Loss Rates for Dorsal Loop and Internal Anchor Tags Applied to Striped Bass

We used a double‐tagging experiment on coastal migratory striped bass Morone saxatilis along the Atlantic coast to determine loss rates of the American Littoral Society's dorsal loop tag and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's internal anchor tag. We double‐tagged 913 fish and released them into coastal waters off North Carolina and Virginia during the winters of 1991 and 1992. Over a 2‐year period, 127 recaptures were reported. Of the recaptures, 77 fish had both tags present, 9 fish had only the dorsal loop tag, and 36 fish had only the internal anchor tag; the presence or absence of a second tag on the remaining 5 fish could not be determined. Based on a 60‐d interval, tag loss (constant rate) was 7.6% for the dorsal loop tag and 2.6% for the internal anchor tag, translating into annual rates of 38 and 15% for dorsal loop tags and internal anchor tags, respectively. Although the internal anchor tag was retained at a higher rate, the dorsal loop tag is easier to apply and may be of use in volunteer tagging programs.