Abstract

The recreational tarpon fishery began in the late 1800’s in the Gulf of Mexico and attained premier status among affluent anglers off both Texas and south Florida in the early and mid 1900s. The recent availability of catch data associated with these tarpon fisheries has proved informative in depicting their early status and trends. Historically, anglers (especially in association with hotels and angling clubs) typically recorded date of capture, size (length in inches, weight in pounds, and, occasionally, girth in inches), as well as location and other anecdotal information. Separately, SAB and GJH recently analyzed and presented data on the historic tarpon fishery of the Gulf of Mexico based on approximately 1,000 fish from south Florida and 2,700 fish from Texas. The recent availability, through the efforts of DE, of more than 13,000 additional catch records from 1902 to 1932 allowed a more in depth examination into the details of the recreational tarpon fishery and basic biological attributes of the species. Larger catches of tarpon were reported from 1912 to 1930 with some annual catches exceeding 1,000 tarpon per year. There was an overall reduction in size of tarpon landed but there was no tendency for the variation in tarpon size to change over time. During the period for which there were data, there was no tendency for the fishery to shift from May to June as had been speculated in another study. Evidence is presented that implies the tarpon stocks off southwest Florida may have been overexploited by the historical recreational fishery. The recreational tarpon fishery in the Gulf of Mexico may prove unique in having detailed historical data available that allows time-based comparisons with the modern fishery.

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