March 2, 2026 — Imagine standing at the stern of a 50-foot fishing vessel. Your legs are pressed up against the gunwale for balance as you rock in the waves and face the churning waters of the boat’s wake. All of a sudden, the reel next to you starts screaming as the mate yells, “Fish on!” Heart racing, you grab the rod and start cranking. It could be a quick 20-minute fight or an intense 5-hour battle to reveal a sleek fish built with more than 80 pounds of muscle. This is what it’s like to be on a trip with the Bacon brothers.
For Brian and Peter Bacon, brothers and seasoned charter captains, the thrill of reeling in bluefin tuna off the Atlantic coast isn’t just about the catch. It’s also about contributing to vital scientific research. Through NOAA’s Cooperative Tagging Center, recreational anglers like the Bacons are providing important data that helps scientists understand the health and movements of bluefin tuna populations. Even when seasons are closed, tagging provides a rewarding mechanism for charter businesses to continue providing a positive experience for paying customers.
What Tuna Tagging Reveals
NOAA’s Cooperative Tagging Center collects crucial information about highly migratory species including bluefin tuna. We work with recreational anglers, charter captains, and commercial fishers along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts—and across the Atlantic Ocean. We tag various species of fish that are difficult to study with other methods. We also provide free tagging kits for anglers to tag fish on their own. When anglers tag a fish, we collect information on fish size, location of capture, and release condition. When a tagged fish is recaptured—days, months, or years later—scientists gain insights into migration patterns, growth rates, and how long these fish live. For instance, some tagged bluefin have been recaptured over a decade after their initial tagging. One of legendary angler Al Anderson‘s fish was caught an astounding 16 years later! These long-term data are critical for assessing geographic range shifts and migratory trends of these important species.