CHESAPEAKE BAY, MD - Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says they have recently received multiple reports of tarpon sightings in the Chesapeake Bay, a rarity in Maryland waters according to DNR officials.
Usually found in warmer waters, tarpon are large, powerful fish known for their tenacity in fighting on the fishing line and leaping from the water, according to DNR.
Officials say Capt. Tom Weaver was scouting for red drum near the Hoopers Island Lighthouse off of Dorchester County on August 1st when he spotted huge shapes in the water. Recalling his time fishing in the Florida Keys, DNR says Weaver recognized them as tarpon.
Weaver went on to describe the fish in a video provided to DNR as “tanks,” each possibly weighing 80 to 100 pounds. DNR says he pursued the fish but was not successful in catching one.
The Department of Natural Resources says they have been receiving more reports of tarpon in Maryland waters this summer.
“We have seen tarpon in Maryland’s section of the bay historically, but the number of fish spotted recently is unusual,” DNR recreational fisheries outreach coordinator Erik Zlokovitz said. “This year is the first time we’ve gotten multiple reports of schools of tarpon, and not just a stray fish.”
DNR says while tarpon are known to come into the southern portions of the Chesapeake and are targeted by anglers off of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, it is usually rare to see them in Maryland waters.
A small tarpon was netted and released during a DNR sampling of striped bass in 2019, according to the Department. An angler also hooked a 6-foot-long tarpon near Smith Island and the Virginia border in July of 2020.
Zlokovitz says it’s too early to say if the uptick in tarpon sightings is the start of a trend or just an anomaly. DNR says higher water temperatures may be a factor in increased sightings of other warm water fish including Florida pompano, cobia, and cutlassfish. Those warming waters could similarly be drawing tarpon farther north.
The uptick could also be part of a larger northern migration this year than usual, DNR says, noting a surfcaster in Rhode Island caught a tarpon this summer.
DNR says tarpon are typically not considered optimal for eating and recommends anglers target them for catch-and-release fishing.