# Louisiana: French for Tarponcide



## ghillhouse (Jan 6, 2008)

Another sad article on our ****-*** neighbors killing our fish:

http://flylifemagazine.com/conservation-wanna-know-what-the-absence-of-any-regs-looks-like/

This is in stark contrast to the State of Fla that is in the process of making tarpon catch & release only.


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## TrueblueTexican (Aug 29, 2005)

*Yawn*



ghillhouse said:


> Another sad article on our ****-*** neighbors killing our fish:
> 
> http://flylifemagazine.com/conservation-wanna-know-what-the-absence-of-any-regs-looks-like/
> 
> This is in stark contrast to the State of Fla that is in the process of making tarpon catch & release only.


Florida stops the Boca Grand tourney it would offset what speargun hunters kill in Louisiana --

I MAY agree spearing tarpon is pretty senseless, then again so are catch and bring to dock tournies

Need to kill all sharks to have more Tarpon and do something about Mexico and their pet food dynamiting too --


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## Absolut (Jan 23, 2010)

Read the comments section of that article...it might be a little inaccurate at best. They are acting like these guys go and kill Tarpon every day when in reality it's been like 20 something over 5 or 10 yrs.


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## ghillhouse (Jan 6, 2008)

TrueblueTexican said:


> Florida stops the Boca Grand tourney it would offset what speargun hunters kill in Louisiana --
> 
> I MAY agree spearing tarpon is pretty senseless, then again so are catch and bring to dock tournies
> 
> Need to kill all sharks to have more Tarpon and do something about Mexico and their pet food dynamiting too --


Don't agree with the sharks comment, but it looks like Florida has the Boca Grande jig snaggers directly in their crosshairs. Look towards the end of this article http://www.floridasportsman.com/201...-make-tarpon-bonefish-catch-and-release-only/


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## TrueblueTexican (Aug 29, 2005)

*Facetious*



ghillhouse said:


> Don't agree with the sharks comment, but it looks like Florida has the Boca Grande jig snaggers directly in their crosshairs. Look towards the end of this article http://www.floridasportsman.com/201...-make-tarpon-bonefish-catch-and-release-only/


Read between the lines - Sharks eat far more hooked tarpon at Islamorada in front of the bridge each year, than do Cajuns with Spearguns in three years -ergo the facetious comment about killing all the sharks --

The whole premise of the article is ridiculous -

Not to defend spearing poons, but as a MAJOR problem -no, not even a hiccup.

To me it like the Dumbassed PETA commercials with a "crying" dog - give me a break --:hairout:


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## kraken (Mar 27, 2013)

Rok and those hell diver boys are a different breed of divers. But thats not to say they are senseless spearfishermen. Its actually quite the opposite. They are some of the biggest suporters of ocean conservation you will ever meet. Rok (Louis Rossignol) does extensive work with Dr. William Stein, renowned tarpon biologist, and many, if not all of those tarpon seen in photos are specifically brought to Dr. Stein as per his request. They arent just shot and used for chum or thrown back overboard, they go straight to research which could help keep the rigs in place for dedicated tarpon habitat. The hell divers have done more to conserve the rigs in La and texas then just about anyone I know. They have made numerous trips to washington on our behalf. Granted, I dont think its the best idea to post pictures of the dead fish but its for the right cause nonetheless. Im sure there are a few groups of guys out there that just shoot for fun but from all the spearfishermen I know (and I know alot) we are very conservational minded and to me, a tarpon underwater is probably one of the most beautiful sights to see so I hope that these few fish taken every couple of years can help keep tarpon here for good.


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## Absolut (Jan 23, 2010)

TrueblueTexican said:


> Read between the lines - Sharks eat far more hooked tarpon at Islamorada in front of the bridge each year, than do Cajuns with Spearguns in three years -ergo the facetious comment about killing all the sharks --
> 
> The whole premise of the article is ridiculous -
> 
> ...


x2!


