Megalops Temporal range: Late Miocene to Present PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N [1]
Atlantic tarpon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Elopiformes
Family:	Megalopidae D. S. Jordan, 1923
Genus:	Megalops Valenciennes, 1847
Species
Megalops atlanticus Valenciennes, 1847 Megalops cyprinoides (Broussonet, 1782)

Tarpons are large fish of the genus Megalops. There are two species of Megalops, one native to the Atlantic, and the other to the Indo-Pacific oceans. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae.

Species and habitats[link]

There are two species of tarpons, the Megalops atlanticus (the Tarpon) and the Megalops cyprinoides (the Indo-Pacific tarpon). Megalops atlanticus is found on the western Atlantic coast from Virginia to Brazil, throughout the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, throughout the Caribbean. Tarpons are also found along the eastern Atlantic coast from Senegal to South Angola.^[2] Megalops cyprinoides is found along the eastern African coast, throughout southeast Asia, Japan, Tahiti, and Australia. Both species are found in both salt and freshwater habitats usually ascending rivers to access freshwater marshes.^[3] They are able to survive in brackish water, waters of varying pH, as well as habitats with low dissolved O₂ content due to their swim bladders which they use primarily to breathe. The habitat of the tarpon varies greatly with the developmental stage they are in. Stage one larvae are usually found in clear, warm, oceanic waters relatively close to the surface. Stage two and three larvae are found in salt marshes, tidal pools, creeks, and rivers. The habitats are characteristically warm, shallow, dark bodies of water with sandy mud bottoms. It is quite common for tarpon to ascend rivers into freshwater. As they progress from the juvenile stage to adulthood, they move back to the open waters of the ocean, though many remain in freshwater habitats.^[4][5]

Physical characteristics[link]

Tarpons grow to about 5–8 ft. long and weigh 80–280 lbs. They have dorsal and anal soft rays and have a bluish or greenish back. Tarpons possess distinctive lateral lines and have shiny silvery scales that cover most of the body excluding the head. Tarpons have large eyes with adipose eyelids and a broad mouth with a prominent lower jaw that juts out farther than the rest of the face.^[2][3][4]

Biology and behavior[link]

Reproduction and life cycle[link]

Tarpons breed offshore in warm isolated areas. Females have a high fecundity and can lay up to 12 million eggs at once. They reach sexual maturity once they are about 75–125 cm in length. Spawning usually occurs in late spring to early summer.^[4] There are three distinct levels of development that usually occur in varying habitats. The first stage is the Leptocephali stage, or stage one, which is completed after 20–30 days. It takes place in clear, warm oceanic waters usually within 10–20 m of the surface. The Leptocephali shrinks as it develops into a larva with the most shrunken larva, stage two, developing by day 70. This is due to a negative growth phase followed by a sluggish growth phase. By day 70 the Juvenile growth phase, stage three, begins and the organism begins to rapidly grow until it reaches sexual maturity.^[2][6]

Diet[link]

Stage one developing Megalops do not forage for food but instead absorb nutrients from sea water using integumentary absorption. Stage two and three juveniles feed primarily on zooplankton but also feed on insects and small fish. As they progress in juvenile development, especially those developing in freshwater environments, their consumption of insects, fish, crabs, and grass shrimp increases. Adults are strictly carnivorous and feed on mid-water prey; they swallow their food whole and hunt nocturnally.^[4][5]

Predation[link]

The main predators of Megalops during stage one and early stage two development are other fish and some zooplankton depending on the size of the Megalops larvae. Juveniles are subject to predation by other juvenile Megalops and piscivorous birds. Adults occasionally fall prey to sharks, porpoises, alligators, and piscivorous birds. They are especially vulnerable to birds when they come to the surface for air due to the rolling manner in which they move to take in air as well as the silver scales that line the sides of the Megalops.^[7]

Swim bladder[link]

One of the unique features of Megalops is the function of the swim bladder as a pseudo-respiratory organ. These gas structures can be used for buoyancy, as an accessory respiratory organ, or both. In Megalops, it is an unpaired air holding structure that arises dorsally from the posterior pharynx. Megalops uses the swim bladder as a respiratory organ and the respiratory surface is coated with blood capillaries with a thin epithelium overtop. This is the basis of the alveolar tissue that is found in the swim bladder and is believed to be one of the primary methods by which Megalops “breathe”. Megalops are obligate air breathers, and if they are not allowed to access the surface they will die. The exchange of gas that occurs is done at the surface through a rolling motion that is commonly associated with Megalops sightings. It is believed that this “breathing” is mediated by visual cues and that the frequency of breathing is inversely correlated to the dissolved O₂ content of the water in which they live.^[4][8]

