Written by Capt. Ron Presley | 06 April 2009

FGA Guide Offers Tarpon Challenge

 A Friendly Tarpon Challenge Issued

A featured speaker at the annual Florida Guides Association meeting was FFWCC Scientist Kathy Guindon. Kathy described the Tarpon Genetics program and asked for the guides to support the effort of collecting DNA samples. A lot of FGA guides already participate in the program but they need more.

Last week after a meeting with Kathy, FGA West Coast VP, Capt. Dave Market proclaimed, "Ain't No Way any other working guide is gonna' out tag me this May and June ." He went on to say, "In fact, I'll throw down the gauntlet and say I'll beat em' all in May and June - if I don't then I'll deliver a bottle of the winner's favorite spirits to that winner personally. You can quote me on that." 

Well folks, that sounds like a challenge to me. I have some friends who are really good tarpon anglers and they don't all live on the West Coast. Kathy needs samples from all over the state and I think she's gonna' get em' because this challenge cannot go unanswered.

Remember, size doesn't matter with this Tarpon research. If you catch a tarpon take the sample and send it in. Use the contact information below to obtain your easy to use jaw scrape sample kits.

DNA is the fish tag of the future.  Using forensic science and DNA fingerprinting techniques on DNA samples you provide from any tarpon you catch can provide a "tag" to uniquely identify an individual tarpon.   The technique is less invasive to the fish.  It is less costly to tag tarpon using this jaw scrape technique than conventional tags that can break, foul, or fall out of the fish and the FWC-Fish and Wildlife Research Institute has the ability to process the genetic material in house (St. Petersburg).  Finally, DNA is a tag that lasts forever.  
 
To volunteer for this tarpon research program and accept the challenge from Capt. Markett call toll free at 1-800- 367-4461 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and request your free DNA sampling kit and instructions.  
 
 
Photo Courtesy Capt. Chris Myers