The Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program celebrated the achievements of its top volunteers at Bass Pro Shops in Hampton recently.
Efforts by these top taggers produced the majority of the program’s data on habitat use and movement patterns of target species. In 2018, VGFTP anglers tagged more than 17,600 fishes and recorded more than 1,100 recaptures.
A cooperative effort between the Marine Advisory Program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and the Virginia Saltwater Tournament at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), the VGFTP uses state saltwater license funds to train volunteer anglers to tag recreationally important finfishes. Since 1995, VGFTP anglers have tagged more than 320,500 fishes and contributed vital data for the management of these marine species.
Top Taggers for 2018
| Category | Winner | Runner Up |
| Overall Tags | Ed Shepherd (Yorktown) | Scott Vinson (Williamsburg) |
| Overall Recaptures | Ed Shepherd | Scott Vinson |
| Black Drum | Jim Robinson (Virginia Beach) | Scott Vinson |
| Black Sea Bass | Ed Shepherd | Rob Collins (Norfolk) |
| Cobia | Jorj & Hayden Head (Seaford) | Wes Blow (Newport News) |
| Flounder | Ed Shepherd | Scott Vinson |
| Red Drum | Charlie Church (Virginia Beach) | Tie: Cachin Prutsman (Virginia Beach) & David Griffin (Cape Charles) |
| Sheepshead | Joe Hudgins (Chesapeake) | |
| Spadefish | John Knight (Virginia Beach) | Charles Laurens (Virginia Beach) |
| Speckled Trout | Ed Shepherd | Sheldon Arey |
| Tautog | Rob Collins | David Gladysiewicz (Greenbackville) |
| Triggerfish | Bill Knapp (Virginia Beach) | Rob Collins |
