Blue , nigricans, Movements in the Western North Atlantic Ocean: Results of a Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Program, 1954-88

Item Type article

Authors Witzell, W. N.; Scott, E. L.

Download date 26/09/2021 22:13:56

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/26553 Blue Marlin, Makaira nigricans, Movements in the Western North Atlantic Ocean: Results of a Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Program, 1954-88

W. N. WITZELL and E. L. scan

Introduction lating sound management strategies, as Tagging Methods and Results mandated by the Magnuson Fishery Con­ The Cooperative Game Fish Tagging servation and Management Act of1976, The basic mechanism and methodol­ Program was created in 1954 as a joint and the Atlantic Fishery Man­ ogy of tagging large pelagics has been effort between fisheries scientists and agement Plan (USDOC, 1988). Migra­ adequately described by Squire (1987) fishermen to provide information on the tion patterns of many of these fish are and Scott et al. (In press) for Pacific and movements of various spe­ emerging through rigorous tagging ef­ Atlantic , respectively, and is cies occurring throughout the western forts and subsequent recaptures. How­ only briefly summarized here. Tagging central Atlantic Ocean (Scott et al., In ever, the seasonal movements of blue equipment (tags, tag report cards, tag press). Present tagging efforts target the marlin have not been well documented insertion poles, and instructions) are following pelagic : Blue marlin, due to its exceptionalIy rare event status. distributed upon request to interested Makaira nigricans; , Te­ This paper summarizes the available tag fishermen. These anglers are instructed trapturus albidus; , Istiophorus and recapture data for blue marlin in the to insert the stainless steel dart tag platypterus; , Xiphias gladius; western north Atlantic Ocean from 1954 anteriorly beside the dorsal fin when the bluefin , Thunnus thynnus; yellow­ to 1988. fish is brought alongside the boat. After fin tuna, Thunnus albacares; and bigeye tuna, Thunnus obesus). All of these pelagic species have high recreational values, but the blue marlin is undoubted­ ly the most prestigious to capture. Infact, an entire multi-million dollar industry has evolved around this single "rare event" species. Determining the migration patterns of these species is necessary for formu-

Theauthors are with the Oceanic Pelagic Resources Division, Miami Laboratory, Southeast Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, FL 33149.

ABSTRACT-Bluemarlin, Makaira nigri­ cans, tag and recapture data are summarized for 1954-1988. Duringthisperiod, 8,447fish have been taggedand only 30 (0.35 percent) have been returned. Results ofthe tagging program indicate that blue marlin not only travelconsiderabledistances (7,OOOkmfrom the U. S. Virgin Islands to the Ivory Coast of West Africa), buthave remainedat largefor up to 8years. Seasonalmovements, however, are difficult to determine accurately. A marlin is tagged beside the dorsal fm.

12 Marine Fisheries Review 400 00N ~ N '- ..... ~ '00 '",

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0 0 0 10000W 90 00W 8000W 70 00W 60 00W 5000W Figure I.-Areas and locations of the NMFS Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Program for blue marlin...... 0 ~ 40 00Nj ;> I i

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~ S· 0°00 L- '" 0 ~ 100 00W 90°00 80°00 70°00 40°00 ....'" ~. Figure 2. -Bluemarlin tag/recaptures in the Caribbean from the NMFS CooperativeGame FishTagging Program, 1954-88. Numbers indicatedays fish were ~ at large. Note: Arrows are not intended to indicate routes taken by the tagged fish, but only as a visual aid to differentiate tagging and recapture sites. 0 = :::. tagging location; X = recapture location. '";E 40°00 N ,...... ------r-~--_.

Figure3.-Blue marlintag/recaptures in the GulfofMexico andBahamas areas from the NMFS CooperativeGameFish Tagging Program, 1954-88. Numbers indicate days fish were at large. Note: Arrows are not intended to indicate routes taken by taggedfish, but only as a visual aid to differentiate tagging and recapture sites. 0 = tagging location; X = recap­ ture location.

tagging a fish, the angler then fills out a From 1954 through 1988, 8,447 blue accounted for most of these fish tagged tagging report card with the following marlin have been tagged. Return infor­ and returned, although participation from requested information: Species, date, mation has been received for only 30 various commerciallonglinefleets is evi­ location, estimated length and weight, (0.35 percent) ofthe numbertagged. This dent (Table 1). The locations of areas condition, bait, and the angler's and extremely low return rate is undoubted­ mentioned throughout the text are illus­ captain's names and addresses. The ly due to a variety of factors, the most trated in Figure 1. completed cards are then returned to likely stemming from its rare event the National Marine Fisheries Service status, combined with its large geo­ Discussion (NMFS) for processing. Subsequently, graphic range, great mobility, tag loss, Blue marlin in the Caribbean area, the same basic information is requested and nonreporting offish caught with tags. particularly the "North Drop" off St. of any angler returning a tag. Recreational rod-and-reel fishermen Thomas in the Virgin Islands, appear to

52(2),1990 15 Figure4.-Bluemarlin tag/recapture in U. S. East Coast and the Bahamas are from the NMFS Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Program, 1954-88. Numbers indicate days fish were at large. Note: Arrows are not intended to indicate routes taken by tagged fish, but only as a visual aid to differentiate tagging and recapture sites. 0 = tagging, location; X = location.

