Body Cavity Tag
Body Cavity Tags are any kind of material inserted loose into the body cavity of fish. Tags may be a strip of colored celluloid, magnetic steel tags, or plastic. Metal tags have been used on pelagic species so that they may be recovered with a magnet during commercial processing. Modern plastic tags can contain printed information similar to external tags but are considered to have a minimal effect on the fish and may be used on practically any size of fish. Tags can be inserted into abdomen with a needle.
Advantages:
- Body cavity tags have long-term tag retention rates and have minimal effect on fish
- Algae growth does not occur on the tag
Disadvantages:
- Application of the tag takes longer than external tags
- Fish have to be sacrificed to recover tags
- Tags can be overlooked by fishermen and processors