handling and a quick release in the absence of
large predators.
Mote and the FWC have worked to involve
anglers, guides and bait and tackle shops to
raise awareness and distribute free kits that can
be used to take DNA samples from “any
tarpon, anywhere, any size,” Mote also provides
feedback, awards and information about fish
involved in the study.
Charlotte Harbor is fortunate to have plenty
of good habitat with shoreline vegetation that
is critical for the protection it affords juvenile
fish. The protection and restoration of that
habitat is crucial to sustaining the current
quality of fishing. Controlling mortality through
regulation and responsible restocking are
equally important. Responsible use of genetics,
understanding what has led to the decline in
our number of tarpon, and the use of
experiments to determine the effectiveness of
stocking efforts all contribute to a plan for
responsible stock enhancement.
But tarpon stocking is still in its developmental
stage, primarily because less is understood
about larval food and behavior patterns. One
interesting fact they have learned through the
study of larval tarpon is that they only develop
organs that allow them eat normally after about
70 days. Until then they absorb food through
their skin.
Research regarding tarpon stock
enhancement may also benefit from similar
research on eels (which also have the problematic
leptocephalus larvae) that may be adapted
to develop a strategy for raising tarpon.
Many of the people involved in research,
amateur and profession alike, are passionate
about tarpon and believe, whether they’re
fishermen or not, that a balance can be struck
between a healthy tarpon population and a
healthy fishery.
G
M
May/June 2018 GASPARILLA ISLAND 59