Eric Peck, age 9, of Willingsboro, N.J., for his question:

WHERE DOES THE TARPON LIVE?

One of the finest game fish found in the western Atlantic Ocean is the tarpon. It lives in the ocean from Nova Scotia to Brazil although it is rarely caught outside tropical or semitropical waters.

The best tarpon fishing is along the Florida and Texas coasts and around Peurto Rico, where the fish breed.

An adult tarpon grows to be about four feet in length and weighs about 60 pounds. The fish's body is covered with large, silvery scales. These thick scales may exceed two inches in length and are often used by man as decorations.

Tarpon are great fighters and are known for their spectacular leaps. They usually are released after they are caught because their meat is too coarse and soft for good eating.

The tarpon, sometimes also called the silver king or savanilla, is related to the herring. It spawns in shallow waters over rocky bottoms. The young tarpon migrate up creeks and rivers when they are about two and one half inches long. Maturity is reached in about three years.

Tarpon feed on crabs, shrimp, pinfish and pigfish.