Freshwater on the Gold Coast

[StoneNeedham]

Did you read the the info at the website I linked you to rayken, have a good read mate, they go into tagged fish mortality rates, then you won't have to 'wonder' anymore.

[rayken1938]

This is the message that I got when I attempted to get into infofish database.
" This Connection is Untrusted





You have asked Firefox to connect
securely to info-fish.net, but we can't confirm that your connection is secure."


So no way I am going to jeopardize my computer.
I am not having a personal go at you but I see people getting tagging guns and tags and tagging every fish that they catch.
Have caught a bull shark with 3 different tag numbers in it all over a 2 year period and all in upper reaches of brisbane river.
Dead bass floating in NPD with a tag in its belly and other bass tagged incorrectly.Tagged bass that have shrunk by 1cm in a year.
It would appear to me that whilst some taggers take care and tag responsibly there are also some cowboys out there.
Most of my experiences have been with tagged bass and I believe that a fish with an unhealed wound is much more susceptible to infection over a period of time.
How long a period were the tagged fish monitored for mortality.?
Cheers
Ray

[Mike Delisser]

Several years ago I did see a list from Suntag that ranked fish species according their tagging program priorities, and bass were on the bottom.


Some info here on Suntag tagging priorities
http://info-fish.net/suntag/wp-conte...anual-2009.pdf

[StoneNeedham]

SUNTAG TAGGING AWARDS ELIGIBLE SPECIES
Barramundi
Bass - Australian
Bream - Pikey
Bream - Yellowfin
Cod - Murray
Coral Trout – Barcheek
Coral Trout – Common
Emperor - Grass
Emperor - Red
Emperor – Redthroat
Emperor - Spangled
Flathead - Dusky
Javelin - Barred
Javelin - Speckled
Jewfish - Black
Jewfish - Mulloway
Mangrove Jack
Perch - Golden
Perch - Pearl
Queenfish
Rockcod - Blackspotted
Rockcod - Goldspotted
Snapper – Golden (Fingermark)
Snapper - Crimson
Snapper - Saddletail
Snapper
Threadfin - Blue
Threadfin - King
Trevally - Giant
I love tagging fish, that's just me, I guess it's better than killing them for crab bait!

[aussiebasser]

Tagging a 20cm Bass would be a bit like sticking a steel dropper into a cow's ribcage and expecting it to act like a normal cow for the next 10 years! I recently asked the tagging people how they can justify their growth rate data. Let's say a 300mm Bass was tagged in 2003 and was recaught in 2013 and measured 500mm. 200mm in 10 years, they assume a growth rate of 20mm per year. What if it reached 500mm in 2007? We don't know? They also haven't told me what the biggest tagged bass reported is. Their assumption is that Bass keep growing at a steady rate until they die. Tagging Australian Bass is redundant in 2013

[StoneNeedham]

The T tags are finer than their dorsal spines and if you go in at 45 degrees you are solely in the flesh. Bass are a tough fish. You think a predator would not do as much damage, of course they would, I have seen some massive predator trauma on bass and they are still chasing down the lures and smashing them down. Tag em all, the big and the small.

[aussiebasser]

A steel dropper is smaller than a cow's leg bone too. What more is there to learn?

[StoneNeedham]

Well I have never tagged a bass in its rib cage, I usually aim for the fleshy dorsal area, I did however tag a 600lb Blue Marlin in the pectoral fin as he was screaming out the water trace in the other hand, I did use a second tag and nestled it snugly in his shoulder. Like I said I love to tag fish, I am the tagging officer at the local fishing club and the amount of kids that I see smile when they receive recapture certificates will only spur me on to promote tag and release further. Whether for research or for joy, I live to fish, the world is three quarters water so I surely intend to spend three times more on it, than mowing the lawn.

[aussiebasser]

Join your local stocking group, it will give you and the fish much greater pleasure than sticking plastic into them and hoping they survive.

[StoneNeedham]

A little info. Based on the weight of the tags and applying the "rule-of-thumb" that tags should represent 2% of the fish body-weight, bass >300g were required (Winter 1983). Bass were captured with the method that was least stressful and caused the least physical damage to the fish. Therefore, angling (with lures) was preferred and was tried first at each location. Electrofishing was also a preferred method and although effective, it was limited to the few locations where electrofishing boat access was possible. If bass could not be obtained using angling or electrofishing, then gillnets were used. Gillnets were set for one hour either side of dusk and constantly attended to ensure that bass (and any by-catch) were removed as soon as possible after capture.

On capture, fish were anaesthetised using benzocaine (0.1 g l-1) until opercular movements became slow and irregular. Each fish was weighed and measured (fork length). Sex was sometimes determined via inspection during the surgical procedure, but this was not always possible. The transmitters were implanted surgically via a 2.5 cm incision on the ventral side of the fish just above the mid-line. The transmitters were inserted into the abdominal cavity. The incision was closed by sutures and sealed with a cyanoacrylate-based adhesive. Total surgery time averaged two to three minutes. Fish were kept moist during surgery with water sprayed via an atomiser over the gills and body, where necessary. Most surgery was done immediately, or within one to two hours of capture; occasionally fish were held in the river in an enclosure overnight before surgery.

After surgery, anaesthetised fish were also tagged with a numbered plastic dart tag into the dorsal musculature to enable external identification in case of capture by an angler. When possible, a tissue sample (fin clip) was also taken to confirm species identification by DNA testing (Schwartz and Beheregaray 2008). Tagged bass were allowed to recover from anaesthesia (<10 minutes) before release at the capture-site.

Wow those fish underwent some hardship, caught drugged poked prodded lanced sliced and poked some more but is KNOWN every fish treated like this - guaranteed lived for the next two years before the sonic tags lost power. Goes to show they are very tough fish!!

[StoneNeedham]

And that sounds like a great idea Dale, stocking, you know what, I will get involved. Thanks champ, all the best.

[aussiebasser]

Is that the tagging method you use, or was that an official tagging program carried out by well trained people?

[StoneNeedham]

Ha ha, touché. All the best buddy.