PRESS RELEASE: THE JACK PROJECT

ASGA Launches “The Jack Project” in Collaboration with Florida International University, Mississippi State University and the Lower Keys Guides Association

Building off the Successful Albie Project, ASGA Looks to Uncover Key Migration and Population Connectivity Data of Jack Crevalle from The Carolinas to Texas

Stuart, Florida – February 18, 2025 – The American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA), a coalition of forward-thinking guides, small business owners and like-minded anglers who understand the value of keeping fish in the water, today announced it’s launch of The Jack Project, its latest Science, Education and Advocacy initiative to better understand overlooked species and improve management of coastal stocks.

The Jack Project, which will launch in Spring 2025, will employ tactics similar to those used in ASGA’s successful Albie Project to examine the movement and population connectivity of Jack Crevalle (“Jacks”) ranging from Texas to South Carolina. Working with leading researchers, including Dr. Jennifer Rehage of Florida International University (FIU) and Dr. Marcus Drymon of Mississippi State University (MSU), The Jack Project will deploy acoustic telemetry tags with 5-year life spans to record movement and behavior of coastal Jacks. Further, tASGA has partnered with the Lower Keys Guides Association (LKGA), who will contribute 20 additional tags to build upon preexisting telemetry data in the Florida Keys.

The Jack Project aims to assess Jack population connectivity across the western Atlantic as well as comparing those fish to the populations in the Gulf of Mexico. The comprehensive effort will assess levels of fishing pressure and harvest of the species, utilizing MRIP (or MRIP-analogous) catch data, additional data gathered through the GotOne! app and commercial data sets for top harvest states & stock assessment. This analysis will help identify states where fishing pressure and mortality are highest and may be driving overfishing.

In the first year, 100 total tags will be deployed by fishing guides in key angling communities that rely on Jacks, including South Carolina, Florida’s Treasure Coast and Florida Keys, Louisiana and Texas. The acoustic tagging will be paired with conventional spaghetti tagging conducted by ASGA and in partnership with NOAA. All tagged Jacks will also be fin-clipped so that stable isotope analysis can be conducted to further elucidate distinct population connectivity patterns and different biological subspecies or spawning stocks across the species’ range.

“When we launched The Albie Project in 2021, we quickly uncovered a connected coastwide stock that has led to the first management proposals for the species, which have been submitted in multiple states,” said Tony Friedrich, President of ASGA. “We are excited to further expand our science initiatives with Jack Crevalle, a critical species for our guides from South Carolina to Texas, however one that, like albies, lacks scientific data regarding migration, breeding and population connectivity. By deploying these tags, we will be able to help provide managers with comprehensive data and spark discussions to protect this species for generations to come.”

“The Jack Project is more than just a research and education module, it’s another deep dive, community-driven initiative headed by the ASGA that represents a dynamic shift for proactive fisheries management,” states Captain Cody Rubner, High Roller Guide Service in Stuart, Florida. “As increased pressure continues to impact many of the prized inshore fisheries throughout the southwestern Atlantic and Gulf, we can’t afford to have fishery managers operate in a data vacuum around any valuable species – especially one as accessible and reliable as Jacks for our guide and recreational communities.”

Those who wish to support the Jack Project can contribute by purchasing jack apparel or sponsoring the cost of a tag, available in The ASGA Shop.

About the American Saltwater Guides Association

Founded in 2019, the American Saltwater Guides Association was created to activate and unite guides, small business owners and like-minded anglers, and to represent them and their voice at the federal, regional and state level. The ASGA is a coalition of forward-thinking guides, small business owners and like-minded anglers who understand the value of keeping fish in the water. We realize that abundance equals opportunity, and that such opportunity is quite a bit more important to the future of fishing than low size limits and full coolers. More information about the ASGA, its mission, board members and current areas of focus can be found at www.saltwaterguidesassociation.org.