Juvenile tarpon tagging project focus of Jan. 17th talk

Dr. Aaron Adams of Mote Marine Laboratory will be giving a free presentation on the progress of a project that is a partnership between Mote and the Lemon Bay Conservancy. He will speak about the juvenile tarpon tagging research project at 3 p.m. on January 17th at the Boca Grande Community Center auditorium. The project, first research of its kind in the U.S., uses tagging and DNA sampling to assess the number of juvenile tarpon which use tidal ponds as nursery areas in the early formative years. Fish were netted, tagged, measured, sampled for DNA analysis, and fitted with radio-frequency ID tags, then released. The project will continue for the next two years. Dr. Adams will also include information about the history of Tarpon Fishing in Boca Grande, its economic impact on the local economy and why tarpon arrive in Boca Grande every year.