Blue Fish Study
Fish Tagging Study Sheds New Light on Bluefish Behavior
20 years of our fish tagging data have been used in a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) study of the migration patterns of bluefish. The study results are reported in a paper written by Gary R. Shepherd of the NMFS at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and published in the NMFS Fisheries Bulletin: The Migration Patterns of Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) along the Atlantic Coast Determined from Tag Recoveries. Joshua Moser (NMFS), David Duel (Deceased, NMFS), and Pam Carlsen (ALS) also contributed to the study.
This project has provided new information about this important species and clearly demonstrates the value of the partnership between science and the recreational fishing community forged by the American Littoral Society through its volunteer, catch-and-release fish tagging program.
The study incorporated data gathered by tagging and releasing bluefish and reported recaptures in Atlantic coastal waters between 1963 and 2003. The field work was performed by NMFS scientists and by American Littoral Society volunteers. During the study period, 15,699 bluefish were tagged by NMFS and 20,398 were tagged by the Society and a total of 1,539 returns were reported. According to the paper, this compilation of tag-recapture information is the largest known repository of tagging data for bluefish.
A wide variety of fishing gear was used to catch the fish. American Littoral Society’s volunteer recreational fishermen, used hook and line. NMFS taggers used a variety of gear including gill nets deployed from research vessels, hook and line, commercially operated pound nets and beach seines.
The goal of the study was “to investigate the migratory behavior of bluefish along the Atlantic coast by using the results of these previously unpublished tagging studies…” According to the paper, the study also set out to examine the single-stock hypothesis proffered by other recent studies of the species in the context of tag recovery information.
Atlantic coastal bluefish are known to migrate from coastal New England to southern Florida, a distance that can be as far as 2,000 kilometers. This study has greatly expanded our knowledge of bluefish behavior including that
We congratulate and thank our taggers for their many years of dedication! Since the inception of our fish tagging program in 1965, our taggers have provided 43 years of data to the National Marine Fisheries Service database that have been used in many scientific studies of Atlantic coastal fish. This study is especially important to the Society because it focuses on the behavior of a species that is important to our membership base and to the culture and economy of the New York Bight where the Society is most active.
This project has provided new information about this important species and clearly demonstrates the value of the partnership between science and the recreational fishing community forged by the American Littoral Society through its volunteer, catch-and-release fish tagging program.
The study incorporated data gathered by tagging and releasing bluefish and reported recaptures in Atlantic coastal waters between 1963 and 2003. The field work was performed by NMFS scientists and by American Littoral Society volunteers. During the study period, 15,699 bluefish were tagged by NMFS and 20,398 were tagged by the Society and a total of 1,539 returns were reported. According to the paper, this compilation of tag-recapture information is the largest known repository of tagging data for bluefish.
A wide variety of fishing gear was used to catch the fish. American Littoral Society’s volunteer recreational fishermen, used hook and line. NMFS taggers used a variety of gear including gill nets deployed from research vessels, hook and line, commercially operated pound nets and beach seines.
The goal of the study was “to investigate the migratory behavior of bluefish along the Atlantic coast by using the results of these previously unpublished tagging studies…” According to the paper, the study also set out to examine the single-stock hypothesis proffered by other recent studies of the species in the context of tag recovery information.
Atlantic coastal bluefish are known to migrate from coastal New England to southern Florida, a distance that can be as far as 2,000 kilometers. This study has greatly expanded our knowledge of bluefish behavior including that
- The migration patterns of bluefish are size related. Fish change their migratory patterns as they grow. Smaller, juvenile fish follow a path closer to shore. Larger fish (3 pounds and greater) travel farther offshore and may even winter over in offshore waters.
- Bluefish form three groups that follow three, distinct seasonal migratory patterns: 1) North-south between the middle Atlantic and Florida 2) north-south within the middle Atlantic 3) inshore-offshore off the coast of Florida.
- Bluefish average swimming speeds varied with the season. Based on study data, average swimming speeds peaked in October-November (5.3 km/day) and May (4.9 km/day). Overall average speed was 2.6 km/day.
- Bluefish swimming speeds varied with size. Smaller fish (12 to 18 inches) traveled faster than larger fish (18-26 inches)
We congratulate and thank our taggers for their many years of dedication! Since the inception of our fish tagging program in 1965, our taggers have provided 43 years of data to the National Marine Fisheries Service database that have been used in many scientific studies of Atlantic coastal fish. This study is especially important to the Society because it focuses on the behavior of a species that is important to our membership base and to the culture and economy of the New York Bight where the Society is most active.
