Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology

18/05/2026

The fish you release still matter. 🎣

The disCARD project is a collaborative research effort focused on improving discarded reef fish reporting in the Gulf. Information on released fish is difficult to collect, but it plays an important role in understanding our fisheries.

With disCARD, anglers can quickly record discarded fish using a simple catch card system:
🐟 Discard → 📸 Photo → 📱 Text

By participating, anglers are helping scientists learn more about discarded fish in the Gulf and supporting future fisheries management.

To learn more about the disCARD project, click this link: https://msucoastal.com/discard/

This project is made possible through funding from the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, and we are proud to collaborate with Texas Parks and Wildlife, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Alabama Marine Resources Division, and FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

13/05/2026

Meet the newest addition to the MFE team, Dr. Dylan Kiene!

Dylan recently completed his Ph.D. at the University of South Alabama studying Southern Flounder. His dissertation, titled “Linking environmental variability, migration, and life history structure to improve the management of Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma),” examined how annual environmental conditions influence recruitment, the environmental drivers of spawning migrations, population contingencies using otolith microchemistry to reconstruct life-history patterns, and the age, growth, and reproductive dynamics of Southern Flounder in Alabama waters.

Dylan is now joining the MFE team as a postdoctoral researcher and will serve as project manager for a Gulf-wide cobia and tripletail acoustic and satellite tagging project aimed at better understanding annual migration patterns and movement ecology of these species. He will work closely within the Mississippi/Alabama region while also helping coordinate collaborative efforts across the Gulf.

Welcome to the team, Dylan!

08/05/2026

🚨 𝑯𝑶𝑻 𝑶𝑭𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑺 🚨

The sandbar shark nursery areas off the U.S. east coast are well known; however, recent work
suggests a newfound nursery in the northern Gulf!

Thanks to observations of citizen scientists, a new potential sandbar shark nursery off the
central coast of Texas has been identified. Discoveries like this are critical in supporting the
population recovery of elasmobranchs that were overfished, like the sandbar shark.

We are happy to be part of this collaborative research with Harte Research Institute,
Texas Parks and Wildlife, Gulf Research Institute for Highly Migratory Species, Texas A&M University Galveston Campus, and NOAA Fisheries Service.

To read the full publication, click this link https://msucoastal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/82.pdf.

01/05/2026

We are excited for our new collaboration with the to study tiger shark movements in the northern Gulf. Members of their team joined us on our bottom longline surveys this week and helped us work up the first tiger of the year!

22/04/2026

Check out our team’s latest blog by Amanda Jargowsky to learn more about the disCARD project! 🎣

🎣 Catch. Record. Release.

If you fish for snappers, groupers, amberjack, triggerfish or cobia in the Gulf, you’ve probably had to release fish. But, those discards are key to understanding our fisheries.

In this week’s Team Blog post, Amanda Jargowsky of Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology and Mississippi State University Extension Service, tells us about the new disCARD project that will help turn released reef fish into valuable data - with the help of Gulf anglers. 📊

With disCARD, anglers can:
✔ Catch reef fish 🐟
✔ Record info on released fish 📝
✔ Snap photos of disCARDs 📸
✔ Send in photos 📲

📅 disCards available starting May 15

Details: 🔗 https://bit.ly/3QoIBnK

22/04/2026

The Marine Fisheries Ecology Program is hooked on wishing you a Happy Earth Day! 🌎🎣

16/04/2026

We join Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in remembering and appreciating our esteemed colleague, Jim Franks.

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of James “Jim” Franks, Senior Research Scientist with GCRL’s Center for Fisheries Research and Development.

Jim first joined GCRL as a student in the summer of 1963 and remained its longest-serving employee until his retirement in 2024. His name is woven into the history, science, and community of GCRL, and his contributions to fisheries research will continue to impact scientists, students, and the public for generations to come.

Jim was a friend and source of inspiration to many in our extended community. In the weeks ahead, we will honor his life by sharing stories that reflect the many ways he touched lives, shaped minds, and left his mark on the waters of the Gulf and Caribbean.

We are profoundly grateful that Jim spent his career with GCRL. His legacy is enduring, and his impact will be felt for years to come.

16/04/2026

Members of our team joined this year’s iTAG meeting at FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, FL this week! 🌴☀️We provided updates on current and upcoming acoustic telemetry projects in Mississippi and Alabama, and connected with fish movement experts from across the Gulf. 🔈🐟🦈 We are looking forward to our growth in the acoustic telemetry world and future collaborations within the iTAG community.

13/04/2026

Last Saturday, our team had the privilege of participating in Celebrate the Gulf, hosted by Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. We had a JAWsome time sharing our knowledge of – and passion for – sharks, rays, and other fishes in the northern Gulf. 🦈🎣🐟

If you were able to stop by our booth, thanks so much for joining us! If you happened to miss us, be sure to catch us at Sand Jam in Pascagoula on May 30th! 🤩

10/04/2026

Join us tomorrow to Celebrate the Gulf!! 🌊🦈🐟🎣