The University of Portsmouth are conducting a bass tagging project in the Solent area as part of the Solent Seascape Project. BASS has offered its assistance in sharing the publicity around the project, and encouraging anglers fishing in the area to help.
Dr Manon Broadribb writes: “Bass are being tagged in the Solent to investigate how they use and move between important coastal habitats (seagrass beds, saltmarshes, and native oyster reefs) that are currently being restored as part of the Solent Seascape Project. By tracking both juvenile and adult bass, researchers can identify which habitats are most important at different stages of their life cycle and assess how connected these habitats are. As a commercially and recreationally important species that is known to rely on these habitats as nursery grounds, bass are an ideal species for evaluating the success of restoration efforts and guiding future conservation and habitat management decisions.”
The fish will be tagged with both acoustic, and external T-Bar tags. Knowing the location of any fish captures, in addition to tracking the fish acoustically, will improve understanding of fish movements. As Prof Joanne Preston writes “it will help us understand where the bass have ended up if not picked up by the receivers so will be incredibly useful for us understanding the wider behaviour of the bass and inform future placements of receivers.”
It is important to return fish which carry an external tag so that they can continue to be tracked acoustically. So, if you catch any bass with external T-bar tags attached, please return the fish and inform Prof. Preston, as shown on the attached infographic.
Any information provided regarding capture locations will be restricted to the research team only.
BASS Science group
17.6.26
