Valenciennes, 1846; MEGALOPIDAE FAMILY; also
called silver king, cuffum
Occurs in warm temperate tropical and
subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
This coastal fish can be found both inshore
and offshore. Because of its ability to gulp
air directly into the air bladder by
“rolling” at the surface, the tarpon is able
to enter brackish and fresh waters that are
stagnant and virtually depleted of oxygen.
Such areas are relatively free of predators,
thus offering a convenient refuge for the
young.
The body is compressed and covered with very
large scales. The lower jaw juts out and up.
The teeth are small and fine, and the throat
is covered by a bony plate. The dorsal fin
consists of 12 16 soft rays (no spines) the
last of which is greatly elongated. The back
is greenish or bluish varying in darkness
from silvery to almost black. The sides and
belly are brilliant silver. Inland, brackish
water tarpons frequently have a golden or
brownish color because of tannic acid.
They may shed up to 12 million eggs. The
eggs hatch at sea and the eel like larvae
drift in shore where they undergo a
metamorphosis, shrinking to half the size
previously attained and taking on the more
recognizable features of the tarpon as they
begin to grow again. Tarpon, bonefish,
ladyfish and eels all undergo a similar
leptocephalus stage, but the first three
fish all have forked tails even at the
larval state, whereas the eel does not.
Tarpon grow rather slowly and usually don't
reach maturity until they are six or seven
years old and about 4 ft (1.2 m) long.
Fishing methods are still fishing with live
mullet, pinfish, crabs, shrimp, etc., or
casting or trolling with spoons, plugs, or
other artificial lures. The best fishing is
at night when the tarpon is feeding. They
are hard to hook because of their hard, bony
mouths. Once hooked they put up a stubborn
and spectacular fight, often leaping up to
10 feet out of the water. It was one of the
first saltwater species to be declared a
game fish.
