Extraordinary recapture of tagged barra 12-years later!
A barramundi caught and tagged 12-years ago in the Daly River has amazingly been recaptured and retagged by Northern Territory Fisheries staff from the Department of Resources.
During the 1998 Barra Classic, Phil Hall of NT Fisheries caught, tagged and released a 48cm barramundi.
Quite amazingly 12 years or 4344 days later, Fisheries staff member Steven Matthews recaptured the same fish which now measured 113.5cm.
Fisheries Minister, Kon Vatskalis said this is quite an extraordinary event.
“This is unbelievable. The barra was recaptured only kilometres from where it was first tagged 12-years ago by Fisheries staff,” said Mr Vatskalis.
“This barra is the longest to be at liberty in the history of the NT’s tagging program by over 4 years.
“It’s estimated that the barramundi is now 13 years old and has grown approximately 66cm in this time averaging 5cm a year.
“The fish was released again and swam away very healthy and we look forward to hearing whether it is recaptured in the future.
“Tag recaptures provide valuable information that assists NT Fisheries with the management of barramundi stocks. “
Recreational anglers that recapture a tagged barramundi are encouraged to call Fisheries on (08) 8999 2144 and report the tag number, location and date of capture and whether the fish was released or kept.