MOSS POINT — The Pascagoula River Audubon Center will host a Conservation & Coffee program May 29 to explain a new project that helps recreational anglers report reef fish they catch and release. 

The program, “The disCARD Project: A New Way to Track Reef Fish Discards,” is scheduled for 9-10 a.m. at the Pascagoula River Audubon Center, 5107 Arthur St. in Moss Point. 

The disCARD project uses paper catch cards and smartphone photos to help anglers record released reef fish and the reasons they were released. The goal is to make discard reporting more accurate and less dependent on memory. 

Discarded fish are fish anglers releasing instead of keeping. Better information about those fish can help agencies manage reef fish populations and support future stock assessments. 

“The program aims to make discard reporting easier, more accurate, and less reliant on memory so we can improve fisheries management today and into the future,” event organizers said. 

The project focuses on reef fish species across the Gulf Coast, including red snapper, cobia, gray triggerfish, gag grouper and greater amberjack. 

Through the project, anglers fill out “disCARDs” while fishing. They record the fish they released and why they released them. Afterward, anglers photograph the completed card and submit it using a messaging app on their phone. 

The information is processed digitally and shared with fisheries managers. 

The program is designed for recreational anglers, conservation supporters and people interested in sustainable fishing along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 

For more information, visit the Pascagoula River Audubon Center website.