Department of Fish and Game to tag striped mar- 

 lin, black marlin, and sailfish were analyzed for the 



Table 2. — Rate of recovery of tagged billfishes. 



Ai = Cooperative Marine Game Fish Tagging. Woods Hole 



Oceanographic Institution. 



A2 = Cooperative Marine Game Fish Tagging, National 



Marine Fisheries Service. 



B = Cooperative Billfish Tagging. California Department of 



Fish and Game. 



— = no billfish tagged. 



1954 through 1962 no recoveries reported. 



purpose of giving some indication of tag perfor- 

 mance. Eighty-two percent of the billfishes were 

 tagged with FM-67 tags, 13.8% with FT-1 tags, 

 3.4% with the "H" tags, and 0.8% with the "C" 

 tag. There were no recoveries of the "C" tag, and 

 the "H" tag has been used only since mid-1971. 

 The percentage recovery rate by tag type and tag- 

 ging organization is listed in Table 4. 



Hooking mortality undoubtedly accounts for a 

 high tag loss, in addition to unknown losses that 

 occur through tag shedding. The percentage of tag 

 loss for the several types of tags is not known. 



MIGRATORY PATTERNS 

 Eastern Pacific 



Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5 show the tagging and recov- 

 ery points by quarters for both striped marlin and 

 sailfish in the eastern Pacific. The recovery data 

 from the longline fleet have not been adjusted for 

 fishing effort in the various geographical areas. The 

 commercial longline fishery has expanded to the 

 limits of the fishery in the eastern Pacific and the 

 seasonal distribution of fishing effort is assumed to 



Table 3. — Rate of recovery (left figure refers to number 

 of tag recoveries; right figure refers to number of fish 

 tagged and released). 



Year 



Striped Black Blue 



marlin marlin marlin Sailfish Total 



Program ,\, — Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 



1954-1971 4/1,439 0/243 0/61 0/1,875 4/3,618 



= 0.28% = — % = — % = — % = 0.11% 



Since 1963 4/1.234 0/231 0/61 0/1,147 4/2.673 



= 0.32% = — % = — % = — % = 0.15% 



Program A2 — National Marine Fisheries Service 



1963-1971 74/7,514 2/379 0/187 9/2,884 85/10,964 

 = 0.98% = 0.53% = — % = 0.31% = 0.78% 



Program B — California Department of Fish and Game 



1963-1970 7/896 —/— 

 = 0.78% = — % 



1/62 8/958 



-% = 1.6% = 0.84% 



Rales of recovery for striped marlin and sailfish combined. 



1963-1971: 



Program A, 4/2,673 = 0.15% 



As 85/10,964 = 0.78% 



B 8/958 = 0.84% 



230 



