ABSTRACT
The Florida tarpon fi shery has been intensely regulated for some time. Dating back to 1953, the Florida Legislature took the fi rst steps in managing the fi shery by granting tarpon game fi sh status (i.e., harvest or possession of tarpon for commercial purposes was prohibited by law). However, because tarpon were never considered a food fi sh in Florida (Bruger and Haddad, 1986), and the fact that a large number of the fi sh harvested by anglers were being used for trophy taxidermy mounts, game fi sh status has afforded little protection to tarpon populations. As a result, the Florida State Legislature in 1989 established a new regulation that required anglers wishing to harvest (or possess) a tarpon to purchase an individual permit costing $50. Each permit allows the harvest of one tarpon a year and requires anglers to attach a numbered tag to the tarpon’s lower jaw (for enforcement purposes). Establishment of the tarpon permit system has resulted in substantial reduction of tarpon harvests in the State of Florida. Today the Florida fi shery is almost exclusively catch-and-release.
