The winners of the 2013 Spirit of Tarpon Challenge were recently recognized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The Florida Guides Association and FWC are again promoting this study, which uses DNA data to track the movements, habits and recapture rates of tarpon in coastal and inshore waters. Volunteer anglers have submitted more than 19,600 samples to date.
The 2013 Spirit of Tarpon Challenge winners were in four categories:
- Collier County resident John Manuel won the grand prize, with 125 tarpon caught and sampled.
- Ed Walker, of Holiday, claimed the west coast title with 93 tarpon caught and sampled.
- Russell Kleppinger, of North Miami, won the east coast category with 54.
- John Jackson, of Key West, took the Florida Keys prize with 74 tarpon samples.
These anglers contributed to the 3,386 total tarpon sampled last year. For 2014, FWC is shifting the emphasis of the challenge to waters from Brevard County and Pasco County north, where information on tarpon is lacking. Participants have until mid-January 2015 to submit samples.
Anglers who would like to assist the study can obtain a free, easy-to-use tarpon DNA sampling kit by e-mailing TarponGenetics@MyFWC.com or by calling (800) 367-4461. For more information, go to MyFWC.com/Research and select “Saltwater” then “Tarpon Genetics.”
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