Paul Gusmano was motoring through Shinnecock Bay in eastern Long Island when he spotted something floating in the water. Upon closer investigation he identified it as a dead tarpon that, when he and his friends pulled it aboard, measured at 70 inches in length.
Photos of the fish on social media prompted discussions of global warming and increasing water temperatures, but this isn’t the first example of a tarpon wandering well north of its normal range. New Jersey has a retired state record for the species—meaning new submissions are no longer accepted—a 53-pounder caught off Sea Bright in 1982.
Tarpon have been reported in the warm-water outflow of the Millstone Power Plant in Connecticut, and there’s a historical account of a tarpon taken at Provincetown, Massachusetts in July 1915. There have even been multiple occurrences of tarpon in Canada, as far north of Nova Scotia.
Check out these other unusual catches in Northeast waters.
45-Inch Drum Taken on Cape Cod
Holy Crap!!! Whats next….Yellow tails? Mangrove snappers? Goliath grouper??!! Think of the money we”ll save not having to go to Florida to go fishing for these things any more. Lol
You laugh, but it’s actually happening…
Let’s not forget the 30lb Red caught from a kayak in Jamaica Bay about a month ago!
So for a hundred years (and almost certainly, much, much more), tarpon and other warm-water fish have been venturing North into New England waters. Meanwhile, manatees and orcas are moving South into New England waters. Are we getting warmer or colder or is this just seasonal variations combined with 10, 100, and 500 year cycles?
Holy Moly!! at 70 inches that fish is taller than a fifth grader. Great catch. This may be the catch you remember as your best ever. Rock on.
Thanks for having me, looking forward for a little more knowledge !