Incredible tagged kingfish sets a new record
Record broken as anglers find tag in the flesh of 11-year-old kingfish they were filletingA long-standing record has been smashed for the longest time a tagged kingfish (Seriola lalandi) has been at liberty before being recaught, providing once again that the NSW DPI tagging program is worth its weight in game fish.
The yellowtail kingfish tagged by Patrick Schofield on the Eden Sports & Game Fishing Club boat Shockwave on November 11, 2005 was recently recaptured. But it was only through sheer luck that the tag was found.
The kingfish was caught by Port Macquarie GFC boat Reel Trouble while fishing off Forster, NSW on January 27, 2017.
The Reel Trouble crew decided to keep the large kingfish for the barbecue.
It was not until they were filleting the fish that they noticed the tag (a small dolphinfish tag) which was completely grown over by the fish’s muscle tissue.
After 4095 days at liberty, the kingfish had grown from 65cm and an estimated 2.5 kg to 130cm and approximately 20kg!
The kingfish, having spent over 11 years at liberty, has smashed the previous record for time at liberty for the species, which was just under 7 years for a fish that was tagged in Sydney and recaptured at Terrigal.
The NSW DPI Game Fish Tagging Program issues tags free of charge and works in close association with the NSW Game Fishing Association, the Game Fishing Association of Australia and ANSA.
More at Game Fish Tagging here.
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