"Tarpon" A Tragedy in Texas
by Captain Steve Futch
As Seen in the Boca Beacon
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On the 15 and 16 of February I attended the first annual International Tarpon Symposium hosted
by Tarpon Tomorrow and held in Port Aransas, Texas. In attendance were 125 concerned fishermen, guides and marine biologists.
It was appropriate that Port Aransas was the chosen location for this first ever symposium. Port Aransaes
like Boca Grande claimed to be the tarpon fishing capital of the world, it was officially called Tarpon Texas.
Anglers including presidents traveled to south Texas to catch tarpon, snook, redfish, and trout. Wooden piers
extended into the gulf waters allowing anglers without boats to get an opportunity to enjoy some great fishing.
Guides raised families, boat companies flourished, hotels and restaurants were built to accommodate the many visitors.
Tarpon Texas was a thriving community. This began to change in the late 40s, guides began to notice that there were fewer
and fewer tarpon showing up each year. Many theories were brought up but nothing could be pointed to directly. In the late
50s, it happened, the total collapse of the tarpon industry, for the first time in history no Tarpon showed up on the lower
Texas coast. This, as would be expected, brought on the closing of restaurants hotels and related business, family's were
forced to relocate, progress slowed to a standstill. I'm happy to report that today Port Aransas has recovered and is now
a great vacation spot on the lower Texas coast. Sadly though the tarpon that were once king on this coast haven’t faired as
well. Its the hope of Tarpon Tomorrow, and its growing members, that it can be established what happened to the tarpon and that
through research can establish a restocking program, that will allow tarpon to once again inhabit the coat of Texas.
While its not clear what took place I personally feel it was a combination of events that led to their demise. In the late 40s, and 50, dams were built on many rivers along Texas’s lower coast. This water was used to irrigate the
growing number of large farms as well as providing water for the growing population, but it adversely effected the delicate
balance of the coastal estuaries. The petroleum and petrochemical industries grew rapidly along this same time line. The
runoff and waste water from these large complexes could not have had a positive effect on the coastal estuaries as well.
It was also reported that over the border along the Mexican coastline a number of canneries were established to produce cat
food and tarpon were among the many species used. From a number of long time residents I heard the sadist tale of all, large
posts were driven in to the ground across the mouths of rivers after schools of tarpon traveled up river wire would be
stretched across and nailed to the pilings preventing the tarpon from returning to the gulf waters. They
would then be dynamited, there bodies trucked of to near by farms and plowed into the ground for fertilizer. My hope is that history doesn't repeat itself a little closer to home and I never have to tell my grandchildren there
are no more tarpon left to catch. If you would like further information or would like to help you can contact Tarpon Tomorrow at
www.tarpontomorrow.org Locally fishing is improving, mackerel, kings and tarpon are showing up along the beaches
snook are starting to cooperate with the warming trend, lets hope the cold weather is over for this year. Remember
catch all you can, keep only what you need. Read Past Articles By Captain Steve Information and Reservations. |