Days before laying out the July edition of The Fisherman, one of our two MiniPSAT devices deployed on May 24 began to “ping” the ARGOS satellite. The team from Gray FishTag Research and Wildlife Computers found date/temperature readings placing the tag along the beach near Great Kills in Staten Island for about a day, before popping up in a residential neighborhood in the north end of the borough in Port Richmond. Capt. Guy Buono of Krunch Sportfishing was quick to respond by posting reward information online and through a custom reward flyer at local tackle shops.
As the team narrowed down the search grid over the course of several days, an email appeared from William Donnelly, a wildlife photographer who found the tag while on a walk along the beach. Sure, perhaps it’s a little Big Brotherish, but it was easy to confirm; we knew the Port Richmond street where the tag was located, the same street where Mr. Donnelly resides, a testament to the accuracy of these high-tech devices.
The tag has been returned, in exchange for a free pair of Costa sunglasses and a $250 reward. Down but not out, with just one MiniPSAT device deployed, a deployment team in New Jersey was able to get access to another satellite tagging device for another jumbo striped bass deployment off the Jersey Coast in June. Details on that effort to come in the August edition of The Fisherman.
