Ethical Angling and Fish Tagging Program

Maintaining healthy fish stocks is vital to anglers everywhere. If you're like most anglers today, you care about protecting fish and their habitat - and about the future of sport fishing.

That's why BoatU.S. and NOAA Fisheries teamed up to produce a code of angling ethics. The code is a simple tool that experienced anglers can use to spread the word about responsible fishing practices to new generations of anglers.

I'm an Ethical Angler. I:

Avoid spilling and never dump gasoline, oil or other pollutants - on land or in the water.

Never leave trash behind, including worn line, old hooks and bait, and practice recycling.

Gain knowledge about Aquatic Nuisance Species and how to help prevent their spread.

Learn and abide by all fishing regulations and boating laws.

Educate fellow anglers and especially new participants about fishing ethics.

Respect private property and the rights of other anglers and outdoor recreationists.

Save fish for tomorrow by practicing conservation and learning proper catch-and-release techniques.

BoatU.S. Tag and Release Program

From 1996 - 2001 BoatU.S. conducted a coastal saltwater Tag and Release program. With the help of hundreds of anglers in the program, nearly 6,000 fish on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts have been tagged. The tagging portion of this program has come to a close. We would like to thank all of our volunteer anglers and especially our fish-tagging Captains who have contributed so much to the BoatU.S. Fish Tag and Release Program.

We will continue to monitor our phone hotlines regarding recapture information on fish with BoatU.S. tags. We encourage anglers to continue to use our online form to give us all the necessary data so that we can make the “before and after” connection for each particular fish. To access our Online Recapture Information form please click here. This important information will continue to be recorded by the BoatU.S. Foundation and forwarded to NOAA Fisheries for their use to help make smart long term management decisions for nearshore species. If you have any questions regarding the Fish Tag program, please contact us at cleanwater@boatus.com.

We appreciate your dedication to fish tagging, and hope you will continue to tag for another program. To find out about other options, we recommend visiting www.fishtag.info.