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Marine Advisory Program

VGFTP Facts

  • 250000
    250000   More than 250,000 fishes and 28,000 recaptures have been reported for the program since 1995 (an 11% recapture rate)!   Ken Neill
  • 27792
    27792   This is the tag number for a cobia that was tagged in VA and recaptured in the Gulf of Mexico. A cobia was originally tagged in the York Spit on August 22, 2000. It was recaptured (and harvested) off Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico on May 20, 2004, making it the record holder for journeys south.   Ken Neill
  • 18371
    18371   This is the highest ever annual tagging effort for a single species in the VGFTP. In 2012, over 18,000 red drum were tagged, making it the top-tagged species for the VGFTP that year.   Rob Choi
  • 2826
    2826   This is the longest “days at large” for a VGFTP tagged fish. (Days at large means the length of time between tagging and recapture). A tautog that was originally tagged on April 4, 2004 at the Westmoreland Wreck was recaptured on January 5, 2012 at the Cape Henry Wreck, only 94 days short of 8 years! It was 11.5 inches at the time of tagging and measured 16 inches at recapture.   Ken Neill
  • 650
    650   More than 650 taggers have participated in the program since it started, making the VGFTP one of the most successful volunteer tagging programs in the U.S.(and earning certification by the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission Cooperative Tagging program in 2013)!   Susanna Musick
  • 337miles
    337miles   This is the longest documented northward migration for a VGFTP tagged fish. This flounder was originally tagged at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel small boat channel on November 18, 2007. It was recaptured off Rhode Island on January 10, 2008, traveling an estimated 337 nautical miles in 53 days!   Ken Neill
  • 85percent
    85percent   This is the overall rate of site fidelity shown by tagged speckled trout. Between 2005 and 2014, 85% of recaptured speckled trout were caught in the same river system where they were originally tagged.   Donnie Smith
  • 10
    10   The VGFTP targets only ten species: black drum, black sea bass, cobia, summer flounder, red drum, sheepshead, spadefish, speckled trout, tautog and grey triggerfish.   Janet Krenn
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Twenty Years of Virginia Game Fish Tagging trivia