The Department of Natural Resources is asking anglers to be on the lookout for coded-wire tagged (CWT) chinook salmon and steelhead. These fish can be identified by having only the adipose fin removed or "clipped." Fish with only the adipose fin removed carry a tiny internal wire tag that is injected into the snout of the fingerling at the hatchery prior to stocking; the tag contains information on the date and location of stocking. Information concerning angler harvest of these tagged fish is needed as part of several ongoing research projects.

"Since 1990, more than 15 million trout and salmon have been marked with adipose fin clips and coded-wire tags, and anglers have helped us recover more than 75,000 of these tags," said Dave Clapp, manager of the Department's Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station. "Angler cooperation is an essential component of fish marking programs, and the result of these cooperative efforts is more abundant and healthier fish for the sport fishery."

Anglers catching a CWT trout or salmon should remove the head or the portion of the snout where the CWT should be located by cutting from behind the eyes to the back corner of the mouth. Place the snout in a plastic bag and freeze. Along with the snout the angler should record the following data; the date and closest port or location where the fish was caught, the measured length, and the weight (if possible), along with angler contact information. A printable CWT data form is available online at:http://www.michigan.gov/documents/coded_wire_tag_form-PR8550_35853_7.pdf.

A letter telling where and when their fish was released and the age of the fish at the time it was harvested will be sent to every angler who includes their name and address along with the catch data. The data form should be put in a separate plastic bag and placed inside a larger plastic bag along with snout/head. This will assure that the data will stay dry and be legible when the snout is processed later in the lab.

Anglers should take the head/snout to one of our CWT head drop sites. A list of these can be found on the DNR Web site at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/coded-wire-tag-drop-sites-July-2006_165267_7.pdf or by calling the Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station office at (231) 547-2914.

Additional information concerning the Fisheries Division Coded-Wire Tag Program can be found on the DNR Web site at http://www.michigan.gov/taggedfish.