# Ignorant



## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

I know this has probably been asked before and please excuse my ignorance but why isn't there a re-stocking program for tarpon like there is redfish?


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## Bruce J (Jun 27, 2004)

*Good question*

I haven't a clue, so sorry I'm not helping. But, it's an interesting question. Could be one or more of the following, or maybe not:


Too difficult to capture them live and transport for breeding?, 
Not enough public interest (read funding) to support the research and implementation?, 
Conditions aren't right here for juvenile survival (too cold, no mangroves or whatever they need, etc.)?


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## batman (Sep 6, 2004)

The TPW magazine just happens to have an article on this subject this month. Pick one up and read it. It is really a good article. There is a lot of info. on tarpon that they do not know. But they are looking into a stocking program because of the $ people will spend on this great fish.


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

Thanks, I will go pick one up. I bet it is interesting reading. There has been alot of tarpon articles lately in mags and the papers. Maybe people are starting to get the fever.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

I haven't seen the article but their are multiple reason that I know of: (1) we don't have any breeding tarpon - there are some at Sea Center Texas, however, nobody has been able to get them to spawning condition due to age or other factors [we don't even know their sexes yet] (2) there is a lack of interest by those in control of these decisions to put forth a lot of effort toward this and (3) the biology of restocking a fish that migrates is difficult and the biomass factors which control a successful restocking program are very difficult to reach with a fish like a tarpon.

I don't anticipate it happening anytime soon. The biology of these fish and their life cycle is very complex and may be very difficult to spawn in enough quantities to make a difference. The best restocking program is releasing caught fish and taking great care to do it to ensure they survive. One large female tarpon will deposit over 2 million eggs in one spawning cycle... from what I'm told... so, that's our best breeding program, right there.


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## crtarpon (May 11, 2005)

*Restocking Tarpon*

Scott:
Where did the tarpon come from that they stocked in Braunig Lake near San Antonio a few years back?

I know they put 15 or 20 in there, but I don't know why or where they came from. It's an oddball record, but someone has the state record freshwater tarpon at 10 pounds or so.

From TPW site:
*Tarpon* 10.12# 37" 08/06/86 Braunig Lake Paul Willette

Wish we could put a thousand or so in Aransas Bay every year...problem is even if you overcome all the breeding problems they still become a drop in the bucket as they spread out from North Carolina to Gabon to Brazil.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Yea, a drop in the bucket is right! I have no clue where those fish came from. I think they were transplanted from the coast somewhere and were captured alive and placed in the lake. That lake has a history of stocking. Corovina (sp?) - those big trout looking fish - were placed in that lake at one time. I heard they don't breed in freshwater and after they were all caught they were not restocked because there was a growing concern they might escape and then compete with speckled trout in our bay systems... since they are non-native. The tarpon were never restocked and apparently died during a really bad cold snap one winter. There hasn't been a tarpon cought in that lake since.

One interesting thing to note.. in the tarpon research papers I've read, they have pretty much decided that based upon genetic studies, the tarpon in Africa, what are left of them, are a separate genetic pool of fish. While there is some apparent genetic influence from the western Atlantic into the African population - the influence was on the nature of genetic influence every thousand years or so, there is virtually no African genetic influence on the populations of the western Atlantic. This is some interesting stuff. If this is true, then somehow, someway, tarpon or larval tarpon are carried by the Gulf Stream or other ocean current all the way around the Atlantic to Africa and thereby influence the African genetics. But not the other way around. Kind of wild. For that reason, I've been an advocate of having two IGFA records for tarpon based upon the different sides of the Atlantic - probably never get that accomplished but so be it!


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## Tarponchaser (May 25, 2005)

*Tarpon Restocking*

There is an organization called Tarpon Tomorrow that is trying to get the information necessary to start a restocking program.. I believe that CCA Texas has funded part of this study.... it is a difficult but worthwhile endevor.

Probably; we would be more sucessful for the tarpon future if we would work on stoppiong the slaughter of tarpon in Mexico, Nicaraga, Costa Rica, ect... some are figuring that they are too valuable to kill ... but some are not..

It is hard to restock a fish that takes 20 years to grow.

Tarponchaser


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

Why are they slaughtering the tarpon? For food? I always heard that tarpon are not good for eating...but I guess if your hungry? Do they net them? I am thinking the key to bringing the tarpon back is education...Kinda like the CCA(GCCA) did for the redfish and trout.


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## marc (May 21, 2004)

yep, blast'n em for dog food


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

They dynamiting tarpon for dog food was the rumor that was around for the tarpon disapearing from the river in Tampico and Veracruz back in the 1940s and 1950s. That the was the story I always heard for why the tarpon in Port A crashed. Not sure if its true.

Now, its my understanding they are threatened in two ways. (1) longlining near the shore is catching tarpon as bycatch and (2) tarpon are bought and sold - even though in most place in Mexico its illegal to do so - for food but more importantly for their roe. The eggs are thought to be like caviar down in Mexico and South American Countries.

