This has only been achieved through the terrific support of the 100′s of anglers – especially all those who have qualified for a bronze, silver or gold cap.

The Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network

Scottish Shark Tagging Programme

“ 1000 sharks tagged in Scottish waters by sea anglers in less than one year. ”

The Scottish Shark Tagging Programme (SSTP) which is run by the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (SSACN) has recently logged its 1000 fish, a major landmark for the new tagging programme.

The 1000th fish, was a 73 pound tope shark was caught by Jan Mejlink from Amsterdam on his annual fishing trip to Scotland.

The fact that Jan and his colleagues are willing to travel so far to enjoy their sea fishing highlights the economic impact sea angling can have on coastal economies and the necessity for healthy inshore fish stocks.

Ian Burrett, SSACN’s Project Director “We are delighted that so many fish have been tagged and the data returned to us. This data is crucial to allow appropriate management decisions to be made to ensure the survival of Scotland’s shark, skate and ray species.”

Tagging is the only method which offers the ability to gain an insight into the life history characteristics, migration movements and stock fluctuations of sharks, skates and rays without killing them.

Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment, said: “With some shark populations critically endangered we need to take measures to protect and sustain sharks in Scottish waters. That’s why the Scottish Government is committed to shark conservation, as demonstrated by the ban I introduced on the barbaric practice of ‘shark finning’ last October.

“Shark tagging plays an important role in monitoring the sharks around Scotland’s coasts and helping us increase our knowledge of the marine environment and I’m delighted that we have surpassed 1,000 sharks tagged.”

The tagging programme which started earlier this year, and is part funded by Scottish Natural Heritage and Leader, relies on voluntary input from sea anglers to tag and record details of fish. Some interesting returns so far have included tope sharks originally tagged in Scotland being re-caught off Wales and the Azores; another tope shark being recaptured in the Solway 4 years after it was originally tagged there; and a pair of common skate being re-caught in the same place and same order, a year after their initial tagging.

Les McBride, a regular contributor to the programme, said “The feedback I have received from the project on the fish I catch is very interesting, knowing where my fish was last caught and how much it has grown increases my enjoyment of my sport as each tagged fish I catch has a story, and each tag I put in is the start of another one”.
[ENDS]

Related posts:

1. SSACN Press release – EU Shark Plan
2. BBC – Sharkatag
3. BBC – Sharkatag

Thanks to the incredible team behind Sharkatag and all those who took part in them, Sharkatag was a huge success; the increase in the numbers of novices and juniors was a special feature this year.

Once again the event showed that sea anglers can enjoy themselves, take a real interest in conservation and make significant economic contributions to coastal economies, all at one and the same time.

On page 6 you’ll also find an article by Terry Morris which we believe encapsulates many of the values and objectives of SSACN.

The SSTP has really begun to gather place now, and with the introduction of "Tagger of the Month" and "Top Tagger" awards, we are now able to give recognition to those anglers who go ‘above and beyond’.

As always we’d like to thank all our Members and Volunteers for their continued support and encouragement.

Remember you can keep up to date via www.ssacn.org, www.tagsharks.com and now via Facebook.

Related posts:

1. Latest SSACN Newsletter
2. Sharkatag on Sea Watch UK
3. Sharkatag Update

The newsletter focuses on two major projects – The Scottish Shark Tagging Programme (SSTP – www.tagsharks.com) and a Scottish Industry Science Partnership (SISP) activity, where SSACN are the industry lead, to develop a standard process for undertaking near-shore stock surveys.

There’s also news of a new tagging event around next Easter; this combined with the Tagthon and Sharkatag provides a terrific foundation for the SSTP

Sharkatag 2010 again showed the tremendous commitment sea anglers have to their sport and conservation – most encouragingly, we welcomed a good number of novices and juniors.

In the past three years SSACN has grown quite substantially, this is down to the hard work of a number of volunteers, the terrific support from our Members and also those who have kindly help fund some of our work through donations, sponsored events, boot sales etc.

Related posts:

1. 2010 YTD NEWSLETTER AND SHARKATAG REVIEW
2. SSACN receive funding for Shark Officer
3. Scottish sharks endangered

Charlott Stenberg Fiskeriverkets Utredningskontor, Göteborg, Sweden

The piked, or spiny, dogfish, Squalus acanthias, is a common shark in the Atlantic, the Pacific Ocean and in the Black Sea.

