IPHC tag portal

IPHC tag? You can keep the fish!

...and report the tag recovery using this portal

Tagged Pacific halibut of any size may be retained from any gear or fishery, even if the skipper does not hold Pacific halibut quota, and at any time of year. Tagged Pacific halibut may be retained for personal use, or may be sold if it was caught during commercial Pacific halibut fishing and complies with the other commercial fishing regulations. Undersized fish may not be sold. See IPHC Fishery Regulations, Section 8 for details.

Tag number:

Please enter only the number. You will select the tag type in the next step. While the type might be indicated by a letter before or after the number, it is usually determined by the tag color.

If 'Incorrect tag number' is displayed above, the entered number could not be found in our database. You can still report the tag even if the number is unreadable or not in our records. Simply proceed to the next reporting step.

Tag photo upload

Please upload a clear photo of the recovered tag, ensuring the tag number is visible, using the upload function below. This is essential for verification purposes. If the tag type is not selected, the picture will also help us accurately identify the tag.

Choose a picture to upload

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Report information about the recovered tag

You can report a tag at time of landing to an IPHC fisheries data specialist, other agency fishery sampler, or contact the IPHC Seattle office at 206-634-1838 or secretariat@iphc.int . IPHC has fisheries data specialists in Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Homer, Seward, Sitka, Juneau, and Petersburg, AK, as well as Prince Rupert and Port Hardy, BC, throughout the commercial Pacific halibut season, and in St. Paul, AK, from mid-June through August.

What to do if you caught a tagged Pacific halibut and are landing in a port not staffed by IPHC or other agency?

Fill the following information and return the tag and, when possible, removed otolith (ear bone), to the IPHC’s Seattle office at the following address:

2320 West Commodore Way, Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98199, USA

Recovery date:

Fish length in cm :

OR

in inches :

Fish sex:

Male Female Unknown

Gear used:

The orange tag with the text PLEASE PHOTOGRAPH TAIL attached to the dark side cheek area (Fig. A) is a part of a study investigating whether pigmentation patterns on the white side of the tail persist through life and can thus be used as a natural tag. The IPHC would appreciate harvester recovering this tag to photograph the tail on the white side (example in Fig. B) and upload the photo using the option below .

Choose 1-3 pictures to upload

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Approximate recovery latitude [0 to 90 N, enter numeric value only]

using decimal degrees format , e.g., 54.8566

OR

using degrees :

and minutes :

using degrees :

and minutes :

Approximate recovery longitude [-180 W to 180 E, enter numeric value only]

using decimal degrees format , e.g., -135.7612

Note: Negative longitude indicates Western hemisphere.

OR

using degrees :

and minutes :

hemisphere:

using degrees :

and minutes :

hemisphere:

If coordinates are not available, describe location:

Recovery details

Fill the tag recovery details.

You first and last name:

Your email:

Your address:

City and state:

Zip code:

Port where the tag was delivered:

Vessel name and number (if commercially caught):

Select your reward

IPHC cap

IPHC beanie

$10 reward

I forfeit the reward

IPHC cap

IPHC beanie

Enter any additional comments here:

Submit and download tag recovery letter

Learn more about our tagging programs

Since its inception, the IPHC has released over 400,000 tags. The tool below visualizes the most commonly used tag tapes released recenly. Use the sliders to explore additional details.

Year tag released:

Fork Length (cm):