A Simple Fish Tag Suitable for Long-Term Marking Experiments

Abstract
A simple, inexpensive fish tag that allows for growth of the fish is described. Growth rates of smallmouth bass were not significantly affected by tagging. The rate of retention on smallmouth bass was much higher than that for a tag described by Fraser but rates of retention of the two tags on largemouth bass were not significantly different. Estimated rates of tag loss were 15% after 1 year for smallmouth bass and 17% after 3 years for largemouth bass. Observed tag losses from white suckers over 3 years were only 0.6%.Using this method, two or three persons can conveniently tag fish at a rate of approximately 30 per hour.