Marked and Tagged Fish

In evaluating fish stocks, the DNR often marks fish with a visible tag, an internal tag or fin clips. If you catch a tagged fish, please record the tag number and as much of the following information as possible: species, length, weight, sex, and the date and location caught. Enter the data online at michigan.gov/taggedfish or take it to the nearest drop off location (see michigan.gov/taggedfish, “Coded Wire Tags”). If releasing the fish, carefully remove and retain the tag from all species EXCEPT lake sturgeon. This will allow for more accurate recording of the tag number.

Many Great Lakes trout or salmon have been marked with a microscopic coded-wire tag implanted in the head of the fish. Fish with these tags can be identified by the absence of the adipose fin. If you catch and keep a trout or salmon with ONLY its adipose fin missing, that fish could have such a tag. Please record the species, length, weight, sex and the date and location caught, freeze only the head and take it to your nearest drop site location as indicated above.