SWFSC Cooperative Billfish Tagging Program Data, 1963-2021

Pacific Ocean data on billfish and large pelagic species collected through a mark-recapture program from 1963 to 2021. The Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) and NOAA collaborated with recreational and commercial anglers globally to gather distribution, abundance, movement, and morphometric data. This information is used to quantify life history parameters for fisheries management.

Use Cases

• Modeling species distribution and migration patterns based on tag recapture locations.
• Estimating population abundance and growth rates based on mark-recapture data.
• Analyzing morphometric relationships for life history parameter quantification.
• Studying angler engagement and survey response patterns in citizen science programs.

Strengths

• Data collection spans 58 years from 1963 to 2021, providing a long-term perspective.
• Program involves global recreational and commercial fishing communities, suggesting broad spatial coverage.
• Focuses on multiple billfish species including Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, Striped Marlin, Sailfish, Swordfish, and Shortbill Spearfish.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is provided in PDF format, which may complicate automated analysis.

Provenance

Source

Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

Collection Method

Conventional mark-recapture program distributing tags to anglers for deployment and recovery.

Time Range

1963-2021

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 23:06:08.243360; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Pacific Ocean, with global angler participation.