Aboard Larkin and Rehage Join BTT Board of Directors

NOAA Fisheries Biologist Dr. Michael Larkin and Dr. Jennifer Rehage, a coastal fish ecologist and associate professor at the Institute of Environment at Florida International University, have been elected to the Board of Directors of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.

“Drs. Larkin and Rehage know BTT and the flats fishery well,” said BTT President and CEO Jim McDuffie. “Their commitment to our mission and their expertise as scientists will be valued at the board table.”

Dr. Larkin grew up fishing in the Northeast but moved south to pursue a marine science degree at the University of Miami. After receiving the Bachelor of Science, he accepted a job focusing on reef fish surveys with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in the Florida Keys, where he developed a passion for fishing for bonefish and tarpon. At that time, the University of Miami was seeking graduate students for its newly formed collaboration with Bonefish and Tarpon Unlimited (which later became Bonefish & Tarpon Trust). Larkin joined the UM-BTT collaboration for graduate school and worked on numerous projects, including satellite tagging of tarpon and bonefish tagging, tracking, and age-and-growth studies.

“I am excited to return to Bonefish & Tarpon Trust,” Dr. Larkin said. “It’s amazing to see how far the organization has grown since I was last involved. I look forward to joining BTT’s Board of Directors and continuing to advance the science.”

After receiving his doctoral degree from the University of Miami in 2010, Dr. Larkin joined NOAA Fisheries, where he works in the management branch, analyzing fisheries data to guide management decisions. Dr. Larkin resides in St. Petersburg, FL with his wife and two children.

Dr. Rehage’s research examines how water decisions and water quality issues affect coastal fishes and the valuable recreational fisheries they support. Over the past 15 years, she has studied snook, juvenile tarpon, Crevalle jack, Florida largemouth bass, and bonefish throughout the Everglades and coastal Florida, and collaborated with anglers and fishing guides to better understand recreational fisheries and their dependency on water management and healthy habitats.

In partnership with BTT and collaborators, Dr. Rehage’s research team has been examining the causes of bonefish population decline as well as the threat of pharmaceutical contaminants to our coastal fisheries, focusing on bonefish and most recently redfish. Dr. Rehage grew up in Uruguay, where, as a child, she spent time at her grandfather’s fishing club.

“I am honored and delighted to help BTT bring science to the fight,” said Dr. Rehage. “This is super meaningful and I am grateful for the invitation.”