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

kraken said:


> Rok and those hell diver boys are a different breed of divers. But thats not to say they are senseless spearfishermen. Its actually quite the opposite. They are some of the biggest suporters of ocean conservation you will ever meet. Rok (Louis Rossignol) does extensive work with Dr. William Stein, renowned tarpon biologist, and many, if not all of those tarpon seen in photos are specifically brought to Dr. Stein as per his request. They arent just shot and used for chum or thrown back overboard, they go straight to research which could help keep the rigs in place for dedicated tarpon habitat. The hell divers have done more to conserve the rigs in La and texas then just about anyone I know. They have made numerous trips to washington on our behalf. Granted, I dont think its the best idea to post pictures of the dead fish but its for the right cause nonetheless. Im sure there are a few groups of guys out there that just shoot for fun but from all the spearfishermen I know (and I know alot) we are very conservational minded and to me, a tarpon underwater is probably one of the most beautiful sights to see so I hope that these few fish taken every couple of years can help keep tarpon here for good.


I respectfully disagree. There are just some fundamental problems with this: First, I'm not sure that co-publishing a couple papers on Louisiana tarpon makes Dr. Stein a "renowned tarpon biologist" - according to the Hell Divers website he is only a PhD candidate at UNO.

Also, I don't doubt the Hell Divers and the Rok have done a lot and will do a lot in the future to preserve rigs in the Gulf. After all, that is where they dive, right? Why wouldn't they? It is easy to find some common ground with lots of people, even if you don't agree with other things they do.

Where I really have some problems with all this comes from the questions that this idea of "doing it for research" comes from and leaves me asking, is it for the research or is the research the excuse for doing it? So, here are my questions here:

(1) Why put a monetary bounty on the tarpon?

(2) Is paying for specimens of a sport fish (protected or not in your state) really a good practice?

(3) Why pay for a tarpon under 25 lbs to be speared? After all, all scientific research shows and the consensus among biologists is that tarpon under 25 lbs are not sexually mature, so if he wants to show that tarpon can spawn of Louisiana, what's the point of that? Wouldn't a picture of a bunch of little tarpon at a rig be better than a dead one at the dock? There are lots of evidence of small tarpon in areas of Louisiana and Texas - it is the consensus of biologists (never met one that disagreed) that this is not only possible but likely. Tarpon larvae move offshore with currents and can easily find any brackish water home to start growing up in.. however, we all know they are susceptible to cold. We know the temperature threshold at which they can't survive. If a few winters are mild and they can stay in warm water, they make it. But that is more of an exception rather than a rule. That's why Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and Mississippi don't have a bunch of baby tarpon swimming around like Florida. So, again, not sure what spearing a tarpon less than 25 lbs is going to prove anything when its dead at the dock. Seems ill conceived to me.

(4) His paper examined one female tarpon that looks like it was in some stage of reproductive egg development - how many other female tarpon were sampled that weren't anywhere close to developing eggs to reproduce and if the one female tarpon was in the minority, why keep killing them? Didn't you prove your point in the paper already?

(5) What is the point of this paper anyway? If a mature adult tarpon is off the Louisiana coast before the new and full moons between May and June, there is a good chance they are spawning in that region. Other studies prove that tarpon spawn in those months in the Gulf. If they are there, they are likely doing it. Again, (a) your paper already proved the likelihood of it already so why continue and (b) a photo of a big tarpon during this time would prove the same likely point. Also, you can net sample the Gulf and find larval tarpon that are just a few days old and prove it without a bounty on the heads of mature spawning fish.

(6) Why doesn't Stein get samples from the Golden Meadow Tarpon Rodeo, the Grande Isle Rodeo, and the Empire Rodeo - he could get those for free - or maybe he does? Those would seem to be better choices - or maybe he does, that's why I ask. And yes they kill fish at those tournaments, and I don't necessarily agree with that either but a biologist isn't putting the bounty on their heads.

(7) Just because they spawn there doesn't mean that tarpon in Louisiana grow up there, live there their entire lives and then go hang out at an offshore rig and never migrate anywhere else. If that is the intent or goal of this research, I believe it is poorly designed and I don't think it will yield that result in the long run. Tarpon likely stay in Louisiana at offshore rigs due to loop currents and warm water. Adult tarpon are low temperature averse creatures. It is very likely that as waters cool in the winter, some might get trapped in Louisiana. Rather than hightail it across the Gulf, a rig stuck in a warmer loop current is a good place to be. They can go across the Gulf or maybe they eventually do, but a rig is not a bad place to stay for awhile. It would seem a satellite tag in one of those winter tarpon would prove a lot more useful for scientific research than a dead one at the dock.