Megalops and humans[link]

Megalops are considered one of the great saltwater game fishes. They are prized not only because of their great size but also because of the fight that they put up and their spectacular leaping ability. Megalops are bony fish and their meat is not desirable so most Megalops are released after they are caught. There are numerous tournaments around the year that are focused on catching Megalops.^[9]

Geographical distribution and migration[link]

Since Tarpons are not commercially valuable as a food fish, very little has been documented concerning their geographical distribution and migrations. Tarpons inhabit both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Their range in the Eastern Atlantic has been reliably established from Senegal to the Congo. Tarpon inhabiting the western Atlantic are principally found to populate warmer coastal waters focused in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and the West Indies. Nonetheless, tarpon are regularly caught by anglers at Cape Hatteras and as far as Nova Scotia, Bermuda, and south to Argentina. There have been scientific studies, principally “The Panama Canal as a Passageway for Fishes, with Lists and Remarks on the Fishes and Invertebrates Observed” by Samuel F. Hildebrand (1939), which indicate that schools of Tarpons have routinely migrated through the Panama Canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back for over 70 years. However it has not been scientifically established that they breed in the Pacific Ocean. Nevertheless anecdotal evidence by tarpon fishing guides and anglers would tend to validate this notion as over the last 60 years many small juvenile tarpon as well as mature giants have been caught and documented principally on the Pacific side of Panama at the Bayano River as well as in the Gulf of San Miguel and its tributaries but also as far as Coiba Island in the Gulf of Chiriquí plus at Piñas Bay in the Gulf of Panama. It would seem that since Tarpon tolerate wide ranges in salinity throughout their lives and will eat almost anything dead or alive, that their migrations are only limited by water temperatures. Tarpons prefer water temperatures of 72 to 82°F; below 60 degrees they become inactive, and temperatures under 40°F can be lethal.

See also[link]

• Atlantic tarpon

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Tarpon Geographical Distribution and Migration

Cyril Chauquet, Fishing Adventurer TV host

Born in 1976, Cyril Chauquet is host of the Fishing Adventurer TV show, broadcast since 2005 in Canada, in twelve European countries as well as in the United-States.^[1] The show deals with adventure and sport fishing.

An international training[link]

Cyril Chauquet was educated in the United-States and in Europe. He graduated from Webster University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1997.
Cyril Chauquet then became a consultant and a business developer of Intranet and Internet solutions at Himalaya Communications in Europe, from 1998 to 2002, extensively traveling for business between North America and Europe.

The sport fishing and travel commitment[link]

Throughout his corporate career, Cyril Chauquet was always passionate about fishing and traveled to many countries around the world to fish for exotic species. Through his growing knowledge of fish and fishing techniques, he became involved in several professional sport fishing activities including being an independent consultant:

• In Canada for the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership(OTMP) and Direction Ontario trough Moore Communication
• In Cuba for the Tourism Ministry (MINTUR)
• In Morocco, Cyril Chauquet was a sport fishing guide and directly contributed to the sports fishing development from 2003 and 2007 through creating and running a sport fishing lodge called "Morocco Fishing Adventures".

One foot in the corporate world, one foot in the sport fishing world, Cyril Chauquet is about to make a move.

2005 : Launch of the TV show[link]

After residing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2003 Cyril Chauquet settles in Montreal, in the province of Quebec. That year, he created his own pilot episode that led to the creation of a TV series of fishing trips and adventures. The show is called Fishing Adventurer^[2] and is broadcast in 12 countries in 2005.
The show is also produced in a French language version under the title Mordu de la Pêche and airs on the main French Canadian travel channel Évasion. The original concept of the show and the personality of its host seduced the North American broadcaster (ESPN2).^[3]

Projects[link]

• Production of the Season 3
• Design of other types of programming and documentaries focusing on the Environment and protection of aquatic wildlife.

Internet website[link]

Fishing Adventurer

References[link]

1. ^ Cyril Abitibi-Témiscamingue welcomes Fishing Adventurer's Cyril Chauquet!, in Abitibi Temiscamingue Tourism, July 7th 2009
2. ^ Hook, Line & TV Show Or How I Went Fishing — and Wound Up on Basic Cable, by Steve Donohue, in MultiChannel News, June 9th 2006
3. ^ Fishing Adventurer on ESPN Outodoors, June 10th 2010

External links[link]

• Moore Communication
• Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership
• Canada on CTV Travel and Escape
• United States on ESPN2
• United Kingdom on Discovery Channel Shed
• (Spanish) Cuba Tourism Minister
• (French) Québec (Canada) sur Canal Évasion

This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia. Germany, Italy and Switzerland on Discovery Channel DMax