Successful Kona shibi tagging trip
The PIFG team headed to Kona in early July 2016, on a day where the winds were howling everywhere else. The water was flat calm in Kona and the yellowfin and big eye were biting. The team tagged 25 small to medium sized shibi up to 15 lbs. Most fish were in the 5 to 7lb range.
Ahi Tagging Demo
Taken at the Oahu Ahi Tagging Workshop. Clay Tam demonstrates the proper technique of inserting a conventional tag into an 8lb big eye tuna.
Insert the tag at the base of the second dorsal fin. The tagging stick should be aimed at a 45° angle, aiming to get the dart beneath the dorsal fin rays (small bones that hold up the dorsal fin).
Pull on the tag to ensure that the tag's barb is caught on the opposite side's fin ray bones. If the tag is loose, pull it out and start again if the fish looks like it is doing ok.
The tag's barb should be anchored by the fin ray bones as shown. (Please don't dissect the live fish to check!)
2014 Ahi travels around the islands
This is the path an ahi took in 2014 around the Hawaiian Islands. It was tagged with a satellite pop-up tag on June 28, 2014, and the tag stopped recording and popped off on August 19, 2014.