Marine Biology Commons^™

Evidence Of Spawning Capable Tarpon (Megalops Atlanticus) Off The Louisiana Coast, William Stein Iii, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, James S. Franks, Martin T. O'Connell

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Despite the fact that the tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) is a popular sport fish in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM; Ault et al. 2008), little is known of its spawning behavior. Spawning M. atlanticus have never been documented and fertilized eggs have not been observed in situ (Ault et al. 2008). While it has been suggested that adult M. atlanticus move to deep water off the southwest coast of Florida and into the Yucatan Channel to spawn, the actual locations of spawning grounds remain unknown (Smith 1980, Crabtree et al. 1995, Crabtree et al. 1997). Distribution patterns of larvae …