Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 570 is my conversation with FIU scientists Dr. Jennifer Rehage and Carissa Gervasi about a jack crevalle acoustic tagging study with a stunning finding: fish tagged in the Florida Keys traveled all the way to Louisiana, passing Tampa and Apalachicola, a distance researchers never anticipated. We talk through how acoustic tagging works, what the migration means, and why it matters for anglers and managers.
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Dr. Jennifer Rehage and Carissa Gervasi are scientists affiliated with Florida International University whose research includes an acoustic tagging study of jack crevalle. Their work focuses on understanding fish movement and the health of coastal fisheries.
The study found that jack crevalle tagged in the Florida Keys migrated all the way to Louisiana, traveling through Tampa and Apalachicola. The distance was far greater than researchers anticipated and reshaped understanding of how far these fish range.
Acoustic tagging places a small transmitter on a fish that pings receivers stationed throughout the water. As the fish passes those receivers, scientists can reconstruct its movements over time, which is how the team traced jacks from the Keys to Louisiana.
Knowing that jack crevalle range across enormous distances changes how the fishery should be understood and managed, because fish you catch locally may be part of a much larger, connected population. The finding underscores how mobile and shared these resources really are.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 570 with Dr. Jennifer Rehage and Carissa Gervasi is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
I love it when science confirms something anglers half-suspected and then blows the scale of it wide open. The idea that a jack crevalle tagged in the Keys could turn up in Louisiana is the kind of finding that changes how you think about a fish a lot of us take for granted. I wanted Jennifer and Carissa to walk me through how the study worked and what it tells us, because good fisheries science should reach the people on the water, not just the journals.
The headline here is hard to overstate. A fish tagged in the Keys showed up in Louisiana, passing Tampa and Apalachicola along the way. Jennifer and Carissa explain that even they did not expect a range like that. Hearing scientists describe being surprised by their own data is one of my favorite things. Press play to hear how the result came in.
If you have never understood how researchers actually track a fish across hundreds of miles, this is a great primer. The team breaks down how acoustic transmitters and receiver arrays work together to build a map of a fish's life. It is the unglamorous infrastructure behind a dramatic finding. Listen to the explanation in the episode.
A migration this large changes the conversation about jack crevalle from a local fish to a connected, far-ranging population. Jennifer and Carissa talk through what that implies for how we think about and manage the species. It is a good reminder that the fish in front of you has a much bigger story. Hear them connect the science to the water.
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What I keep thinking about is how much we still do not know about fish that swim right past us. A jack you catch in the Keys might be a Louisiana fish, and until this study nobody could prove it.
This is exactly the kind of science I want more anglers to hear. It is rigorous, it is surprising, and it directly affects how we should treat a fishery. Press play and let the data change how you see these fish.
▶ Watch on YouTube · 🎧 Listen now
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Dr. Jennifer Rehage and Carissa Gervasi are scientists affiliated with Florida International University whose research centers on coastal fish movement and fishery health. Their acoustic tagging work on jack crevalle revealed that fish tagged in the Florida Keys migrated all the way to Louisiana, a far greater range than previously documented.
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