How to remove a tag

[DJP]

We got a Dusky tagged with an orange tag with wire filaments inside at Kei last week. The tag was embedded fairly deep but completely worn off. I tried to remove it with pliers but this didn’t work, inserted the applicator and turned it to try break the barb but no joy eventually made a little slit in the skin but the surf was up and we just tagged it with another tag and let it go.

So how does one get these tags out and who uses orange tags?
We also got a Black tip with a D tag in it, couldn’t be too old, I reckon about 2 years max.
Got a gulleyshark that was tag but the tag was gone, only a little hole left.

 

[FLUKE]

Orange tags are PE Museum and the numbers read PEM****
they have the S/S swivel barb. Grab it low down on the tag with pliers and pull hard. I removed 2 on Saturday from Boepens Raggie. Will post pics tomorrow when at a PC.

 

[DJP]

I just could get enough purchase on the tag to get it out without damaging what was left of the tag, it was fairly deep but obviously my attempt to break the barb would be invane seeing that it is SS. Such a pitty. The Blacktip measured 193PCL TAG NO. D134872, maybe it's somebody on Sealines. We tagged quite a few Kob and reef species, hoping for some recaps.

 

[kraken]

Ideally, you should have killed the kob. The data from the tag would have been very important.

As strange as it sounds, the data is more important than the fish.

I and a mate have both had to kill gully sharks in order to remove tags that were'nt visible.
However, that was during an official tagging project and heads, guts and spinal samples were kept for further research.

In the 90's, quite a number of gully sharks were tagged with an orange tag. They were also injected with oxytetracycline which collects in the spine and can be used to give very accurate age data.
Even though the tag may be gone, the steel dart which anchors the tag still has the number engraved on it.
It can be removed by cutting into the shark, depending on how deep it was originally inserted.

Speaking about recaps, I just got an email today informing me that a dusky kob I tagged at Natures Valley was recaught the other day after being free for 804 days. In that time it had grown 24 cm and was recaught once again in Natures Valley.

 

[DJP]

Sorry, it was a Dusky/Grey shark not a Kob, I realise now that this wasn't clear. Was about 35kg, so wasn't about to kill it.

Kraken that is a very interesting recap, was the recapture at the same time of year as when it was tagged? Or could it be a residential fish.

 

[FLUKE]

These are tags from a shark Boepens caught on Saturday morning.

As you can see the S/S barb swivels on the end of the wire imbedded in the tag so as long as you grab the tag low down it will not break. Because the barn swivel it pulls out backwards so it doesn't do much damage to the shark.
The S/S barb has the tag number engraved on it so even if you damage the tag you will still get the number.

The tags pictures above may be as old as 10 years, I'm just waiting for the tagging info.
Apparently the "shell like" growth on the tag may be a calcium depossit to try close the hole??? I will wait for the info and get permission to share the info. I have been asked to forward the tag to them to do growth rate studies on the "shell"

 

[Marthin]

Amazing!

 

[DJP]

Thanks Fluke,definitely the same type of tag, well at least we got a new tag in it so maybe the next guy can get the PEM one out.
Glad to have learnt something new.

 

[kraken]

@ DJP, my bad actually! Got serious flu so the drugs probably got me thinking you were referring to a kob. Lol!

With regard to my recap, I caught the fish in the month of april, and it was recaught in the month of june.

I guess it's hard to say whether its resident. One theory is that some fish have a pattern and even though they travel far, they will return to the same areas at certain times.

For example, another of the recaps I've had was a very big bronzie I caught at macassar a couple of years ago. She was fat and healthy when I released her only to be recaught almost exactly a year later in almost exactly the same spot. The angler who caught it posted the pics on sealine, and she was in poor condition with visible signs of mating activity.
Once again she could or could not have been resident.
From what we've seen off Cape Point, some bronzies are here in winter.
3 weeks back we had a big bronzie take a snoek right at the boat, and with all the fish we had off the point this summer, that's probably also why the shark guys were complaining about a poor bronzie season. The bronzies were where the food was.