American Littoral Society Fish Tagging Program

American Littoral Society Fish Tagging Program Welcome to the American Littoral Society fish tagging page, home of the largest volunteer, salt-water fish tagging program in the U.S.

The Littoral Society's fish tagging program was started in 1965 by Graham Macmillan, a Society vice president and an avid sport fisherman. After consulting with fisheries biologists, he set up the program that, with only a few refinements, has served us well since. The premise of the program is that many fishermen release much of what they catch, especially those fish with a legal minimum size suc

h as striped bass and fluke. Why not encourage fishermen to tag those fish before they release them? Why not develop a whole new breed of angler—one who fishes and releases routinely? This tagging program would be appropriate for all the marine gamefish of the coast and for those that run up the coastal rivers. The Society decided to make the program self-supporting (i.e., the fishermen would pay the cost of the program) and to make it as easy as possible. Finally, we also decided that all data produced would be published and made available to the fisheries scientists who would use it, and that all taggers and recapturers would hear about the fish they had released or recaptured. Based on the principles set up in 1965, the tagging program has grown to be the largest voluntary fish tagging program in the nation and is recognized by the ASMFC.

Join our Annual Fluke Tagging Trip on Monday, August 31st from 7am-2pm. Come aboard the Mi-Jo II for some inshore sport ...
08/24/2026

Join our Annual Fluke Tagging Trip on Monday, August 31st from 7am-2pm. Come aboard the Mi-Jo II for some inshore sport fishing and to learn about the fish tagging program, which helps scientists track fish migration and populations.

For more information and to register, see link in the comments.

Join the Littoral Society's Annual Fluke Tagging Trip on August 31st with our new Fish Tagging Manager Justin Saginor. C...
08/05/2026

Join the Littoral Society's Annual Fluke Tagging Trip on August 31st with our new Fish Tagging Manager Justin Saginor. Come aboard the "Mi-Jo II" for some inshore sport fishing and to learn about the fish tagging program, which helps scientists track fish migration and populations. 7am-2pm.

For more information and to register, please see link in the comments.

**REGISTRATION FULL** On August 3rd, The National Park Service and the American Littoral Society are partnering this sum...
07/27/2026

**REGISTRATION FULL** On August 3rd, The National Park Service and the American Littoral Society are partnering this summer to teach young people surf fishing on Sandy Hook. As part of the program, we will cover the basics of casting, knot tying, lure/bait selection, and “reading” a beach. All skill levels are welcome!!!. Rods, reels, and tackle will be provided. Children 10-16 are welcome with a supervising adult. Parents must have a copy of their NJ Saltwater Registry License. Please bring your lunch and snacks.

For more information and to register: https://www.littoralsociety.org/junior-angler-program.html

The Littoral Society has been hosting our Junior Angler's Fishing Program, in partnership with the National Park Service...
07/21/2026

The Littoral Society has been hosting our Junior Angler's Fishing Program, in partnership with the National Park Service, throughout the summer. This is a wonderful opportunity for young people ages 10-16 to learn how to surf fish on Sandy Hook. There are still dates available to sign-up if you are interested in participating! Please see link in the comments for more details.

07/17/2026

The American Littoral Society loves summer on the shore!

Read the latest edition of Field Notes, our monthly newsletter. Link in the comments.

What have we been up to? We gathered at Sandy Hook for a special Members Day honoring Tim Dillingham and his remarkable 23 years of leadership protecting the coast, wildlife, and waters in our region. Thank you to everyone that helped honor Tim and his many accomplishments for the coast.

We also collected important data at Kimbles Beach to guide future restoration, wrapped up another busy horseshoe crab tagging season along Delaware Bay and the Shark River, and continued pushing for cleaner and safer waters in the Delaware River. This month, we are celebrating 40 years of New York Beach Cleanups!

All of this work is made possible by the people who join us to tag horseshoe crabs under the moonlight, lead beach cleanups, attend shorebird walks, support our on-the-ground work through generous gifts, and are as passionate about conserving the coast for the future as we are.

There is still so much summer ahead. We hope you will join us for a sunset seining program, a coastal shorebird walk, a fish tagging trip, or simply a chance to spend time together near the water.

Thank you for being part of the American Littoral Society and for helping us protect, restore, and celebrate the coast.

See you on the shore!

The National Park Service and the American Littoral Society are partnering this summer to teach young people surf fishin...
07/13/2026

The National Park Service and the American Littoral Society are partnering this summer to teach young people surf fishing on Sandy Hook. As part of the program, we will cover the basics of casting, knot tying, lure/bait selection, and “reading” a beach. All skill levels are welcome!!!. Rods, reels, and tackle will be provided. Children 10-16 are welcome with a supervising adult. Parents must have a copy of their NJ Saltwater Registry License. Please bring your lunch and snacks.

For more information and to register, see the link in the comments.

Happy 4th of July from the American Littoral Society!
07/04/2026

Happy 4th of July from the American Littoral Society!

The Society and our partners will be teaching young people to surf fish on Sandy Hook on July 7th. As part of the progra...
06/30/2026

The Society and our partners will be teaching young people to surf fish on Sandy Hook on July 7th. As part of the program, we will cover the basics of casting, knot tying, lure/bait selection, and “reading” a beach.

All skill levels are welcome. Rods, reels, and tackle will be provided. Children 10-16 are welcome with a supervising adult.

For more information and to register, see the link in the comments.

Address

18 Hartshorne Drive, Ste 1
Highlands, NJ
07732

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18483031791

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