A few words on Tag and Release by Captain Howard Lawrence-Brown
“It is interesting to note that more and more of the billfish species together with other threatened species are being tagged and released each year, a move towards protecting our ‘games species’ for the future. Our percentage release exceeds 85% !”.

Game fish tagging
The Game fish Tagging Program is recognized all over the world. The objective of this program is to obtain information on distribution, movement, growth, exploitation of different fish species and to encourage game fish anglers to participate in fisheries management and research. This program is valuable in assisting anglers to share the resource and change the emphasis from exploitation to conservation, providing a link between the Department and the angling public. The game fish tagging program provides the only tag/recapture data on species such as black marlin, sailfish, tuna, giant trevally and sharks.
Tagging a billfish in the right place is all important and most skippers and their crews are well experienced. The tag which should be placed well above the lateral line and as close to the front of the dorsal fin as possible. The tag does not harm the fish and provides vital information as to the mirgratory and localized routes the billfish use. The K.A.S.A.(Kenya Association of Sea Anglers) annual fishing magazine, RAINBOW RUNNER publishes interesting data from the African Billfish Foundation on recovered tagged fish from the 2007/08 fishing season and will continue to publish such information for the coming seasons.

Record tag information
The most important information on a tag is the tag number. This is the key to identifying the fish. It is critical to record the exact tag number. If you plan on releasing the fish, quickly write down the tag number, measure or estimate the fish’s length, then gently release the fish with the tag in place. Multiple recaptures of tagged fish are particularly valuable to the tagging program. If you keep the fish, remove the tag, for reporting purposes.

Record location of capture/ release
Details of the date, location (GPS fix of latitude and longitude) or recognized landmarks that will enable an accurate fix of the capture and release location.

Record fish data
Record the species of the fish. Measure and record both the total length and fork length of the fish, or estimate the length if you do not have a measuring device. Also provide an actual weight (using certified scales) or estimated weight of the fish. Record any information about the fish, which could be useful; for example, any unusual markings or wounds and the condition of the fish.

NB: It is interesting to note the recapture of a Kenya tagged Striped Marlin approximately 600 miles off Perth, Western Australia. The Striped Marlin travelled this distance in under 200 days and confirms that these fish are annual global travellers. A Broadbill also tagged from this coast was recovered off south-west Madagascar