SSACN - Tagsharks » Events

2012 Diary dates

sharkman — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:09:38 +0000

Looking ahead to 2012 ?

Want to enjoy some good company and fishing ?

Want to make a real difference ?

Support the Scottish Shark Tagging Programme

Help save Scotland’s sharks.

Three Events which throughout the year.

Download a copy of the poster and share it around.

Tagging is the only non-destructive assessment of sharks available which will help provide data such as :

Species migrations
Growth rates
Population and stock make-up
Stock fluctuations dynamics

The data will be used to input into the Scottish Government shark management plans.

Reports on each event highlighting socio-economic benefit to the area are produced and circulated to our Members, the press, politicians and the Scottish Government. See past reports in our Reading Room.

Spurdog Tagathon 2011 Welcome pack

sharkman — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:50:42 +0000

SSACN’s Event Team would like to welcome back to all those seasoned Tagathon anglers and all the new faces joining in this year to help tag as many fish as possible in the name of conservation.

They have created an information pack to provide all anglers with all the information they require to have a great weekend in the Loch Sunart and Loch Etive areas of the West of Scotland.

To take part in the Event all you have to do is turn up, collect your participants pack, go fishing, tag as many fish as you can and hand in your record cards at the end of each day … it’s as simple as that .

Just follow the fish handling and tagging guidelines in the guide and remember to fish safely with respect to the environment, the fish, fellow anglers and the public.

And – have a great weekend!!!

Sharkatag 2011 – A quick review

editor — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:58:52 +0000

Once again Sharkatag received terrific support with anglers fishing from over 50 boats and, reflecting the growth of this sector of our sport, a new record 20+ kayaks took part and although there were many tagging stalwarts a good number of newcomers to the sport and Sharkatag were also welcomed.

Friday was very disappointing in terms of the number of fish caught. Expectation was high, the weather was good, the tides were right but the fish failed to show; Saturday was equally difficult with the boats fishing off Ardwell having the most success, sadly the strong southerlies on Sunday made the day a washout – the first blown off day in the history of Sharkatag.

Worryingly though, evidence from the last three Sharkatags endorses the anecdotal evidence which suggests the numbers of tope are falling rapidly year upon year. We cannot be sure whether this is down to overfishing on their wintering grounds or a change in their Northern migration route due to some factor or another; equally concerning, the data also shows that although thornback ray stocks seem to be improving slightly, not one cuckoo ray, blonde ray or spotted ray has been caught.

Twenty years ago these species were abundant – we need to find out why these fish are disappearing.

But whatever the conditions, it doesn’t seem to dampen the spirits as feedback from one of this year’s newcomers shows : "We had a fantastic time at Sharkatag 3, it was truly a remarkable time. I have to say a big thank you to Andy Hibbert, Mark and Chris for all their help and advice during the 3 day event. Weather was not too brilliant but the atmosphere made up for the lumpy, snotty sea. We are all looking forward to getting back out next year. Just cant wait. As soon as the dates for Sharkatag 2012 are confirmed we will be signing up and booking our accommodation again at Brighouse Bay, A big thank you to all the organisers for their hard work and effort in providing us with such a marvellous event. Thanks to you all."

The organising committee would like to thank everyone who helped make this event possible…. great effort everyone well done; a huge thank you also to everyone who came along and fished this weekend and a special mention for Shaun McGuire, the Harbour Master at the Isle of Whithorn, whose help and assistance was simply first class.

A full report covering this years event will be published in due course on our web sites, meanwhile photos from Sharkatag are being posted here – if you have any you’d like included, please send them to the contact@ssacn.org email address.

Thanks to all – the Sharkatag Team

NB :: Sharkatag 4 will be back in 2012…… so keep an eye on the website.

The spirit of Sharkatag

editor — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 18:17:29 +0000

We had a terrific time at Sharkatag. It was truly brilliant. Not a lot of fish but great enjoyment. As requested I have attached a few photographs from our trip to the event, hope they show the atmosphere of the event?. Yesterday with the swell it was an amazing sight to see all the guys on the slipway helping the other boats in. This summed up Sharkatag for me. I hope you are able to use the photographs. We enjoyed it so much that we will be registering for Sharkatag 2012 as soon as it is confirmed.

Is what it is really all about – a great bunch of people working together, enjoying the Event, the craic and the fishing !

Providing the data necessary to inform all concerned that anglers can fish for these species without impacting stocks and at the same time make a significant contribution to the Scottish economy.

All in all, the recreational ‘shark’ fishery is worth around £60 million/yr to the Scottish economy, far more than was ever delivered when they were commercially exploited.

It’s those that support the SSTP, the Events and the volunteer taggers who are securing the stocks for future anglers.

Sharkatag info pack

editor — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:41:16 +0000

Only 5 days till Sharkatag 2011 !!!

The information pack is now available for download.

