Evaluating the success of our program depends on our ability to recapture and identify the fish we release. Each fish is tagged for identification prior to release. We have used several kinds of tags, including Northwest Marine Technology’s decimal coded wire and visible implant elastomer tags. Decimal coded wire tags have been demonstrated to be least stressful to the fish.

The flounder are transferred from the lab in live “wells,” or tanks that are loaded on a research vessel and transported to the release site. Transfer can cause high levels of stress for cultured flounder. By monitoring cortisol levels in the flounders’ blood, we have been able to evaluate stress during transfer and have developed techniques to reduce it. For example, we have determined how many flounder can fit comfortably in the release cages, and how long they need to stay in these cages after they’ve been submerged in their new environment.