Fishing is a personal thing. If you asked a group of fishermen why they head out, you may get many different replies. To bring home a feed, others to relax and some may say for the company or mateship. I go for the science or as it is more commonly referred to these days, citizen science. A definition of Citizen Science is the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public.
Most of the fish I catch are tagged and released and my fishing trips around Brisbane are planned around this. The tag I place in a fish has its own individual number + a phone number and basic instructions saying record date place and length. If it is recaptured the details are matched against the original tag details I have submitted which are entered into a central data base.
Why do I do this you ask? Well, I am interested in the fish as such. Growth rates, survival, movements and population sizes. This is the citizen science aspect. I still get the “fun” of catching the fish but get to watch them swim off to be caught another day + add to the information being gathered on that species. It is a pretty amazing feeling watching a big snapper, jew, thready or even a big yellowfin bream head back to where they come from. I also like the personal challenge aspect of tagging. Trying to tag your biggest snapper or a certain number of a particular species. I have been tagging fish for over 25 years now through Suntag Qld and still love it.
If you are keen to get into tagging check out their website which is www.suntaggers.com.au