Samsonfish recaptured after almost 3 years
Tagged samsonfish recaptured after spending more than 1000 days on the runA samsonfish tagged two years, nine months and 10 days ago has been caught again more than 500 kilometres away from where it was originally caught off the NSW coastline.
NSW DPI Fisheries has revealed the samson was originally caught in 2019 off Shellharbour by angler Ian Osterloh, who tagged and then released it with the hope that someday it would be recaptured.
At the time, the fish was estimated to measure 70cm with a weight of around 4.0kg.
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Jump forward 1014 days, and the same fish was caught near South Solitary Island, off Coffs Harbour, on 27 February, 2021, more than 290 nautical miles from the spot where it was first tagged.
Over that time, the samson grew to 95cm, and an estimated weight of 7.5kg
NSW DPI Fisheries said Osterloh had also tagged another samsonfish caught at Shellharbour on the same day in 2019.
It was later caught off the coast of Wolli in northern NSW, having travelled 426nm – almost 800km – to set the record as the furthest distance travelled by a samsonfish under the state’s game fish tagging program.
Vital role
“These recaptures play a vital role in further understanding samsonfish movements,” NSW DPI Fisheries said.
“Currently, there is limited information about the scale and frequency of their migration on the east coast of Australia.”
Under the state-based system, catch information is linked to the original tag and release and compared to the recapture information.
Details of the distance that a recaptured fish travelled and its growth are sent to the anglers who first tagged the fish and the anglers who recaptured it. A recapture certificate is also issued.
The observations also enable scientists to study fish stocks and assess whether there is any mixing between geographically distant populations.
Other carangids tagged under the program include amberjack and yellowtail kingfish.
The game fish tagging program is funded via recreational fishing licences.
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