Horseshoe Crab and Cooperative Fish Tagging Programs

Fish tagging programs housed at the Maryland Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (MDFWCO) have been ongoing since 1985, when the office was first established. The main purpose for establishment was to manage the striped bass cooperative tagging program. This was part of a cooperative effort among federal, state and non-governmental agencies to restore and maintain a sustainable striped bass fishery along the Atlantic coast. Today, tagging programs are still needed to provide essential data for stock assessments to maintain ongoing commercial and recreational striped bass fisheries worth millions of dollars. Many other tagging programs are now managed by MDFWCO. All tagging programs are conducted in partnership with state agencies, universities, NGOs and/or private sector partners. The Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon tagging program was started in 1992. Both sturgeon species managed in the tagging program are listed as endangered species and data is used in stock assessments to help determine population status. Horseshoe crab tagging began in 1999 and has provided information on the distribution, migration, and mortality of crabs. Horseshoe crabs are ecologically important for migratory shorebirds, have a vital role within commercial fishing, the biomedical industry, and ecologically. Another tagging program for the northern snakehead, an invasive species, began in 2009. Tagging was done in order to better inform management agencies in charge of controlling snakehead populations. Information gained from tagging has helped state and federal agencies determine movement and growth rates, and abundance of snakehead within certain areas, all of which as increased effectiveness of control efforts.

The latest form for Horseshoe Crab and Cooperative Fish Tagging Programs expires 2026-12-31 and is listed under ICR 202305-1018-004.

Horseshoe Crab Recapture Report (FWS Form 3-2310) - Individuals

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Natural Resources - Conservation, Marine and Land Management

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