Reporting a Striper Disc Tag

August 29, 2019

Question: I caught a striper in Pacifica, with a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) tag from Stockton on it. Who do I call? (Jamie J.)

Answer: Every year, CDFW fisheries biologists use disc tags to mark white sturgeon and striped bass in the Delta. The fish are caught with nets, measured and then marked before release. When anglers later catch them and report the data from the tags, CDFW receives valuable information about seasonal and geographic catch and harvest, along with some measure of fishing effort.

Some tags are reward tags (although this one unfortunately is not), ranging from $20 up to $100. We ran the number on the back of your tag and found that your fish was a male that measured 22 inches total length (55 centimeters fork length) when it was caught and tagged by our staff near Knights Landing on May 29 of this year. Striper travel far, fast and wide, so it’s not surprising he made it to Pacifica!

Anglers can report tag information by downloading the online reporting form at https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=140189&inline and mailing it, and the tag, to CDFW, Attn: Sportfish Unit, 2109 Arch-Airport Road, Ste. 100, Stockton, CA  95206. Regardless of whether it’s a reward tag, you’ll receive a certificate of commendation with information about where and when your fish was tagged. We do need to process the actual tag (not just a photo!), but if you’d like the tag returned to you, you can make note on the form and staff will be happy to mail it back to you.

I wonder what the date was when he caught it in Pacifica.