Your Help is Needed
Be on the Lookout for Tagged Fish
Scientists from NOAA are conducting a study on the movement patterns of grouper and red snapper within Gray's Reef. In May 2008 and June 2009 aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, scientists captured and internally tagged red snapper gag grouper and three grouper species (gag, red and scamp) with small acoustic tags (Figure 1). These tags emit a unique "ping" allowing researchers to track each fish. The tags are tracked by acoustic receivers (Figure 2) deployed in an array (Figure 4) that will be placed around Gray's Reef. You will know if you have caught one of these fish because it will also have an external tag (Figure 3) attached near its dorsal fin.
If you capture one of the fish with an external tags attached near their dorsal fin, and it is alive, please return it to the water so that it can continue providing data! If you can, please note the tag number and location of capture /return and call 912-598-2345 to report the information. If the fish does not survive being brought to the surface, we would greatly appreciate if you would return the internal tag (Figure 1) which will be found inside the fish’s abdominal cavity.
Fourteen acoustic receiver array units (Figure 4) will be placed around Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary to listen for tagged fish. If you happen to accidentally pull up one of the receiver arrays (Figure 4) please keep the array and call us at 912-598-2345. We will retrieve the unit and return it to the water in the appropriate location so that we can continue tracking fish in Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary.
Figure 1.
Internal acoustic tag. |
Figure 2.
Acoustic receiver |
Figure 3.
External tag |
Figure 4.
Acoustic receiver array |
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We are tagging fish to better manage Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary. It is important for us to know how fish use the reef, what habitats they prefer within the sanctuary and whether those preferences change over time. A better understood reef system leads to a better managed sanctuary. This project will be able to give the needed information to better understand some recreationally important fish species.
Visit the following links for a complete project overview, frequently asked questions, team biographies and project photo gallery.