Friday, August 04, 2006

Dolphin Tagging Program Offers Anglers Rewards

In many ways dolphin, a.k.a. mahi mahi, are the perfect bluewater gamefish. On top of being one of the most beautiful and colorful fish in the sea, dolphin are incredible fighters and go airborne at a moment's notice. Best of all they are also one of the most delicious gamefish around. A lot of pressure has been put on dolphin populations and despite their prolific reproduction, marine scientists have been trying to keep a close eye on them to make sure they remain a viable food source for anglers and billfish alike. Don Hammond, who recently retired as a SC Division of Marine Fisheries biologist, has made it his personal mission to establish the finest dolphin tagging program anywhere. A previous study in Florida tagged 57 dolphin, Hammond's group has tagged over 6,100 dolphin off the North and South Carolina coasts to date. Dolphin are tagged with either a 6 inch yellow or orange "spaghetti tag"; yellow tags offer a tagging study t-shirt for the return of information and orange tags offer a t-shirt and a $20 reward. His group is also now using $1000 satellite tracking tags as well, the only catch is that they have to find large mature dolphin to make sure that the high-dollar tags don't end up in the belly of a marlin. More on the tagging program is available in a great article from the News & Observer and be sure to check out our mahi mahi recipes for some new ways to enjoy your catch.

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