Those attending Sharkatag will off course be given a full printed version when they pick up tags, recording cards etc next week. In the pack you will find everything you need to know from what SHARKATAG is all about, contact numbers, tagging guides, fish identification guide etc etc ……. we have tried to make it as informative as we can but if you need any more info then please email us at contact@ssacn .org.

If you haven’t registered for the event, but would like to take part, you can still sign up here.

The mackerel have arrived and there are reports of good numbers of Smooth Hounds, Rays, Bullhuss and of course Tope ………. there have also been a few reasonable Spurdogs being caught so all looking good ….. all we need to do now is pray to the weather gods !!

T shirts and hats will be on sale at each centre — T shirts are only £10 and the baseball caps £6 …. or why not buy both for £15. We will also have some stickers (one free in each registration pack) at 50p each for a small one or £4 each for a large boat sticker.

Everyone taking part, or supporting SSACN and the SSTP, is really doing something to help fight for the conservation of shark species in Scottish waters and securing the future of our sport; from what we have seen, they are also having a great time as well .

That’s all for now folks – but remember if you need anything then just let us know.

Tight Lines

The Sharkatag Team

Less than a week to Sharkatag

editor — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 08:41:11 +0000

Join the many other anglers fishing marks around the Solway looking to catch, tag and/or record data regarding a variety of shark species including tope, smoothound and spurdog.

Sharkatag is part of the SSACN’s campaign to highlight the urgent need for shark, ray and skate conservation in Scottish waters, as well as raising the public awareness of sea angling and its contribution to the economies of many coastal communities.

We are hoping to build on last years successful event when Sharkatag attracted over 200 volunteer sea anglers fishing from the shore, kayaks and boats.

The response so far has been terrific; lots of last years participants and many new ones are expected to come from all over the UK – this represents a tremendous commitment to sea angling and to conservation, especially so given the current economic situation.

If you’d like an idea of what Sharkatag has to offer, see here.

If you haven’t already signed up, you can still take part - just register here.

Sharkatag 2011

editor — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:11:06 +0000

The next SSTP Special Event is Sharkatag 2011 to be held 24/25/26 June 2011 – see this page for more information.

This year we are expecting it to be bigger and better than ever before, but,

Without you there is no event and

With no event there is no fun and

without the effort and commitment of all involved no one else will collect the necessary data to try and help ensure the future of these magnificent creatures.

Go here to download a copy of the Sharkatag 2011 poster (pdf).

See this page to register for Sharkatag.

Skate Tagathon update sheet

editor — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:25:54 +0000

The Special Event’s Team have just released their latest set of update notes for the upcoming Skate Tagathon; they may be downloaded in pdf form from here.

Skate Tagathon 2011

editor — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:10:19 +0000

Full details of the 2011 Skate Tagathon have now been released, they can be found here.

You can still download the poster in pdf format from here.

SSACN Tagathon 13/14 November

editor — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 10:07:00 +0000

To make this event a success we once again need your help. So please consider coming along with your mates, your boat and/or your beach casters to help us with this important conservation work.

The event will be based around two main participation centers on Loch Etive and Loch Sunart both of which will be manned by SSACN volunteers on a daily basis. To participate simply fill in the form at http://www.tagsharks.com/tagathon-2010

Tagathon is part of our ongoing campaign to allow the stocks of spurdog and common skate in Lochs Sunart and Etive and surrounding waters to regenerate by protecting their habitats which are thought to be important breeding and pupping grounds.

As with all SSACN tagging events, Tagathon is a fun event with an equal emphasis put on demonstrating to the local residents the real value of angling tourism to their community as inshore fish populations could be completely sustainable and of far more value when used to support locally based sport fishing centers.

By doing this it is our sincere belief that “people power” will help us win the argument for greater conservation of inshore fish stocks for the benefit off the majority.

We also hope the tagging will provide the data to determine whether the region carries unique residential populations. The SSTP has had many recaptures from both Lochs and all the fish were recaptured within a short distance of their original capture and at different times of the year. It is too early to make any assumptions but these recaptures certainly support that theory.

Spurdog Factoids ~

Spurdogs have the longest gestation cycle of any animal – 2 years from conception to birth

Spurdogs are one of the longest lived fish in the sea. Studies from Canada indicate that they can actually live for up to 70 years.

Spurdogs used to be present in massive packs throughout European waters.

Relentless commercial fishing pressure over the last 20 years has reduced the stock to as little as 5% of their previous numbers.

Annual spurdog landings were in excess of 60,000 tons at their peak.

Following successful lobbying by SSACN and other organizations the total allowable catch (TAC) for the commercial sector has been significantly reduced over the past three years – it is now just 52 tons for whole of the UK for 2010.

The reduction of commercial landings is already making a difference. Anglers have caught spurdog this year in areas where they haven’t been seen for years.