Cecil - there is some amount of tagging loss with these t-bar tags. It's hard to generalize, but with experienced taggers, no more than 5%? In the past, the Floy tags did have a problem with the glue, allowing the plastic, numbered tubing to slip off the t-bar, sometimes in a year or two. They have greatly improved their product, and this is no longer such a concern. If you really want to be sure you can recognize a fish long term, one way is to thread a stainless steel wire though the back of the fish behind the dorsal fin (using a canula) and attach a small, plastic dangler tag to the wire. The only way those get lost is by tearing out, which can happen. However, we have those tags turned in after 20 years of a fish being in the wild. Maybe when I get back to the office, I can find a few images, and have Ewest post them for me.
