November 30, 2005
Tagging Program Registration Period Announced
Recreational fishermen may register to participate in the Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program for the year 2006 starting on Thursday, December 1st. Registrations will be accepted through January 31, 2006, or until 200 people have enrolled, which is the maximum number of participants that will accepted into the program.
This will be the twelfth year VGFTP volunteers will be assisting in the conservation and management of saltwater fish. Species targeted for tagging include: black drum, black sea bass, cobia, flounder, gray triggerfish, red drum, sheepshead, spadefish, speckled trout, and tautog. Participants will be eligible to earn conservation certificates and tagging awards.
New volunteers will be required to attend at least one workshop for training on proper tagging techniques, fishing handling, and the philosophy of the program. This enables the program to achieve its primary goal, which is the highest quality fish tagging possible. Workshops will be held on weekday evenings in late February and early March in Virginia Beach, Wachapreague, Newport News and Gloucester Point.
During its first eleven years, VGFTP volunteers have tagged more than 87,000 fish and more than 8470 tagged fish have been recaptured.
For more information or to register, contact the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, 968 S. Oriole Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23451, (757) 491-5160, mrcswt@visi.net. The Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program is a program of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, paid for with monies from the saltwater recreational fishing license.
