MCSI’s Tagging Technologies
Scientists have been trying for hundreds of years to study fish movements. Studying an animal that lives under water is not necessarily an easy task. Before modern technology, researchers would sometimes clip fins or secure a chain around the tail to mark individuals. The value of this type of mark and recapture study is that if we know where an individual fish is at two different times we can...
Read MoreCabo Blanco Marlin Study
It was April 7th, 1952 when Texas oilman Alfred Glassell, Jr. caught the first ever fish weighing over 1000 pounds on rod-and-reel. The fish was a 1025 pound black marlin and the place was Cabo Blanco, Peru. The fact that Cabo Blanco Fish Club co-founders Glassell and Kip Farrington both wound up in the IGFA hall of fame is a testament to the importance of this catch and those that soon followed...
Read MoreAtlantic Blue Marlin Study
OCBS teamed with IGFA and VIMS to study the effect of bait rigging on post release survival of Blue Marlin, and in 2007 the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implemented a new regulation that require Atlantic billfish ...
Read MoreBlack Marlin
Black marlin (Makaira indica) are huge, second only in size to the blue marlin among the marlin. Every October through December, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is a Mecca for anglers wanting to do battle with these monsters. The GBR is perhaps the most predictable and consistent site anglers can target huge black marlin; just look at the size of the bait they use! Black...
Read MoreStriped Marlin
Marlin species, in general, have very little commercial value and are most often taken as bycatch in fisheries targeting other species. That is not the case, however, for striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax) where directed longline fisheries developed in the early 1960s to satisfy a demand for Japanese fish sausage; today, striped marlin are harvested for the sashimi and frozen filet markets while...
Read MoreUmbrella Darts
Plastic umbrella darts are used to attach satellite tags to fish. If you are interested in purchasing darts and accessories, please contact Michael Domeier. Contact Michael Domeier Your Name (required) Your Email (required) Subject Your Message ...
Read MoreChannel Islands Acoustic Tracking
From 2000 to 2006 Dr. Michael Domeier and scientists with the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research performed an involved study of the movements of the giant sea bass, Stereolepis gigas, and white seabass, Atractoscion nobilis, in the California Channel Islands. This study utilized one of the largest...
Read MoreStriped Marlin Mortality Study
A project was initiated in the autumn of 2000 to document the mortality of striped marlin caught on recreational fishing tackle, with a follow-up study conducted in autumn of 2001. Fish were caught using typical recreation fishing methods and 80 pop-up satellite archive tags were deployed with new software and mechanical release mechanism that allowed tags to detach and transmit early if the fish...
Read MoreSpawning Aggregation
What is a spawning aggregation? A spawning aggregation is a predictable gathering of adult fishes for the purpose of spawning. Many species of economically important coral reef fishes form spawning aggregations, creating an amazing spectacle that can consist of tens to thousands of fish. Unfortunately commercial fishers can quickly wipe out an entire spawning aggregation once the spawning...
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