BIOLOGISTS NEED HELP FROM PUBLIC COLLECTING TARPON GENETIC INFORMATION

St. Petersburg - Biologists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) and Mote Marine Laboratory need help from Florida anglers in collecting genetic information from tarpon.

The tarpon genetic recapture study gives anglers the opportunity to make a direct impact on state-of-the-art research. Anglers statewide can collect a DNA sample by removing a few skin cells from the outside of a tarpon’s jaw using an abrasive pad provided in a free sampling kit. The tarpon can be any size.

The new tarpon DNA sampling kits are easy to use, especially because the fish can remain in the water while the angler collects the sample. Participants can obtain a free tarpon DNA sampling kit provided by FWRI through one of the following options.

FWRI and Mote researchers have used similar DNA identification methods successfully for studies of redfish with help from anglers in Biscayne Bay and Tampa Bay.