This past weekend, we received reports and photos of dead tarpon that had been spotted floating around Cat Island, a barrier island off the Gulf Coast that is under Mississippi’s jurisdiction. Fishermen Kyle Johnson and Troy Helwig spotted more than a dozen tarpon up to 80 pounds floating dead within a mile of Cat Island, mixed in with 20 to 40 pound jack crevalle. There were no bite marks from sharks. There were no baitfish floating in the water, which would have certainly been present if the fish kill was a result of something like an algae bloom.
Johnson and other experienced anglers from the area suspect that these tarpon and large jacks are the victims of nets from menhaden boats. It’s a likely scenario, as both species feed on the tightly packed schools of menhaden, and could easily get caught up in commercial nets. Menhaden are pursued commercially with purse-seine nets, and estimates show that 500 million pounds are harvested commercially each year. Purse-seine nets are both massive and non-selective, which can spell disaster for non-target species like tarpon, sea turtles, dolphins and whales. Once the nets are set, any fish or mammals within can’t escape and face likely death.
This is a very concerning development and needs to be addressed. Tarpon are incredibly valuable as recreational species throughout the U.S. and around the world, and BTT-funded studies showed that they are capable of long-distance movements, meaning that fish being intentionally or unintentionally harvested in one area could have detrimental impacts elsewhere. We also know that some tarpon spawn in the Gulf, so harvest in this area could truly have detrimental impacts on both migratory and resident fish. It’s time to take note and take action.
Let the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources know how you feel about this.
