Anglers Encouraged to Report Tagged Fish

Anglers can help fisheries managers by reporting information on tagged fish.

Most tagged fish in North Dakota, except salmon, will have either a metal tag on the jaw bone or a small tag attached near the dorsal fin. Tagged salmon have their adipose fin removed and also have a microscopic coded wire tag embedded in their head. Anglers are asked to drop their tagged salmon heads off at Game and Fish offices in Riverdale or Bismarck so that biologists can remove the tag and read it.

North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries biologists say it’s imperative anglers report tagged fish from whatever waters they are fishing in, no matter if they end up in livewells or back in the lake. Anglers are also encouraged to treat tagged fish just like they would treat any other fish they might have caught. Anglers practicing catch-and-release should record the tag number before releasing the fish.

Anglers are asked to record the tag number and report that along with the date and location the fish was caught, approximate size and whether the fish was harvested or released. Tagged fish can be reported on the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, or call the Department’s main office in Bismarck at 701-328-6300.