Is removing a tarpon scale better than fin clipping for DNA samples?
No. The conservative approach is not to remove scales from fish. Scale removal has the potential to be much worse than removing a small area of superficial skin. If you must take a scale, you can do it without terminally harming the fish, but there is risk involved. After the scale is removed, take care to use a wet hand to rub the slime back over the area where the scale was removed. The slime coat of a fish is there for protection against disease. Without it, you open the exposed tissue to bacterial infection which could lead to bigger problems for the fish. Tarpon often lose scales during a fight, but the FWC does not promote pulling scales off tarpon. Scales can be used for DNA analysis but for various reasons, FWC biologists collectively believe that the skin cell sample is an ideal tool for DNA analysis.
