Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) have been undertaking a small shark tagging programme since 2013, in partnership with the Department of Environment, Food and agriculture (DEFA). The aim of the project is to train up experienced anglers to tag small sharks, rays and skates in Manx waters with a small streamer tag that displays a unique code and return contact information. The anglers also note biological data before releasing the shark carefully back into the water. The hope is the shark is recaptured at another point in time and/or location, helping to monitor the movements of these sharks, their distribution, abundance and potentially growth rates, if the animal is remeasured.
Another long-distance swimmer: Small Shark Tagged in the IOM Recaptured off France
Find out about the small shark tagging programme and where the tagged sharks end up!
In August 2022 a tope was tagged by the crew of the fishing boat ‘Casey J’ off Niarbyl and was recaptured in the Bay of Biscay three months later (in November of the same year). The report came in from a local fisherman in the area and it’s great to see the support and collaboration that these projects get from the fishing industry. This is only the second recapture since the project began, but it is a long-term, rather than a short-term programme. However, the previous recapture was also a long-distance swimmer being recaptured in the Netherlands in September 2018, having been tagged in May of that year. This shows us the huge distances these small sharks are willing to make.
We were aware of the large distances basking sharks are travelling but we had no idea about our small shark species. It highlights that protection of our shark species goes beyond our waters and that marine species know no boundaries. It’s incredibly important work if we are to develop and implement conservation strategies – we need to think regionally, not just locally.MWT Marine Conservation Officer
Little is known about our elasmobranchs, the sharks, skates and rays, in Manx waters so the work is critical in our understanding of their life cycles, and how we manage their populations for biodiversity, recreational angling or commercial fishing purposes. Through the tagging programme we are beginning to identify key areas where these sharks can be found and this could help us to identify new marine nature reserves into the future and enable us to protect the species better.
DEFA has supported this project for several years, recognising the important role that small sharks play in our marine ecosystem. These are long-lived animals with complex life cycles that we need to understand better if we are to maintain and manage their populations.
The Department also recognises the economic contributions of recreational angling for the island, estimated to be around £2 m annually, and the role of small sharks within that sector since the Isle of Man is something of a recognised regional hot-spot for recreational tope angling. This ‘catch and release’ practice can be a significant contribution to local tourism and combines very well with the shark-tagging project.Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture
To date the project has tagged over 450 small sharks and it is hoped we will continue to increase that number as the programme grows and more anglers get involved. Tagging work in 2022 was sponsored by TLC Business Solutions Ltd and will continue in 2023 with new sponsorship from Microgaming PlayItForward,
If anyone is interested in providing additional funding support, or getting trained up for tagging, then please get in touch with Lara at lara@mwt.im
