Atlantic Striped Bass Cooperative Tagging Program

Report your tagged Striped Bass and become a part of sustainable fisheries management.

If you catch a tagged striped bass, please cut off the tag if needed and record the date, location, and method of capture. Call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-448-8322 to report the information. Anyone reporting a tag will receive a certificate of participation and a reward.

Over 600,000 adult striped bass have been tagged since 1985. Our office coordinates the tagging effort, manages the database and distributes data in coordination with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and its members.  Striped Bass are tagged from NC to MA by state and federal agencies. We rely on public support to call in tagged fish that they catch in order to help sustainably manage the coastwide population of Atlantic Striped Bass. 

Background

Due to over-harvest and habitat degradation, striped bass populations suffered severe declines in the 1970's. In 1979, Section 7 Section 7
Section 7 Consultation The Endangered Species Act (ESA) directs all Federal agencies to work to conserve endangered and threatened species and to use their authorities to further the purposes of the Act. Section 7 of the Act, called "Interagency Cooperation," is the mechanism by which Federal agencies ensure the actions they take, including those they fund or authorize, do not jeopardize the existence of any listed species.

Learn more about Section 7 of the Emergency Striped Bass Act (Emergency Striped Bass Study) was enacted. The secretaries of the Interior and Commerce worked together to develop studies to determine the size of the migratory stock, the causes of the decline, economic importance and to recommend actions for restoration.

From 1985 to 1990, a fishing moratorium was imposed by the coastal states from North Carolina to Maine to protect the remaining wild striped bass stocks. During the moratorium and subsequent years, over 9 million hatchery-reared striped bass fingerlings were released into the Chesapeake Bay. Wild fish soon outnumbered hatchery fish in the Chesapeake Bay. By 1996, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported that the young-of-the-year index was the highest it had been since the survey began in 1954.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners continue to tag striped bass with external anchor or "spaghetti" tags. The fishing community (recreational and commercial) has played a crucial role in making the tagging program successful by reporting nearly 100,000 recaptures to date. The information gathered on fish movement and survival is used by ASMFC to maintain a sustainable striped bass fishery.