Mystery Tag Washed Ashore

July 5, 2018

Question: My Boy Scout troop was recently hiking at Pirate’s Cove in the Marin Headlands, and we found this tag washed ashore. We packed it out, but we’re still wondering what it is. Do we need to return it to the department, or report that we found it? (Hunter Pinkstaff, Boy Scout Troop 227)

Answer: What you’ve found is a buoy tag issued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Permit holders in the Dungeness crab commercial fishery use these tags to mark the buoy of each of their traps to show that they are fishing within their trap limits. The tags can be used for up to two seasons and mark the buoy of each of their Dungeness crab traps. Permit holders are issued the total number of tags that are in their trap limit tier, ranging from 175 to 500 traps.

When a tag expires at the end of the two seasons, the permit holder will purchase a whole new set of tags and switch out the expired tags for newly issued ones. Commercial fishermen are not required to return the expired tags at the end of the validation period.

Tags and fishing gear can get detached or dislodged from the trap for a variety of reasons, such as rough ocean conditions or vessel propellers. Since these are expired commercial tags and not research tags, there is no need to report your find to the department. But we appreciate and applaud your troop’s efforts to keep the beaches clean of garbage and litter. We are glad to have the opportunity to solve your mystery!