Adopt-A-Fish Project Allows Viewers to Track Fish Via the Internet

Mr. Noodles, Sparky, Anna Banana, and Bucktail Willy probably have no idea how many eyes are upon them thanks to a Rutgers University tracking program.

Scientists from the Rutgers University Marine Field Station are trying to better understand the coastal migration and subtle communication capabilities of striped bass. Acoustic tagging devices have been applied to 43 striped bass and 30 fluke so that the fish can be tracked via underwater microphones. The study area includes the Mullica River/Great Bay estuary, the southern end of Barneget Bay, and the coastal ocean outside of Little Egg Inlet off Tuckerton, New Jersey. In order to help pay for the project, the public has been invited to “adopt” fish by paying a $267 donation which covers the cost of the tags. Adopters can then name their fish and track the progress of individual fish via a website, http://www.stripertracker.org/. The site had received as many as 58,000 hits a month as viewers learn vital statistics about each fish, including photos, length, weight, and current location. Researchers have already found that striped bass are less migratory than previously thought, and they hope to learn more about how fish choose spawning areas, and how they spend their days and nights.