There was a time when many marine species caught in the guise of “sportsmanship” and not for food, were used for pictures and then discarded, which included the poor fish being hung from a rack, with the “all conquering” angler standing boastfully aside, his “weapon” rod and reel in hand.   Regarding tarpon, what a shame for a magnificent game fish to end up as a very brief and selfish hurrah…the subject of a picture.  And from there, after the pictures and while the “hunters” are in the bar celebrating, the carcass of what once was a magnificent marine specimen is tossed in the garbage dumpster or shoved back overboard to feed the crabs and catfish.

When you think of the impressive fight and heart of the might silverking and to know that it has been around for such a long time, why would anyone want to kill it for the thrill of the moment and then for just a picture?  To bring the situation really home, the next time you witness a tarpon at the back of the boat after the fight, think back 25 or 30 years to your age at that previous time and where you were in life…then think, this fish has been alive all that time, too. 

Thanks to the efforts of the Boca Grande Fishing Guides Association and some interested law makers in Tallahassee during 1989, the tarpon tag law of Florida now exists.  Since that time, the number of tarpon killed for no reason has been reduced significantly.  Also, since that time, professional charter captains who specialize in tarpon have reported catching larger fish, on the average. 

The law is clear in stating that, “The angler must immediately release the fish uninjured and at the same place where the fish was caught.  Otherwise, any possession of an untagged tarpon is unlawful.” 

This simple statement coupled with the need for a $51.50 tarpon tag on board the boat at the time of the catch has not only reduced the high numbers of needless kills, but resulted in changes to tarpon tournament formats.  The most impressive is the creation of the wet sling that is presently used in Boca Grande to chronicle the weight of tarpon, which are then safely released.  And, only a tarpon with a tarpon tag is allowed for weighing and consideration in the event as an entry. 

“There is no provision for transporting untagged tarpon to weighing stations” as stated in a memo to District Majors and Field Office Captains by the Florida Marine Patrol code enforcement division several years ago.  The law does NOT provide for a tarpon to be taken to the scales for weighing and then released without the use of a tag while the fish is in the possession of the angler or tournament officials. 

It is not only the burden of anglers to uphold the law, but also tournament officials to insist that any fish brought to the weighing station only be accepted as an entry if the fish has been tagged, even if only for the moment prior to a release after weighing.  The rules of the annual Boca Grande Fishing Guides Association’s Invitational Tarpon Tournament say just that…”no tag, no weigh”!  A tag must be expended and used if the fish is removed from where it was caught and taken possession thereof, regardless of the time span until it is released.

Even though many more tarpon are being released, are some of them still being mishandled?  Yes…absolutely.  And worse, are there tarpon still being killed for no reason and without the use of a tarpon tag?  Again, yes!  Hopefully, with awareness of the law and information about tarpon, these incidences will be reduced. 

Now,  for that angler or captain who thinks their tarpon is a record, which results in the need for it to be weighed (killed) consider this…if one were to fish for the next 100 years everyday for tarpon, the likelihood of catching a record is as probable as winning the lotto.  For the record (no pun intended) the Florida record for the largest tarpon is 243 pounds caught in 1975 at Key West by Mr. Gus Bell.  To beat that, your tarpon needs to be over 8 feet long and as big around in the girth as a fat man.  Regarding the world record, it is 283 pounds and that tarpon was caught years ago off the coast of Sierra Leone, Africa. 

Release your tarpon, let it live, you can’t eat it!  Don’t be caught up in record fever!  Your tarpon will be much more beautiful in a natural picture taken while the fish is full of color and in the water. 

Tarpon release guidelines: 

·         Do not gaff the tarpon unless you plan to expend a tarpon tag

·         Do not haul the tarpon vertically out of the water for a picture

·         Do not bring a tarpon in the boat for a picture

·         Do not run a rope or fid through the tarpon’s gills

·         Release the tarpon as soon after the catch as possible