The tagging programs are important to show that these fish migrate through Mexico. I'd like to see a treaty signed with US and all Central American Countries similar to the migratory game bird treaty, wherein protection is given to these fish and federal funding is employed to enforce the regulations in South and Central America. The PAT tagging program is the first step. The data is showing some good information on this.

I got an e-mail from Jerald Ault just yesterday about their taggin efforts in Mexico this spring. This spring, they tagged 6 big tarpon in Veracruz with the satellite PAT tags. Two of these tags have already popped-up in or near Texas. One off Galveston Bay and one near Tampico.

He is trying to get some $$ to get some tags placed in fish in Texas. I'll start a new thread on that.


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## Tarponchaser (May 25, 2005)

In the rivers of NNicaragua they harpoon giant tarpon... they do eat some.. dry it feed to dogs as well. such a waste.. am sure it is done elsewere also..


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

you think they could grind up some kinda bait fish or something. No conservation education I suppose.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Well down there, they don't care much about conservation... the locals eyes probably glaze over when you start talking that way. The easier the meal the better - its a matter of living down there probably. Really doesn't matter what it tastes like if its edible. The roe on the other hand is marketable.... if something is not done, tarpon in those locations will probably disappear in my children's lifetimes.


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

I bet one reason ,we dont see the tarpon numbers around here anymore is because we dont see the menhaden and sripped mullet numbers in the gulf anymore.
Take away their food and they go other places.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

I sure see lots of bait these days... lots of jacks, tons of sharks, not sure that's the only issue. However, I do agree daming of the rivers has caused a change in our estuaries which hasn't helped.


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

Scott said:


> I sure see lots of bait these days... lots of jacks, tons of sharks, not sure that's the only issue. However, I do agree daming of the rivers has caused a change in our estuaries which hasn't helped.


I dont know where you live or fish, but the mullet and menhaden pop. is not but 40% of what is was in the 80's.
I've been looking at it for 35 yeears go slowly down.
I use to see (not pods) but acres and acres of mullet ease their way down the coast .Now you see the occational school . When I was fishign the surf in the 80's , I always saw tarpon from july to late sept. in amoung those giant schools of mullet close to the beach.
The Jacks are offshore mostly chasing shrimp boats around because of the lack mullet schools to keep them close to shore.
Yea, you see them close during their migrations in the spring and fall but not all summer like in the past.
Why??????????????? NOT ENOUGH MULLET in the gulf.
If you think there is alot of bait NOW, then you have never seen ALOT of bait.
Schools that would take 8 hours to pass buy with a steady stream 100 yards wide going by you alll day long and then repeating the same thing with another school the next day. And the whole time big fish busting them as they swam by. Many people have never seen that. 
I take it you havent had the good fortune to see Tarpon or the bait they follow in their hay day, in my lifetime not the 40's and 50's. 
I have and it aint close to the same now.


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## Bret (May 21, 2004)

I read the Tpw article and it said that the reason they dont restock like the reds and trout is that you cant tell their sex by looking at them and it makes it too difficult(time consuming to physically sex each one) to get a breeding pair together.. good article btw.


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

Your right Redfishr, I don't see the mullet like I used too either. I did see some thick pods last week around the Dike. I got all excited and began casting into them but nada...


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

The lousianans are wiping out the shad and the floridians have wiped out the mullet.
I guess someone will do something about it when theyr'e all gone. Like whine!!!


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## Carp (May 21, 2004)

since flordia inacted their net ban the number of mullet should increase. i remember taking those nets out and catching hundreds of mullet and have a big ole fish fry with all the neighbors.


Justin


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## AL-umineum (Jul 16, 2004)

Redfishr said:


> The lousianans are wiping out the shad and the floridians have wiped out the mullet.
> I guess someone will do something about it when theyr'e all gone. Like whine!!!


I thought the mullet that the Floridians eat were different than the ones we have here. They don't even sound remotely appetizing to me. YUCK!! h:

Jeff


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

AL-umineum said:


> I thought the mullet that the Floridians eat were different than the ones we have here. They don't even sound remotely appetizing to me. YUCK!! h:
> 
> Jeff


Same fish.
Stripped Mullet
The ones in the gulf are the same species as we have in ours bays along with white mullet. But the ones in the gulf are migratory and go up and down the whole gulf coast. And ofcourse are the spawners.


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

It amazes me the greed people have....they just don't get it.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Yea, and by the way, those pogie boats - kill more than redfish! They kill tarpon too. There was a tarpon kill years ago off of high island that was specifically attributed to pogie boats working in the area!


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

Scott said:


> Yea, and by the way, those pogie boats - kill more than redfish! They kill tarpon too. There was a tarpon kill years ago off of high island that was specifically attributed to pogie boats working in the area!


It amazes me that CCA hasn't tried to put a stop to Pogie boats.
A waste of a very important resourse. 
They have got on the ban wagon up in the northeast in chesapeak bay, why not hear. I guess they'll shut the gate after the bull gets out.


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