The Coal Mines

Fishing has moved a little North but it hasn't slowed down...the tag team tagged six fish on eight bites. The fish are ranging from 400 to 800 lbs and we are putting on a variety of different electronic tags.

The Carrie Anne Show

We only had a half day but by the time we were back to the dock...five fish had electronic tags...and the F/V Carrie Anne passed off four of them. Captain Steve MacInnis started the day off with three fish in a row...he would pass us a fish and by the time we finished fighting and tagging the bluefin...he was hooked up again.

Captain Steve MacInnis passes off another bluefin

Not to be out done...the F/V Nicole Brandy passed us two fish in a row...the tagged fish was a beautiful 800 pounder.

Bluefin getting spun around before going out the door

Before we could set up to fish ourselves...the Carrie Anne had a double hook up. One of the fish got a tag and the other pulled the hook...but the excitement continued aboard the Carrie Anne as another bluefin tuna bit the hook right as the next bait hit the water.

Tag team takes a selfie while Lloyd reels in another fish

Four more on the board

We had another great day on the water...we met the F/V Carrie Anne and F/V Nicole Brandy from Arisaig right off Port Hood early Sunday morning. Before we even had our bait, Captain Steve MacInnis aboard the Carrie Anne was hooked up. The fish was tagged and released and our busy day on the water continued with two consecutive fish from Captain Bernie Chisholm on the Nicole Brandy. We finally got our hooks in the water after lunch...and once again, while the sun was setting we hooked into a nice 700 lber.

We didn't make it out today, but we are hoping to get back on the water tomorrow and Wednesday.

Dr. Steve Wilson release a bluefin tuna with the Bay Queen IV crew

Captain Bernie and his son Kenny prepare to pass us a fish

Waiting for the bite

Canada 2014

The 2014 Canadian tagging season has begun with two fish tagged and released. We had a beautiful day on the water and we will be at it again tomorrow.

Llyod McInnis fishing a bluefin

Sunset while heading back to the dock in Port Hood.

Morocco Trap Tagging

Divers pick out individual fish to be tagged from the holding pen at the end of the trap system.

Divers guide a bluefin tuna into the supersized sling.

A bluefin tuna is lifted out of the holding pen by crane.

The bluefin being measured.

Scientist Noureddine Abid from INRH puts a piece of bluefin DNA into a vial.

TAG Scientists Robbie Schallert, Pablo Cermeno, and Barbara Block. traveled to Morocco in May to work with scientists from the Moroccan National Institute of Fisheries Research (INRH) and the tuna trap "Es-Sahel" (Larache, Morocco), owned by Société Maromadraba. The objective was to gain more insight into the migratory patterns of large bluefin tuna in the North Atlantic. These particular fish arrive annually in the Spring on their way to spawn inside the Mediterranean. And the traps, as described by Dr. George Shillinger (Moroccan Traps), catch some of the bluefin on their journey...this provides scientists with a fantastic opportunity to tag and release many "giants" quickly and easily. This is the third year our TAG team has been to the traps as part of our our collaborative work with ICCAT and WWF to place Wildlife Computers' mini-PAT tags on the 300-500 lb fish.

Dr. Block carefully inserts a satellite tag before the fish is released outside of the trap.