Tagging along: association among individual Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) revealed by tagging

Abstract

More than 570 000 Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) were tagged with external anchor tags during 429 tag release sessions between 1979 and 1992. Individually numbered tags were released in quantities of 1000–2000 at a time and recovered from commercial fisheries. Often several tags were recovered at the same time and place, and some recoveries occurred as "matches", where two or more tags from a single release session were recovered together. We tested the hypothesis that the frequency of matching tag recoveries occurred by chance through random mixing of tagged herring before their recapture during fishing operations. The alternative is nonrandom, positive association among tagged individuals that persisted through time and during migrations. We used a statistical method developed to address a similar question in steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In separate tests, we examined tag recovery data from migratory stocks in five major regions of the British Columbia. The results indicate nonrandom association of herring for periods of 6 months to several years and through migrations over considerable distances.