Most of you remember an interesting program given to the club by Aaron Adams some time ago. Aaron is Director of Operations for Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, one of the more active organizations in fisheries research. I recently received a copy of Bonefish and Tarpon Journal, their attractive and informative publication.

The Journal contained a variety of articles of interest.

On the conservation front, it described initiatives in both the Florida Keys and the Bahamas to evaluate the impacted habitats and declining fisheries, and to involve the fishing guides and lodge owners in scientifically based fisheries management and improvement.

“A Tagging Tale” describes the various on-going tagging programs and what they will tell us about the travels and habitat needs of our favorite species.

Another article describes why the two handed strip can be a highly effective retrieve for tarpon, and how to do it.

“Dietary Clues” shows how the dietary impact of various food types influence the location and timing of feeding activities, and important clue for selecting where to fish and what flies to use.

Bonefish and Tarpon Trust is a worthy recipient of our personal charitable donations. It addresses issues that affect our area and interests in a well-planned, scientifically based manner. Check their web site at www.bonefishtarpontrust.org for more details.

It is my understanding that BBT plans to move to Vero Beach soon. This will make it easier to get Aaron or some of his associates to give an updated program on their plans, projects and results.

Jon Mallory and one of his tarpon

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The Conservation Angler, April 2013 Newsletter of Anglers for Conservation gave the following progress report on the Tarpon Genetic Study:

The Tarpon Genetic Recapture Study tracks and studies tarpon using DNA samples that provide a unique genetic "fingerprint" for each fish. DNA samples have been collected from over 17,000 tarpon in the seven years of the program. The following are some of the more interesting findings after compiling data from the 2012 season. Numbers listed below are tabulated as of October 31, 2012.

In 2012, fishing guides and recreational anglers collected 4,346 tarpon DNA samples. Scientist contributed an additional 263 samples.

143 tarpon have been caught and sampled more than once.
One juvenile tarpon in the Sebastian River was caught and sampled three times in three months.

One recreational angler [who some of us know], Jon Mallory of Merritt Island, caught and sampled and incredible 975 tarpon in 2012.

An adult tarpon sampled off Sarasota County was sampled again less than a month later in Islamorada. About a month later it was sampled again in Islamorada.

Of the 4,606 tarpon DNA samples collected in 2012, 4,387 came from the United States and 222 came from other countries.

DNA samples were collected in five states. Florida by far led all states with 4,343 samples.

Brevard County was tops of all Florida counties with 1,276 DNA samples in 2012. Monroe County was second with 832 while Lee County was third with 828.

All tarpon anglers are encouraged to support the Tarpon Genetic Recapture Program. Collecting tarpon DNA samples is as easy as scraping a small amount of skin cells from the tarpon's jaw using an abrasive sponge. You can obtain free DNA sampling kits and kit refills by calling toll free 1-800-367-4461 or by emailing
TarponGenetics@MyFWC.com. The kit includes instructions,
abrasive sponges, vials for storing and transporting samples, and data slips for recording catch data. Samples can be mailed directly to the Tarpon Genetics team or dropped off at one of the hundreds of statewidevcollection locations. A list of drop off sites is provided
with the kit.