What is happening?
The Department of Conservation is undertaking a blue cod tagging project, and needs your help to find out the movement patterns and growth rates of blue cod in the Pōhatu Marine Reserve area.
Where and when?
Blue cod will be tagged in Pōhatu Marine Reserve in April 2008.
You may find tagged cod, when catching cod outside the marine reserve, for a number of years after this tagging.
Why are we tagging?
The cod are being tagged to study their movement patterns within the reserve. Determining the average home-range size of blue cod will allow an estimate of how many reside in the reserve and how they are dispersed in relation to blue cod in the Banks Peninsula fishery outside the reserve. Tagging may also allow estimates of blue cod growth rates within and outside the marine reserve.
What do the tags look like?
The t-tags are yellow, about 3 cm long and located at the base of the pelvic fin. They have the letters DOC on them, along with a local phone number to call and report the location and date caught.
What to do if you see or catch a tagged blue cod?
For every tagged cod that you catch or see, the department would appreciate it if you recorded the following information:
- where it was caught or seen (a GPS position is very useful if possible)
- when it was caught (date)
- the number on the tag
- the size of the fish (total length in cm)
- your name and contact details.
Where do I send the information?
The details of any tagged cod that you see or catch can be:
- brought into the Akaroa Field Base (13 Pawsons Road, Duvauchelle), or the Canterbury Conservancy DOC Office in Christchurch (Level 4, 195 Hereford St, Christchurch)
- posted to:
FREEPOST DOC
Department of Conservation
PO Box 35
Duvauchelle 7545
- Emailed to wbeggs@doc.govt.nz.
Can I keep the tagged cod?
Yes if you caught it outside the marine reserve boundary and it is a legal size and within the catch limit.
It is illegal to take any fish from Pōhatu Marine Reserve. Outside the reserve the minimum legal size for blue cod is 30 cm and the maximum limit is 30 per person per day.
If you catch a tagged cod outside the reserve you are not obligated to return it to the sea. However, if you do decide to return tagged fish alive, so that we can obtain further information, please ensure you record the required information (see above) and get it to us.