ATLANTIC TARPON
Latin Name
Megalops atlanticus
Common Names
Other names include 'Silver King' and oxeye.
Description
Elongated and highly compressed body. Eye large. Mouth oblique with a prominently projecting lower jaw. Large, thick, prominent scales. Teeth small and feel like sandpaper when touched. All fins are soft rayed. A single dorsal fin is located behind the pelvic fins but entirely before the anal fin; the dorsal fin has a distinctive and greatly prolonged final ray. The final ray of the anal fin is also somewhat elongate, but much less so than that of the dorsal fin. Deeply forked caudal fin. Tarpon are bright silvery all over, and the back is darker than the sides or belly.
Other Species/Subspecies
There are two species of Tarpon: Atlantic tarpon and Indo-Pacific tarpon. Both species belong to the genus Megalops in the family Megalopidae and the order Elopiformes (the Tarpon and Tenpounder order). The name Megalops comes from the Greek word “megal” which means large, and the Greek word “ops”, which means face.
Distribution
Both sides of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean. In the western Atlantic, tarpon regularly occur from the eastern shore of Virginia to central Brazil and throughout the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, as well as off Central and South America. At least seven records exist from as far north as Nova Scotia, where a few large tarpon have been captured between August and October. Tarpon also are present in the eastern Atlantic off the coast of tropical Africa and are occasionally found as far north as Portugal and France. There is a single record of a tarpon from Ireland. African tarpon are known to reach exceptionally large sizes, and many recent world records have come from this area, including some unconfirmed reports of 330.7-lb (150-kg) fish. This tarpon prefers coastal waters and is commonly found in lagoon and estuaries. It can also travel up rivers.
Habitat
Young tarpon occur in small stagnant pools and sloughs of varying salinity and have been reported from North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Caribbean islands, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. In tropical areas, juvenile tarpon typically occur in mangrove habitats, often in water with low dissolved oxygen levels. Tarpon occur in salinities ranging from freshwater to more than 45 parts per thousand and are capable of surviving temperatures of at least 105°F (65.6°C), but they suffer mortalities at temperatures of 50–55°F (10–12.8°C). Large numbers of tarpon die during severe cold fronts off Florida.
Spawning Habits/Reproduction
Female tarpon are larger than males regardless of capture location, and average fish size varies geographically. Sexually mature Florida females average about 110 lb (50 kg) and can exceed 220 lb (100 kg). In contrast, sexually mature Florida males average only 66 lb (30 kg), and they rarely exceed 110 lb (50 kg).
Tarpon from Costa Rican waters are year-round spawners, unlike tarpon from other areas. Inactive or resting ovaries are rare in Costa Rica females, suggesting that females spawn repeatedly throughout the year and have no extended period of inactivity. In Florida, tarpon spawning is seasonal and peaks between May and July. By August, most females are finished spawning. In the Southern Hemisphere, off the northeast coast of Brazil, researchers have reported that tarpon spawn from October to January—during the Southern Hemisphere's spring and summer.
Ripe tarpon ovaries are large and can contain up to 20 million maturing oocytes and many more small resting oocytes. "Oocyte" is the proper name of a developing egg that has not ovulated and is not yet ready to be spawned. Although hundreds of mature female tarpon have been examined during the spawning season, none have been caught in the act of spawning. This is probably because spawning occurs in areas not typically fished. Even though the number of eggs released by a female in a single spawning event is unknown, the numbers of developing oocytes in the ovary suggests that their reproductive output is immense.
Tarpon are relatively long lived and can live more than 50 years. By age one, tarpon are about 1.5 ft (450 mm) long and are common in rivers and the upper reaches of estuaries, where they remain until reaching sexual maturity. In Florida, sexual maturity is reached at an age of about 10 years. After attaining sexual maturity, tarpon become more coastal in habitat and are most numerous around inlets and off beaches. Large tarpon targeted by anglers in Florida are typically from 15 to 35 years old.
