Florida Sportsman Fishing Forums have been buzzing with reports of 10- to 20-pound dolphin along the east coast in recent weeks. Are these fish moving south, chasing baitfish and escaping cooling water, as anglers have long believed? Or are those fish in fact coming from southern waters, riding the Gulf Stream up the coast and out into the far Atlantic ocean?

A researcher from South Carolina, Don Hammond is looking for serious volunteers to help in a ground-breaking tagging study of dolphin. A number of Florida fishing captains have been assisting in the project for the past couple of years, but Hammond indicates he'd like to have more helpers.

Volunteers receive a tagging kit that include a tagging stick (wooden handle with a hollow metal needle inside) and a set of 5 nylon tags, and paperwork to document releases. The tag is inserted in the dorsal musculature of the fish, where it stays put and doesn't cause injury to the fish. For each tag placement, you must record the latitude and longitude, water temperature, fork length of fish, and answer a few questions about the presence of sargassum weed in the area.

"Nobody has done any real studies on the role of sargassum in dolphin," said Hammond. "I'm trying to show a direct link."

The tags are 6 inches long, about 1 1/2 mm in diamater, bearing a unique serial number with a legend instructing people on what to do. "You have the option of mailing the tag and information back to me, or reporting directly to the Web site," said Hammond.

"Right now, I'm at 75 percent of reports coming on the Web site. I believe this is the first tagging program that has used the Internet."

When a fish is recovered, Hammond sends out information to both the recoverer and the original tagger, with details on how long the fish has been at sea, how far it has traveled and other information.

"Curiosity seems to be the driving force behind most people turning in a tag," he said.

Contact Hammond through his Website, www.dolphintagging.com.

For tips and techniques on how to catch those fall dolphin, see the cover story in the November print edition of Florida Sportsman, now on newsstands.

FS