Gazebo Gazette

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) would like to inform anglers that Marine Fisheries staff are currently tagging Flounder, Cobia and Tripletail in Mississippi waters to track each species’ migration patterns using satellite and acoustic tags.

These species will have an external dart tag (color of the tag varies) in the dorsal region which identifies the individual fish and provides a phone number to contact if caught.

Flounder tagging efforts are being conducted in cooperation with the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in St. Louis Bay, Biloxi Bay and the Pascagoula River estuary.

Each fish is being tagged with an external acoustic transmitter in the mid-dorsal area. Cobia are being tagged with internal acoustic transmitters. Tripletail are being tagged with satellite tags that are attached to the dorsal area of the fish. These tags are roughly six inches long and will be towed by the fish throughout its winter movements.

If a tagged fish is caught, anglers are encouraged to release the tagged fish. Anglers are requested to report the location of the catch, the length of the fish and, if harvested, to return the tag to MDMR staff so data can be obtained from the tag and re-deployed.

To report a tagged fish, call either the phone number located on the tag or the MDMR offices at 228-374-5000.

Officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced Thursday that the commercial and recreational fishing harvest of mid-water snapper in Mississippi territorial waters will close in conjunction with Gulf of Mexico federal waters at 12:01 a.m. local time on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021.

The mid-water snapper complex consists of Blackfin Snapper, Queen Snapper, Silk Snapper and Wenchman.

The Mississippi Advisory Commission on Marine Resources will meet Tuesday, Sept. 21, in Biloxi.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. and will be held at the Bolton State Building in the first-floor auditorium. The meeting is broadcast live on the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Facebook page (www.facebook.com/MississippiDMR); however, questions and public comments will not be answered through Facebook.

The meeting is also archived for later viewing on the agency’s Facebook page.