ABSTRACT
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 195 Larval History ........................................................................................................ 196 Observations of Tarpon Reproduction ................................................................... 197 Synthesis ................................................................................................................200 References .............................................................................................................. 201
There is very little known about the reproductive habits of tarpon in the western north Atlantic. Early studies of tarpon reproduction were typically based on the collection of tarpon larvae from nontargeted sampling (Gehringer, 1959; Wade, 1962; Eldred, 1967, 1968, 1972; Smith, 1980, 1989). In one such study, Smith (1980) collected a series of tarpon larvae in the Gulf of Mexico and the Yucatan Channel. Smith speculated that spawning areas were located off Cozumel Mexico, off the west coast of Florida, and in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. The most current knowledge has been gained by projects completed and published by Crabtree et al. (1992, 1995, 1997) and Crabtree (1995). These studies ranged in coverage from Florida waters (both Atlantic Ocean and (Florida Straits [FS]), Gulf of Mexico (GOM), to Costa Rica (Caribbean) and involved both larval and adult aspects of life history. The origin of this series of research projects was derived from larval sampling being conducted as a possible tool for monitoring numerous species indices of abundance in the coastal waters of Florida in the GOM. Sampling was conducted between June 1981 and July 1989. Through a keen interest in tarpon biology gained from working as a fi shing guide in the Florida Keys, Crabtree delved into the archived collections of the fi sh biology program at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, after taking a research position there in 1990. Crabtree found relatively young (2-25 days old) larvae that had been collected offshore of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico in depths ranging from 90 to 1400 m. The temperatures ranged from 27 to 30°C and 35-36 ppt salinity at the collection sites. The primary focus of the Crabtree et al. (1992) publication was age and growth of these larvae. An aside of this, by taking the youngest of these larvae (3-6 days old) they were able to estimate probable spawning location for
these individuals. This was perfect evidence of spawning taking place in the GOM offshore of Florida at distances as far as 250 km. Now, we defi nitely know that spawning takes place in, at least, June and July in the GOM. Earlier evidence (Smith, 1980) noted larvae and spawning taking place in the western GOM as well.
