Improved Fish Tagging Technology : Field Test Results and Analysis

Conventional tagging methods using plastic streamer ID tags have been the most widely used tool for elucidating fish movements in the last half century. However, this universal method for fish tagging is not optimal for tracking global fish populations because it requires fishermen to log details of each catch while they are also attempting to perform all of their usual at-sea activities. Under the current method, fishermen are asked to remember the time and location of the catch, in addition to its size, weight, and condition of the fish and then record it on a data card or similar. The potentially long delay between the recapture event when a previously tagged fish is caught and the associated data entry creates a barrier to accurate data collection and may result in poor data logging. Building on the work of the Olin College of Engineering Intelligent Vehicles Laboratory, Point Road Solutions, LLC (PRS), in partnership with The Large Pelagics Research Center (LPRC) and the Pacific Islands Fisheries Group (PIFC), the research team has been developing a more streamlined, automated method for fisherman to submit data from fish tags while at sea.In the new process, a fish is tagged with a modified streamer tag carrying a rice grain radio-frequency identification (RFID), chip. A fisherman would scan the tag at or near the time of capture with a compatible RFID reader, which will transmit the fish’s tag information to a personal smartphone pre-installed with our reporting application (Hawaii, or "HI", Tag App). The application then appends the tag ID with information such as location, date and time from the phone. Initial tests conducted off the island of Hawaii (Summer 2016) demonstrated that the HI Tag application greatly improved the process of fish tagging and reporting when compared to the current manual data logging method. However, during the 2017 sea trials the HI Tag required extensive interaction with a phone or tablet to properly function. This was deemed inappropriate by the fishermen who asked for a simpler, more streamlined process which was compatible with the kind of environment and work flow found on a fishing vessel at sea. PRS therefore constructed a custom-designed RFID reader with an integrated camera and Bluetooth, designed for use in the kind of challenging environments found on a small working fishing vessels. With this addition, fishermen could scan a tag and image a fish without ever touching their phone or tablet. The RFID information and photo would be automatically transmitted to the phone or tablet via Bluetooth and then associated with time, date and location data on the phone. We tested the improved device off Kona-Kailua, Hawaii, in the summer of 2018 during what turned out to be one of the most prolific Yellowfin fishing periods in living memory. The team then conducted a post-mission interview and debriefing with the local fishermen to determine what aspects of the new generation tagging system were improved and which did not have the desired utility. The feedback has resulted in a finished design that the authors deem "complete", fully functional, and ready for wider distribution and application.