Red Drum Satellite Tracking
- Number of Fish Tagged since 2024: 53
- Location Tagged: Along the North Carolina coast
- Tag Type: microPAT, SPOT-426, and SeaTag-GEO
- Cost per Tag: $2,500-$4,000, depending on tag type
Overview
As North Carolina’s state saltwater fish, the red drum is not only a popular target for anglers but also a species of significant economic importance. Each year, anglers average 3 million fishing trips in pursuit of red drum, contributing to the $4 billion spent on coastal fishing in North Carolina. To unlock the story of red drum movement, the Foundation has joined forces with the NC Division of Marine Fisheries to launch a groundbreaking red drum satellite tagging project along the North Carolina coast.
The Issue
As identified in the Division’s red drum research needs, there is more to learn about the stock structure, spawning migrations, and habitat preferences of adult red drum. Being a species of economic importance, several key questions remain unanswered: Where do red drum spawn? How far do they travel? How often do they pass through the ocean inlets, and do they head north to Virginia or make their way beyond South Carolina?
Our Solution
To address these questions and more, adult red drum are affixed with microPAT satellite tags that record depth, water temperature, light levels, and positional data throughout its deployment. Once the tag releases from the fish and floats to the surface, it sends that stored data to our software. That not only gives us where a red drum travels, but how deep it dives and what conditions it encounters along the way.
This year we are also testing a second tag type, the SPOT-426, which transmits to the satellite system whenever the tag breaks the surface.
Red Drum
What's Next?
Building on a successful 2024 pilot study and a 2025 season in which 33 red drum were tagged, the Foundation changed its approach in 2026. After evaluating the results from previous years, we switched to microPAT tags and a couple of SPOT-426 tags. Tagging began August 11, and with help from local fishing guides, 10 tags have been deployed so far. Nearly all 2025 tags have now released, and we’re working with Division of Marine Fisheries staff to interpret the data. Early SPOT-426 tracks could arrive this fall, with microPAT data to follow as those tags release this winter and spring.
Displaying the Data
To share the movement data, our Foundation partnered with Mapotic to develop an interactive red drum tracking platform. Red drum appear as red icons, and the platform currently shows data from the past two years of tagging. It will be updated with 2026 tag data as soon as it becomes available. New this year, the platform also includes data from 10 striped bass tagged by Division staff, shown as green icons. These fish carry acoustic transmitters detected by receivers throughout our sounds and rivers.
FAQ
What are the goals of the tracking project?
The goals of the red drum tracking project are to better understand the movement and behavior of red drum by answering key questions such as:
Residency: Do red drum remain within North Carolina’s sounds and waterways throughout the year, or do they migrate to other states?
Migration Patterns: If they leave North Carolina, where do they travel, what routes do they use, and how long do they remain away?
Habitat Use: Do red drum stage in shallow water near inlets before moving offshore? Do they dive deeper as they migrate along the coast, and what water temperatures do they encounter along the way?
Spawning Behavior: When and where do red drum spawn, and what environmental factors influence their spawning activity?
Overall, the project seeks to provide insights into red drum movement, migration, habitat use, and reproduction to help guide management and conservation of the species.
How do the satellite tags work?
In 2026, our red drum carry one of two types of satellite tags, and each one reports differently.
The microPAT is a pop-up satellite tag smaller than a deck of cards and weighing just 46 grams. It records data while it is on the fish, then releases five to eight months after deployment, floats to the surface, and sends its stored data to passing satellites.
The SPOT-426 transmits to the Argos satellite network whenever it breaks the air-water interface. If a fish rolls at the surface while a satellite is overhead, we get a signal. If not, we wait. Our first deployment this year is the first known use of this tag type on a red drum.
Red drum tagged in 2024 and 2025 carried SeaTag-GEO pop-up satellite tags that provided opportunistic pings whenever a tag connected with the Argos satellite network. The complete set of data was made available when the tag detached on its pop-off date. Some of the data from the 2025 tags is under review and will be updated on the platform when finalized.
What types of data are collected?
It depends on the tag.
The microPAT tags record depth, water temperature, light levels, and positional data throughout the entire deployment. Previous tags provided light, temperature, and position, but depth is new, and it means we’ll know not just where a red drum travelled but how deep it dove, what temperatures it met, and how its behavior shifted across seasons. To estimate position, the microPAT tag’s processing combines light data with sea-surface temperature and bathymetry.
The SPOT-426 collects locations only.
Why did we choose this tagging method?
We began satellite tagging red drum in 2024 with the SeaTag-GEO tag. Many of those fish moved the way past conventional tagging studies suggested, but a handful took unusual offshore routes, and we learned a lot about the limits of satellite detection along the way.
After evaluating the results from previous years, we moved to the microPAT. It’s trusted across hundreds of fish tracking studies worldwide, it adds depth to the record, and its position processing is built to produce highly accurate tracks. We also added the SPOT-426 to test a second approach that reports each time a fish surfaces. And we moved from a side-anchor dart to a pass-through harness that sits just above the dorsal fin, because keeping a tag on the fish matters as much as the tag itself.
What do the icon colors mean?
Why does the track show the fish traveling over land?
The tracking platform connects consecutive location points with straight lines. When there is a gap in transmissions or the fish moves quickly offshore, the software may draw lines that appear to cross over land. This simply reflects how the system links available data points when continuous location information isn’t available.
What should you do if you catch a tagged red drum?
If you reel in a red drum with a satellite tag, congratulations! You’ve found an important part of a research project.
Each tagged red drum has two tags: a satellite tag and a red $100 reward tag. Here’s an easy process to follow:
- Cut off the red reward tag.
- Leave the satellite tag on the fish and release it safely back into the water.
- Mail the red tag to the address printed on it to collect your reward. Include your name, mailing address, date you caught the fish, and the general area where it was caught.
