Costa Rica Sailfish Tagging Program
Information about our participation in a billfish tagging program
Capullo Sportfishing participates in a tagging program designed to study movements of the Pacific sailfish. The program was initiated by graduate student Sam Friederichs (Indiana Purdue University Fort Wayne), and is sponsored by Dr. Frank Paladino ( Indiana Purdue University Fort Wayne) and Dr. Stephen Morreale (Cornell University) and the affiliated universities.
The tagging effort is designed to study the movements of sailfish, both spatial and vertical, in order to better understand their feeding and migratory habits. There are currently two tag types used, the PIT tag and the satellite tag.
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The PIT (passive integrated transponder) tag is a tiny passive transmitter about the size of a grain of rice. The tag is inserted under the skin of the sailfish by injection. |
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This is done at the side of the boat during the release of the fish, while the fish is being revived in the water. A hand held scanner is used to record the unique identifier of the tag, then the fish is released and we record the date and location of the release. |
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This is done at the side of the boat during the release of the fish, while the fish is being revived in the water. A hand held scanner is used to record the unique identifier of the tag, then the fish is released and we record the date and location of the release.
Each time we catch and release a sailfish, we pass a scanner over the fish during release and, if it has a tag, the identifier is displayed on the scanner. We jot down this identifier and the date and location of the release. PIT tags remain viable for decades; the transmitter is passive and needs no power source, as data is transmitted only when the scanner signals the integrated chip in the tag. Since the tags are injected subcutaneously, the fish does not shed the tag. Data can be accumulated over the long term, to help identify fish that are caught more than once, and record where they were caught.
The second type of tag used is a PAT, or "pop-up" satellite tag. Satellite tags are applied to the fish externally, in much the same manner as conventional fish tags. The PAT satellite tag will store data, then upload to a tracking satellite when the fish swims near the surface and the tag's antenna breaks the surface of the water. The data uploaded is a record of position, dive data, time at depth, and water temperature.
The satellite tag is a shorter term deployment as, after a period of time, usually weeks or months, the fish will shed the tag. Nevertheless, these tags provide a wealth of valuable information about the fishes movements throughout the ocean. Data can be correlated to show where the sailfish spends most of its time depth-wise, as well as temperature-wise, and where the fish travels geographically.
Once thought to be a local, resident population of sailfish that migrated up and down the coast with the seasons, preliminary data of the first several fish to be tagged with satellite tags stunningly indicate that these fish are much more robust in their movements geographically. Sailfish tagged ten miles offshore in front of Tamarindo have been shown to travel as far north as Guatemala and southern Mexico, and as far south as Colombia, as well as travel hundreds of miles offshore.
Capullo Sportfishing continues to participate in this tagging program, deploying PIT tags on all billfish released, and deploying satellite tags when available. The results thus far have produced more support for the program, and it is now being expanded to include marlin as well.
