Catch One With A Tag And Be Rewarded

[Ken A]

Fishers along the coast can win a reward, learn something interesting and help increase the survival rates of caught-and-released fish, if they’re lucky enough to land a tagged yellowfin bream, trevally or mulloway.

The program is part of a NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Recreational Fishing Trusts initiative to learn more about where hooked-and-released fish end up, and how they fare compared to other fish.

Somewhere between six and eight thousand tagged yellowfin bream, silver trevally and mulloway will be used in the research project.

Many of the fish were caught by around 70 anglers in 35 boats who took part in the organised fishing events in Botany Bay over the last two weekends. These fish, along with those already collected by researchers, were measured and weighed, then tagged and released.

These fish could end up anywhere along the east coast, so it will be a great help to our knowledge base if they are caught and the information is passed on to NSW DPI.

If fishers catch one of the tagged fish, we need to know the date, location of capture, the fisher’s name, address and telephone number and the tag details.

Dr Paul Butcher, a DPI scientist with the Fisheries Conservation Technology Unit, said any recreational or commercial fishers who report their catches of tagged fish will be rewarded with a $10 gift voucher for each tagged fish, and will also be given details on where and when their fish was first released and how much it subsequently grew.

The fish are easy to identify. They each have a yellow plastic tag with the words 'NSW DPI Coffs Hrb', a fish code number, and a telephone number 02 6648 3910.

This research is part of a three-year project, funded by the Recreational Fishing Trust and NSW DPI, aimed at developing handling techniques and best practices to ensure survival rates of fish which are caught and then released.

Funds raised from the recreational fishing licence are placed into saltwater and freshwater Recreational Fishing Trusts, and can only be spent on projects to improve recreational fishing.

'This project is another great example of licence fees at work to improve recreational fishing in NSW,' Dr Butcher said.

Those lucky enough to land a tagged fish should freeze the special catch with tag and then contact Dr Butcher as soon as possible on 02 6648 3910 or 0438 950 838 or paul.butcher@dpi.nsw.gov.au or any NSW DPI Fisheries office.

[Outnumbered]

i caught a trev last night with one of the tags in it and didnt notice it until after it had been cleaned and head removed.

i tried ringing both numbers to see it they are still interested in it but theres no answer on either.

does anyone know if they would still want the fish kept? or is it lunch???

[KingsRule]

well done, how big was it?

Im not sure if they would still want it (unless you still have the head ) becuse of measuerment purposes..

[Outnumbered]

she went 27cm without the head and i didnt keep the head.

to answer my own question, i just got off the phone with them and they do still want the fish even though it has no head.