Behavior
Anglers often detect the presence of schools of tarpon by observing individuals "rolling" at the surface. The tarpon's habit of rising to the surface and breathing air is unusual among marine species, although this practice is common among tropical freshwater swamp-dwelling fishes. Breathing air is accomplished by way of a highly vascularized swimbladder that functions as an air-breathing organ. The swimbladder is an elongate, balloon-like sac located above the viscera and just below the backbone. In most fish species, the swimbladder acts as a buoyancy control mechanism. The fish can adjust the volume of air in the bladder and remain neutrally buoyant. In tarpon, this swimbladder is connected to the gut by a duct enabling the tarpon to gulp air and ventilate the swimbladder. Young tarpon, when held in experimental chambers from which all of the dissolved oxygen has been removed, are able to meet their oxygen needs by breathing air. This adaptation allows tarpon to survive in water with low dissolved oxygen concentrations such as commonly encountered by juveniles in hot, stagnant mangrove marshes. Experimental work also suggests that tarpon are facultative air-breathers, and in well-oxygenated waters are able to meet their oxygen requirements without breathing air. Young tarpon can survive in well-oxygenated water when deprived of the opportunity to reach the surface and breathe air. However, after several unsuccessful attempts to reach the surface they have emptied their swimbladders and become negatively buoyant until allowed access to the surface again.
Feeding Habits/Diet
Small tarpon (0.6–3.0 in [16–75 mm]) feed predominantly on cyclopoid copepods, fishes, caridean shrimp, and mosquito larvae. No detailed studies have examined the feeding habits of large tarpon, but anecdotal information suggests that a wide variety of fishes are consumed, including mullet (Mugil spp.), pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), ariid catfishes, and clupeids, as well as crabs and shrimp.
Eating Quality
The sale of tarpon in Florida is prohibited, but in most of their range tarpon have never been considered a desirable food fish.
Conservation
Florida's fishery is intensely regulated, and anglers must purchase a $50 permit before harvesting a fish. Since the establishment of the permit system in 1989, the harvest of tarpon in Florida has declined to fewer than 100 fish per year, and the fishery is now mostly catch-and-release. Encouraging catch-and-release fishing for tarpon has been an effective management strategy, because the vast majority of released fish survive to be caught again.
World Record
283 lbs.
Certified Florida Record
243 lbs. off Key West in 1973
Other Notables
An interesting Atlantic tarpon feature is their ability to fill the swim bladder with air and breathe oxygen directly from the swim bladder.
TARPON FISHING IN FLORIDA TIPS:
What You Need to Know to Land One
Tarpon don't taste good, so plan on something else for dinner!
Tarpon can be spotted when they surface to "roll" and gulp a bit of air into their swim bladders, sometimes breaking the surface with a dorsal fin.
When tarpon fishing Florida, state fishing regulations allow for a 2 fish harvest per day per angler. A kill tag must be purchased for $50 if you want to keep a trophy.
Target the fish most likely to be interested in feeding: Tarpon with greenish colored backs are returning from the long journey offshore to spawn. These are the ones to try to present your bait to, because they are ready to eat!
Tarpon with darker colored backs have either not yet traveled offshore to spawn, or have already returned and been feeding for awhile. These won't take your bait as readily as tarpon with green backs.
After the beginning of June, northward-moving tarpon are those that have spawned and are most likely to be hungry. Southward-bound tarpon haven't yet spawned and aren't as interested in feeding.
Tarpon are noise sensitive; if the waters are overcrowded with boats using power motors, they become less like to take bait. Once you've spotted your target, it's best to shut off power motors and use electric trolling motors to position yourself before casting. On the flats, it's best to stick to poling or using minimal electric motors; flats tarpon are spooky.
When's the best time of day to fish for tarpon? It varies, depending on the environment - Night fishing is good, as tarpon are nocturnally active fish. Bridge fishing is very good at night when the lights attract many fish, including tarpon.
If you're fishing from the beach or patroling in a boat along the beach, try fishing during first light and early morning hours through noon. In the flats, early morning to early afternoon are preferred for sight fishing, since the sun helps light the clear waters and makes the fish easier to see.