Table 1.-Number of blue marlin recapturea Table 2.-Numberof blue mar1lntegged and recaptured, be relatively abundant (Prince et aI., reported to the Cooperative Game Flah Tagging reported tothe CooperativeGame Flah Tagging Program, Program by gear type from 1954to 1988. by area, from 1954-1988. 1989). This abundance is also reflected Item Method Number Percent Number Number Percental by the high numbers of fish tagged/ Area tagged returned total returned released in this area (Table 2). Tag/ Tagged Rod and reel 26 86.7 Longline 4 13.3 Caribbean 4,826 12 0.248 recapture data (Table 3, Fig. 2) indicates Gull of Mexico 1,253 8 0.638 that Caribbean-tagged blue marlin not Total 30 100.0 Bahamas 1,706 6 0.351 U.S. East Coast 662 4 0.604 only travel considerable distances, but Returned Rod and reel 15 50.0 Longline 10 33.4 Total 8,447 30 0.355 they have remained at large for up to 8 Handline 2 6.7 years. Evidence indicates two-way Purse seine 1 3.3 Found dead 1 3.3 movements between the Caribbean Is­ Unknown 1 3.3 lands and Venezuela and the Bahamas, and at least one-way travel from 81. Total 30 100.0

16 Marine Fisheries Review Table3.-Summaryof Atlantic blue marlintag/recapture data by geographic location and &eaaon (calendar) from Thomas to West Africa. Itis unknown if of Mexico and one that moved into the the Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Program,1954-88. the trans-Atlantic fish ever return to the Caribbean.

Area and Days Area Season western Atlantic, and fisheries scientists These data are too few to determine season tagged free returned returned will never know without an extensive accurately blue marlin migration pat­ Caribbean Sea eastern Atlantic tagging project to docu­ terns. Evidence presented here suggests Summer 1,453 Caribbean Summer ment any west to east trans-Atlantic that the concentrations of marlin in the Summer 1,098 Caribbean Summer Summer 799 Caribbean Fall movements. Several were re­ Caribbean area occur year-round, par­ Summer 427 Bahamas Fall Summer 187 W.Africa Winter captured in the same general area as ticularly near St. Thomas, and may move Fall 153 W.Africa Winter tagged, and it may be likely that these seasonally either to West Africa, the Fall 55 Mid-Atlantic Fall Fall 69 Caribbean Fall were repeat travelers that were returning Bahamas, or to the U. S. east coast. It is Fall 636 Caribbean Summer to the area after multiple years of free­ interesting to note that there are no direct Fall 426 Caribbean Fall Fall 186 Caribbean Spring dom. Although these data indicate con­ movements recorded between the Carib­ Winter 2,906 Caribbean Winter siderable movements occur, they are too bean and the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf of Mexico few to determine seasonality of move­ Summer 118 Gulf of Mexico Fall Summer 492 Gulf of Mexico Fall ments accurately. Summer 21 Gulf of Mexico Summer Blue marlin tag/recapture data from Literature Cited Summer 154 Gulf of Mexico Fall the Gulf of Mexico (Table 3, Fig. 3) Prince, E. D., D. W. Lee, P. J. Pristas, J. P. Con­ Summer 1,507 Gulf of Mexico Summer tillo, E. L. Scott, andJ. E. Tashiro. 1989. Angler Summer 208 Bahamas Winter indicates that seasonal movements may Fall 134 Bahamas Winter participation in SEFC oceanic pelagics programs, Winter 63 Gulf of Mexico Spring occur between the Gulf(summer) and the 1987. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-SEFC-209, Bahamas (winter). It appears that, al­ 48p. Bahamas Scott, E. L., E. D. Prince,andC. D. Goodyear. In Summer 315 Caribbean Spring though some Gulf fish are undoubtedly Press. History oftheCooperativeGameFish Tag­ Summer 684 Bahamas Spring remigrants, some may spend consider­ ging Program in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Summer 130 Bahamas Winter Mexico, and Caribbean Sea, 1954-1987. Pap. Summer 357 Bahamas Summer able time in the Gulf. Winter 884 Bahamas Summer pres. at Int. Symp. Educ. Workshop on Fish- Winter 911 Gulf of Mexico Summer There have been relatively few blue Marking Techniques, Seattle, Wash., June 27 ­ marlin tagged and recaptured off the July I, 1988. u.s. East Coast Squire, J. L. 1987. , Summer 537 U.S. East Coast Winter U. S. east coast and Bahamas (Fig. 3, 4; audax, migration patterns and rates in the north­ Summer 1,042 Bahamas Summer Tables 2,3). All the marlin tagged from east Pacific Ocean as detennined by a cooperative Summer 412 Caribbean Fall tagging program: Its relation to resource man­ Fall 263 U.S. East Coast Summer the U.S. eastcoastmoved south, as far as agement. Mar. Fish. Rev. 49:26-43. the Bahamas and St. Thomas, while most USDOC. 1988. Atlantic . Final rule to of the fish tagged in the Bahamas were implement the Fisheries Management Plan for Atlantic Billfishes. U.S. Dep. Commer.,NOAA, recovered in the same general area, ex­ Natl. Mar. Fish. Servo Fed. Regist. 53(188); cept for one fish that moved into the Gulf 37765-37771.

52(2),1990 17