Suntag news 199

[Member]

See attached suntag news 199

Nothing new that bass go over dam wall in a flood.

I'm surprised to see that 2 out of the 3 bass mentioned were tagged while under sized.... What the??? Are taggers a law unto their own? What happened to returning undersized fish to the water immediately, even after taking a picture (according to Fisheries Minister is allowed)?

I would suspect the third bass mentioned was also undersized when tagged, being 315mm long 10 years later.

[Member]

Is that a requirement of tagging bass being of a legal size ?

I wonder how the LAFMA group manage to tag any at all then ........

[Member]

Tagged heaps of 20 to 25cm Bass with the smallest T tags. 26cm is ok with normal T tags if you place them properly.

.

[Member]

Tagged heaps of 20 to 25cm Bass with the smallest T tags. 26cm is ok with normal T tags if you place them properly.

.

That's a big fish in the Albert

[Member]

Is that a requirement of tagging bass being of a legal size ?

I wonder how the LAFMA group manage to tag any at all then ........

No it's not, see info from SUNTAG

Sizes of Fish for Tagging
Fish tagged in most projects should be a minimum of 200mm in length however for some projects fish can be tagged from a minimum of 150mm. Tagging of small fish with large tags is not recommended as this is likely to reduce there chances of survival on release. The following is provided as a guide on the minimum sizes of fish to be tagged using the different types of tags.
Dart tags – minimum size of 250mm
Standard gun tags – minimum size of 200mm
Small gun tags – minimum size of 150mm

Hence there is often comment that there appears to be 2 sets of rules. Taggers can (self appointedly) fart around stabbing fish while everyone else had to return the fish to the water ASAP.    An undersized fish must be returned to the water ASAP, (with exception of a photo according to the minister).

Have asked Bill to remove Somerset & Wivenhoe from all tagging, as no info is shared with Fish Management body (S&WFSA) from these bodies; and as such tagging is not deemed to a research or management tool. It appears I need to have the conversation with him again, Suntag are NOT the managers of the above mentioned fisheries.

[Member]

A couple of tagged cod from the Qld Severn River yesterday.





All tagged fish that I have caught over the last few years have all had sores where the tag penetrates the scales.

Cheers,
Dave.

[Member]

The bass were also recaptured in the closed season.

Tom was targeting YB on fly of course

[Member]

Yes we know they go over the wall and we know that a properly tagged 300mm Bass will grow to 550mm in 15 years on average. Quite a lot of good useful data on Bass in the infofish database not a lot published thus far. Growth, movement and survival of stocked fish in impoundments and waterways of QLD 1987-2008 and Noosa River Bass 1983 to 2009 the ONLY published material on Bass in SEQ period................
The sizes for tagging are to put it politely optimistic for Bass, for more realistic survival and normal growth rates the following chart should be used.
small gun tags 200mm
large gun tags 250mm
dart tags 400mm
Tag placement and size are critical, always amazed to see that someone thinks a 25 to 30cm Bass is going to have a normal life with 90mm of dart tag sticking out at 90 degrees at D1 just above the lateral line.
Have seen quite a few pics of tagged Cod from that study a lot of variation in placement with some poorly tagged fish amongst them. First pic with tag at D5/6 is just hanging in there, would have removed it and retagged it myself. Second one looks good.