Because of all these questions, when I look at this as a whole, it raises more questions for me than answers. Saying it is for research, just doesn't make a lot of sense to me under these circumstances. In my humble opinion, this seems a little like the tail wagging the dog.


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## kraken (Mar 27, 2013)

Scott you bring up some very valid arguments. I am especially intrigued by your statement of research just being an excuse. In my opinion, it very well could be. Unfortunately I am not very well versed in the various tarpon studies nor am I trying to stand up for Louisiana guys. As a whole I would like to think the spearfishing community has more respect for the water and sport fishermen then to just kill whatever swims. Spear fishermen are often the first ones to have the fingers pointed in their direction which is a shame because spearing is the most conservative form of fishing. Virtually zero by catch. Unfortunately a few bad names give us all a bad name. It is for that exact reason that I think it is completely inappropriate to display photos of the dead tarpon. If they were for research then just put them on ice and go on with your day. Ultimately though I would love to see more research done on tarpon in order to better understand them so they can be better managed. I also appreciate your detailed questions and I would like answers to many of them as well. Maybe this is an opportunity to express these concerns to biologists around the gulf so something can start moving in the right direction. Believe me, silver kings are really special to me and I would love to see their stocks continue to increase around this area and all around the gulf coast.


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## slingingslime (Dec 11, 2012)

ghillhouse said:


> Another sad article on our ****-*** neighbors killing our fish:
> 
> http://flylifemagazine.com/conservation-wanna-know-what-the-absence-of-any-regs-looks-like/
> 
> This is in stark contrast to the State of Fla that is in the process of making tarpon catch & release only.


lol you keyboard coservationist crack me up......
you prolly would have really disapproved of me and my three buddys stringers from sabine last week.
louisiana law states that i can keep 2 over 25 and we all did just that


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## rc10j1 (Jul 15, 2010)

Don't be jealous that God gave the Cajuns such good fishing in their state. He had to do something nice for them after making most of them 4' tall.


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## Jake Reaves (Oct 1, 2004)

I don't know why people keep those things...Last time I ate one it tasted horrible!!!


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## rc10j1 (Jul 15, 2010)

Jake Reaves said:


> I don't know why people keep those things...Last time I ate one it tasted horrible!!!


I actually have a gulf coast seafood cookbook that has tarpon recipes in it. Lol


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## slingingslime (Dec 11, 2012)

rc10j1 said:


> I actually have a gulf coast seafood cookbook that has tarpon recipes in it. Lol


they taste fine all you have to do is let a ******* cook it


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## Louis Rossignol (Sep 28, 2006)

