Traditional physical tagging of fish previously relied upon mark-recapture data to inform abundance (e.g. juvenile year class strength), a key element advising sustainable fisheries management. However, tag-loss and non-reporting of tags introduced fishery-dependent bias, often rendering the data unusable for fisheries management. Population genetics studies can overcome this bias and better inform fisheries management decisions. Innovative high-throughput sampling methods allowing tens of thousands of individuals to be sampled are required to attain large datasets for estimation of abundance, population structure and connectivity. Many sampling methods are destructive; either fatal or leave visible scarring. A non-destructive field-friendly sampling technique allows fish to be returned to sea without visible scarring from sampling, helping prevent recapture bias. CSIRO have developed a novel non-destructive sampling tool (Gene-Tag tool) requiring minimal training, which is being widely implemented for sampling in fisheries (Bradford et al. 2016). Each individual has a tissue biopsy taken with the Gene-Tag tool (GTT), which serves as an invisible life-long tag. This sampling technique was established for the southern-bluefin tuna gene-tagging project which has enabled sampling of over 100,000 juvenile fish. Use of the Gene-Tag tool has reduced manual handling and effectively eliminated DNA cross-contamination during sampling at-sea and in processing facilities.