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PACIFIC SCIENCE, VoL XIII, October, 1959 
part to a combination of the following fac- 
tors: (1) the initial tagging mortality resulting 
from handling in the tagging process may 
have been high; (2) mortality caused by 
predation of large tunas and spearfishes may 
have been excessive; and (3) certain groups 
of tagged skipjack may have moved out of the 
area covered by the fishery. 
Condition of Tags and Fish: The condition of 
the tag and of the skipjack was noted for each 
of the 9 pole-and-line caught recoveries. One 
fish, recaptured after only 6 days at liberty, 
showed quick recuperation. The tag wound 
appeared raw and enlarged but there were no 
signs of infection. Another skipjack, retaken 
12 days after tagging, had new skin forming 
around the edges of the tag wound. 
Most of the recovered fish showed a slight 
chafing of the anterodorsal margin of the 
caudal fin, caused by the free ends of the tag 
striking the fin. This could be prevented by 
trimming the ends of the tag after the knot 
was tied. 
One skipjack recaptured 252 days after re- 
lease bore only the outer jacket portion of 
the tag. This protruded from the right side of 
the fish. The wound on the left side had 
