The tarpon

A lively naturalist’s portrait of the tarpon brings the giant silver king of the Atlantic into sharp focus. From the warm currents off Brazil to the Gulf Stream‑kissed waters of Florida, the book maps the fish’s seasonal migrations, the ways schools surge north in summer and retreat south as the water cools. The author's early encounters—spotting a solitary tarpon near New River Inlet and tracing schools through the Keys—offer vivid snapshots of a creature that glides just beneath the surface, surfacing for breath in a cascade of bubbles.

Interwoven with these observations are the subtle ways human activity reshapes the tarpon’s routes, such as the East Coast Railway’s trestles that forced whole schools to seek new passages. The narrative also ponders long‑standing mysteries: where the fish spawn, whether in brackish river heads or offshore flats, and how its hard‑jawed mouth still feels the delicate sting of a crab. Readers come away with a rich sense of the tarpon’s world, its habits, and the quiet intrigue that still surrounds this remarkable game fish.