of a single Bluefin stock for the eastern and western Atlantic but two different breeding stocks (one in the Gulf of Mexico and one in the Mediterranean -- information crucial to better managing the species depleted by commercial overfishing.
Anglers can sponsor tags, starting at $1,000. For $2,000, an angler can sponsor a tag and fish with the scientists. Sponsor costs are tax deductible. To learn more, visit the Web site www.tunaresearch.org or call (831) 655-6239.
Source: Newsobserver