I plan to collect fin clips from 15 A. argenteus individuals at the sandy beach at Big Creek Reserve. Fin clips are small pieces of tissue that we take and preserve from an organism in order to sequence its genome. I will enter the intertidal with waders and catch individuals by hook and line with a baited carolina rig. Once I've caught the fish, I will have a 5 gallon bucket filled with seawater and an oxygen bubbler to place the fish in. This is in order to reduce stress and improve health outcomes. Then, I will take a dime-sized fin clip from the tip of each pectoral fin, meaning I will have 2 fin clips from each individual. I take fin clips using sterile dissection scissors. I will store fin clips in 100% ethanol in 2 mL screw-cap tubes. After sampling the animal, I will quickly release it back to where it was caught.

Approved