Rewards Given for Bluefin Tuna Tags

It seems that small bluefin are taking their time showing up this year. However, we have begun to get some reports of small fish off-shore and last week we had a pop-up satellite tag release from a juvenile fish south of Long Island. So they are on their way!

We just wanted to let you all know that the rewards for returned tags are still in place this year. Any returned tagged will get you at least a t-shirt. If it is an orange or yellow GBYP tag, it is worth $50. If it is a green GBYP tag, it is worth $200. If it is a GBYP pop-up tag, it is worth $500. And all GBYP tag returns go into an end of the season lottery, in which the 1st drawing is $1000 and 2nd and 3rd are $500. So please keep your eyes out for tagged fish. I’ve attached a pdf of the rewards flier. If you would like any hard copies, I’d be happy to send them out to you.

If you catch a tagged fish, please cut off the tag. Try to get a curved fork length measurement of the fish (or at least your best estimate) and contact us. If you have Tag a Tiny tags onboard, please re-tag the fish and release it (if you were planning on releasing it or keep it if that was your plan).

Also, if you need new Tag a Tiny tags let me know and I can provide you with some.

Thanks for your continued participation in our research,

Emily Chandler
Program Manager/Research Scientist
Large Pelagics Research Center

*Rewards apply only to tags deployed under the 2011-2014 US and ICCAT GBYP programs. U.S. tag ID numbers begin with “BT”. Some fish will have 2 tags, one on each side of the second dorsal fin. Please check both sides of the fish for tags. Other research groups have concurrent tagging programs with their own rewards systems.

Download the .pdf of the flyer here.