* Hell Divers ******* Cook Book*​ These are the recipes the Hell Divers use to cook the mookies nobody else wants to eat.​ We don't waste a thing.​ Barracuda, Jack Crevalle, Spadefish, Triggerfish, Black Drum, Tarpon, and Stingray​ ​ Barracuda​ I think the first fish I ate when I got in the Hell Divers was Barracuda.​ That is a very popular fish at rodeos because it's one everybody can get.​ Underneath that stinky smell and is some wonderful greenish colored meet.​ But when fried it turns white as snow. You can feed an army of people with a 40lb. barracuda.​ ​ Jack Crevalle​ Known for its red meat Jack Crevalle is best smoked,​ First cut his tail on the boat and bleed the fish from the water you speared it ​ to the house you clean it at,​ Take the top part of the shoulder of a Jack, this is usually the best part,​ make sure all of the blood line is out of it, ​ season it with a heavy dose of Soy Sause and Tony's, then put in the smoker ​ for till you can stick a fork in it without feeling any raw meat.​ You can squeeze lemon on it after but it's better to use oranges.​ For that special added flavor put some sliced pineapples on top.​ Serve with some rice pilaf and your guests will think there eating ​ Thanksgiving Ham and Rice!!!​ ​ Spadefish​ Spadefish is one of the most abundant fish in the gulf with a great majority of them​ showing up in the West Delta and Grande Isle blocks. For years when my father and I ​ caught them we discarded them as not being good to eat, till one day my dad brought ​ one home and we fried it with the bull croakers and red snappers we had caught that day.​ I never threw another one back again.​ Very simple, season and fry, try it you'll like it.​ ​ Triggerfish​ The most difficult thing to a triggerfish is learning how to clean it. They have skin like sand paper​ and will dull your knofe if you don't know what you're doing. First you cut the anal fin and the upper​ fin just opposite of the anal fin off of the fish. This is your gateway to heaven and all of that wonderful​ meat inside of the fish. Always when filleting a trigger cut from the inside of the fish towards the ​ outside. ​ Once you get the fillets off of the fish, make sure to leave them on the skin. Taking them off​ the skin will leave you with a dry piece of fish.​ Spray the skin with Pam, then season with Tony's and cayenne pepper and throw on the barbeque ​ pit. As with all fish if you cook it fast you change the texture of the meat and ruin the fish.​ ​ Black Drum​ Because we're spear fishermen we usually don't get the little "puppy drums" they server​ in restaurants, we get the big ones. We usually don't fool around with the meat towards ​ the tail section because it gets too many worms in it. But that is no reason to let the rest ​ of the fish go to waste. ​ First put fillet in oven with 350 degree heat for 30 minutes, then​ get 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes, 2 cans of diced tomatoes, preferably garlic flavor,​ put in a black roasting pot and boil on stove top till meat falls apart. Also cook some mashed ​ potatoes with a stick of Velveeta cheese and chopped green onions and tell your friends​ they're eating red fish coubillion and they will never know the difference.​ ​ Tarpon and Garfish​ When you get a hold of one  of these babies you have fish to eat for weeks. The trick is how​ do you get to the meat through all those thick scales. No dought about it the scales have to come ​ off first, you will never cut through them. Take a flat blade shovel, yes a shovel, you are dealing​ with a fish that may weigh a hundred pounds or more. With the shovel you can scrape enough of ​ the scales off the fish to be able to get to all that meat. This process is not necessary with the garfish.​ You simply cut the meat out of the top and bottom portions of the fish in hunks. Don't worry about​ clean cuts just dig it out and put it in a large salad bowl. This is where you will have to learn how ​ to make an Italian dish called "Modiga".​ We use Modiga to stuff fish with but it's main use is on the top of artichokes. It's the stuffing used.​ To make Modiga, get some Italian bread crumbs in a bag, chop several cloves of garlic and several ​ bunches of parsley into it. Next add a whole bunch of lemon. You can't add too much.​ Then run you meat and Modiga through a meat grinder. You can ad fennel seads if you want at this​ point. Afterwards you can make it into balls and cook with red gravy, or fry them, or you can put it ​ casings as sausage. My freezer is always full of the stuff.​ ​ Stingray​ We usually get very large stingrays with very large wings. And the wings are yummy. We simply ​ make scallops out of them. You cut the wings of the stingray off and skin them. Then with a cookie ​ cutter you cut cookie size chunks out of the wings. My favorite is to make a white wine sauce, with​ mushrooms, artichoke hearts, black olives and sun dried tomatoes. Simmer this down is a frying pan​ and then throw your scallops in the pan. Cover and cook till the scallops are tender. This is an awesome ​ gourmet dish. Serve with dirty rice and white wine.​ ​ I hope you will enjoy these recipes for mookie fish. The Hell Divers can't stand to waste a fish and with such a bountiful Gulf we had to learn several ways to prepare the fish we harvest. Nest time you have a party try one of these recipes and your guests will say, "That was good, but what the Hell was it"?​


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## Brian Castille (May 27, 2004)

The Feds are more worried about protecting the endangered red snapper than they are tarpon.


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## B-Money (May 2, 2005)

Since they are "our fish" I would like to proxy off my fair share to the first ******* that wants to go out and "Choot 'em!"


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## cgerace19 (Jul 17, 2008)

Article sounds a little biased don't you guys think. But I missed where they mentioned that the tarpon are Texas's fish.

I fished this exact spot and saw a few hammerhead attacks. I must say that none were intentional like this video, but large hammerheads love this area because it is lined with boats catching and tiring out large tarpon. Easy meal.


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## Tarponchaser (May 25, 2005)

Never argue with a fool lest a by passer not know which is which.

You can always tell a ******* but you can't tell him much.

Some body please start a new blog.

TC


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## chumy (Jul 13, 2012)

Brian Castille said:


> The Feds are more worried about protecting the endangered red snapper than they are tarpon.


and sharks


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