Striped bass tagging conducted by the American Littoral Society shows some eye-opening results about stripers and their travels. When four tagged stripers were recaptufared in the James River, VA in early 1998, tags showed that one of the fish was originally tagged at Beverly, MA, one at Northport, NY, one at the Navesink River, and one at Block Island RI. Additional tagging results reveal, however, that provided the conditions remain the same, stripers can be found in the same places year after year. When an ALS member tagged an 11 inch striper in Brooklyn, NY in 1978, that same fish, weighing 30 pounds, was recaptured in 1988 at JFK airport in 1988. The ALS has tagged over 170,000 stripers since 1988 and continues tagging efforts through volunteer efforts.
The ALS is a national, not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to the environmental well-being of coastal habitat. Their fish tag and release program has been operating since 1965, and all of their information is forwarded to the National Marine Fisheries Service Laboratory. To become a member of the ALS or to participate in their tagging program, call the Sandy Hook-based national headquarters (732.291.0055).
