Effect of Different Reward Levels on Tag Reporting Rates and Behavior of Common Snook Anglers in Southeast Florida

Based on the high-reward tagging method, we determined that reporting rates by recreational anglers for tagged common snook Centropomus undecimalis along the Atlantic coast of Florida were approximately 60–70%. Additionally, we found that angler reporting rates were influenced by the use of high-reward tags. To estimate reporting rates, we tagged 989 common snook (range = 600–1,132 mm total length) with internal anchor tags that bore one of eight variable-reward messages (the word “Reward” with or without a specified monetary amount from US$5 to $200) during the summer closed-harvest season of 1995. Approximately equal numbers and sizes of fish were tagged in each reward group. The $200 reward was assumed to be sufficient to elicit a reporting rate of 100%. Return rates during the first year were quite variable and ranged from 13.7% for $5 tags to 25.0% for $25 tags, while the $200 tags had a return rate of 18.7%. Return rates generally increased with increasing reward amount, reaching an asympto...