What’s On the Line: Atlantic Tarpon, the ‘Silver King’

The word “Tarpon” conjures images from fishing lore of large, silvery fish making spectacular leaps out of the water when hooked.

Atlantic tarpon are actually closely related to eels. They may not look at all like their cousins when adults, but their larval stages are considerably more similar.

Also known as “the silver king,” tarpon are found in the Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina south to Brazil, throughout the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. A population is now established on the Pacific side of central and northern South America. These large fish can grow up to 8 feet in length, but they weigh an average 25 to 80 pounds.