Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 859 is a conversation with marine biologist and fisheries scientist Dr. Mike Larkin, who challenges one of the most widely believed ideas in saltwater fishing: that fish swim from Florida to the Bahamas and back. Using tagging data and the oceanographic reality of the Gulf Stream and the Florida Straits, Dr. Larkin explains why that crossing is far harder than anglers assume, and why so many of us believed it in the first place.
Listen now: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · Press play in the player above to watch.
Dr. Mike Larkin is a marine biologist and fisheries scientist who specializes in studying fish behavior and migration patterns in Florida and the Bahamas. He has conducted extensive tagging research on saltwater species and uses scientific data to analyze fish population dynamics and movement patterns in Atlantic and Caribbean waters.
According to Dr. Larkin, the popular belief that fish routinely swim from Florida to the Bahamas and back does not hold up to the data. Tagging research and the physical realities of the Florida Straits suggest fish are far more localized than many anglers assume, and the regular cross-stream migration most people picture largely does not happen.
Dr. Larkin explains that the Gulf Stream is not a gentle river fish can simply ride across. It is a powerful current moving at significant speed, and crossing the Florida Straits means contending with that velocity and direction. The oceanographic barrier makes a casual back-and-forth crossing far harder than the common story suggests.
Tagging studies track individual fish over time and show where they actually go rather than where anglers assume they go. In this conversation Dr. Larkin describes how that data consistently challenges the Florida-to-Bahamas migration story and supports a picture of more localized fish populations.
Dr. Larkin points to confirmation bias: people remember the stories that fit what they already believe and discount the ones that do not. Experienced guides and anglers can genuinely believe the migration story because of anecdotal observations, even when scientific data points the other way.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 859 with Dr. Mike Larkin is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and iHeartRadio. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
I have heard the Florida-to-Bahamas migration story my entire fishing life, repeated by people I respect, and I mostly took it as fact. That is exactly why I wanted Dr. Mike Larkin on the show. When someone with real tagging data tells me a thing I have believed for decades might be wrong, I want to hear the evidence.
What makes this conversation valuable is that Mike does not just say the belief is wrong, he shows you how the science gets to that conclusion and why the old story took hold anyway. Press play in the player above to hear it.
There are ideas in fishing that get passed down so many times they stop feeling like opinions and start feeling like facts. The Florida-to-Bahamas migration is one of them. Dr. Larkin lays out why the data tells a different story than the one most of us grew up hearing, and he does it without dismissing the people who believe it. It is the kind of myth-busting that actually changes how you think about a fishery. Hear his case in the player above.
Most of us picture the Gulf Stream as a current fish can hop into and ride. Dr. Larkin reframes it as a powerful, fast-moving barrier that makes a casual crossing of the Florida Straits much harder than it sounds. He breaks down the velocity and direction of the current and what that means for a fish trying to get from one side to the other. Listen to that breakdown in the episode.
Tagging takes the guesswork out of where fish go, because you are tracking real animals over real time instead of relying on a memorable anecdote. Dr. Larkin walks through what the research reveals about movement patterns and why it consistently points toward more localized populations than the migration story implies. This is the evidence behind the headline. Watch that section in the player above.
One of the most interesting parts of this conversation is not the science, it is the psychology. Dr. Larkin explains how confirmation bias leads people to remember the trips that support the migration story and forget the ones that do not. It is a reminder that experience and accuracy are not the same thing, and it applies to a lot more than fish. Listen to how he explains it.
If fish are more localized than the old story suggests, it changes how you think about a fishery, where you look, and what you expect. Dr. Larkin connects the research back to practical takeaways for anglers who want to fish based on what is true rather than what is repeated. Press play in the player above for the full picture.
Listen to the full conversation: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · or watch in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
What I appreciate about a conversation like this is that it makes me a little less certain in the best way. I walked in believing one thing and walked out understanding why the evidence points somewhere else.
Mike is careful and fair about it. He never talks down to the anglers who believe the migration story, he just shows you the data and lets it do the work, which is exactly how this stuff should be handled.
If you fish Florida or the Bahamas, or you just like having your assumptions challenged by someone who has done the research, this one is worth your time. Watch the whole thing.
Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 859 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Dr. Mike Larkin (marine biologist, fisheries scientist) · Florida Straits · Gulf Stream · The Bahamas · Florida
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. Mike Larkin is a marine biologist and fisheries scientist with extensive experience studying fish behavior and migration patterns in Florida and the Bahamas. His research focuses on using tagging data and oceanographic science to understand how fish populations move through their environments. He has conducted extensive tagging studies on saltwater species and uses scientific data to challenge commonly held beliefs about fish movement, including the widespread assumption that fish regularly migrate across the Florida Straits between Florida and the Bahamas.
Subscribe to get the latest episodes, show notes, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.