Better Data for Bluefish: Get Involved!

Feature Photo: Mike Querfeld with a low-light shot of a yellow-eyed devil before the release. Credit: Drew Sommo

The American Saltwater Guides Association has teamed up the GotOne! App to help fill crucial data gaps for Bluefish. The Association is now calling on the recreational fishing community to contribute catch data to better understand an essential fishery on the East Coast.

Our community shares a deep concern about the gaps in recreational fishing data. We recognize the potential impacts these gaps can have on critical processes like stock assessments and their influence on recreational fishing effort. ASGA remains committed to improving and discovering new cooperative solutions to these data needs

Our team sees similar patterns in many stock assessments for important saltwater species. There are gaps in data sets for these species that, if filled, would produce a significantly better data set for assessing the stock. ASGA has spent the last few years expanding partnerships with various state and federal agencies while working to develop what we consider to be the best solution to new data inputs: The GotOne! App, available on Apple App Store and Google Play.

We are pleased to announce that ASGA and GotOne! have teamed up to collect data on bluefish. All collected data will directly contribute to enhancing future stock assessments. Now recreational anglers can log their bluefish catches to gain detailed insights on their fishing performance while contributing to better fisheries science. Stock assessment scientists are focused on release lengths and geographic area.

Remember: GotOne! doesn’t spot burn. All your data is protected for your own personal catch log and all data shared with fisheries scientists is congregated to geographic areas at scale (~10mile radius, though for many agencies just the state matters).

The most significant gaps in bluefish release data stem from coastal waters south of Virginia. Scientists would have a better data foundation if the angling community contributed even ~100 new bluefish release lengths from the southeast. ASGA and GotOne! have spent countless hours in fisheries meetings, developing the app, and looking for legitimate opportunities to contribute sound, usable data.

Now, we need you to go fishing and upload your catches. Don’t forget, your catch log from last year still matters! We encourage you to backlog your catches from last season to start building a critical mass and gain angling insights for an effective 2024 season.

How do you log a catch on GotOne?

1. Get The App: Download GotOne! from your preferred app store (Google or iOs).
2. Quick Recording: Tap to log a catch.
3. Log Your Fish: Log the species, location and size of your catch. If you upload a photo captured from your phone, metadata from the photo will contribute the date, time and gps location of the photo! If not, you can simply drag the location pin to the most accurate location.
4. Let GotOne! Do The Rest: GotOne captures other critical data from a variety of sources, including wind, tide stage, moon phase and even water temperature.
5. Review & Learn: Review your log entries and historical charts. See patterns in fishing weather and other conditions that can help you catch more fish.
6. SMILE: You just contributed data that will help better understand the fisheries you love. That’s something to be proud of. Now go catch some more fish! More released fish means better data and lots of fun on the water.