Jones and Geen (1976) studied whether the piked dogfish in the Pacific Ocean should be classified as a species of its own, Squalus suckleyi, as it has been in other studies, or if it is in fact the same species in both the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean.

After electrophoretic analyses of muscle tissue and blood, comparing morphometric ratios and the number of vertebra on sharks from North America’s east and west coasts, their conclusion was that the differences between the populations were not big enough to classify the population of the Pacific Ocean as a subspecies of the piked dogfish from the Atlantic Ocean.

On the other hand many researchers write about the possibility of physiological differences or differences in the metabolic rate that can exist between the sharks in the different oceans.

Ketchen (1975) wrote that it seems as if the piked dogfish in the Atlantic Ocean have a more rapid initial growth, become sexually mature earlier and do not attain the same size as its relatives in the Pacific Ocean. Most probably they do not reach the same age either.

Something that does not seem to differ between the piked dogfish in the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean is that it takes between 20 and 23 months for the embryos to develop after fertilization (Holden and Meadows, 1964; Jones and Geen, 1977b). On the other hand Kirnosova (1989) maintains that the piked dogfish in the Black Sea only needs 12 months for the same process.

The study examines the life history of the piked dogfish in Swedish waters

Related posts:

1. Reproduction of female spiny dogfish
2. United States dogfish fishery starts sustainability assessment
3. Bycatch threats to porbeagle and spurdog ?

The spiny dogfish  (Squalus acanthias) is a relatively small shark with a characteristic spine in front of each dorsal fin.  Its dorsal side is grayish and has sporadic white spots.

Although it may reach a length of 160 cm, most individuals in the North Sea are in the range of 80–100 cm (Ford,  1921).  It is distributed worldwide,  absent only from
tropical and polar regions.

The spiny dogfish has been harvested for more than 100 years mostly for its oil-rich liver.  At first, the oil was used for lamp fuel and as a lubricant in machines. The oil was later (during W.W.II) used as a source of vitamin A. Today the dogfish is valued as food in many countries.

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1. Life history of Spurdog
2. Shark Trade Limits Endorsed by EU
3. No more shark in UK fish and chips

Basking Shark Hotspots on the West Coast of Scotland: Key sites, threats and implications for conservation of the species.

The Wildlife Trusts’ Basking Shark Project conducted effort-corrected line transect surveys for the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) along the west coast of Scotland between 2002-2006. A total of 11,179km of linear transects consisting of 956 hours duration were covered, and a total of 593 sharks were recorded whilst on transect.

Related posts:

1. Basking Shark hotspot
2. New basking shark leaflet
3. Basking Shark conference

A study http://www.acuteangling.com/Reference/C&RMortality.html

was carried out on a variety of different species ( non Shark ) The study suggests an average successful return rate of 97.23% without consideration of optimized techniques. The study claims the use of specific tackle types and fishing techniques, use of codes of practise etc. can significantly reduce the 2.73% mortality rate.

And on sharks

From http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=19994785

Our results suggest, therefore, that oxygen delivery following exhaustive exercise is not necessarily compromised in juvenile sandbar sharks, and that hook and line capture and subsequent release do not increase rates of mortality,

From http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/programsandprojects/catch.htm

Tag recaptures of blue sharks, yellow-fin tuna, and bluefin tuna that were previously blood sampled by the study provided long-term evidence that these fish were not physiologically compromised by the angling experience or the tagging.

The results of this study http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/publications/angling_effects_tuna_sharks.pdf support the hypothesis that pelagic game fish and sharks are capable of recovery when handled properly.

The report http://www.mesa.edu.au/seaweek2005/pdf/infosheet10.pdf

Suggest “Sharks appear to recover much faster than other fishes from the stress of being hooked”.

This study http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/organizations/ssg/sharknews/sn7/shark7news14.htm sums the situation up well

“Properly implemented, the tagging of sharks by sport fishermen provides a wealth of new information and immeasurably adds to global efforts to conserve shark species”.

Related posts:

1. EC to ban trade in tuna, porbeagle and spiny dogfish ?
2. Tagging porbeagle
3. Scottish sharks endangered

Related posts:

1. Sign up for Tagathon2009
2. Tagathon 2010
3. Sharkatag Update

The Shark Bug

From a very early age I was fascinated by the Oceans, however growing up in West Bromwich meant shark encounters were more often experienced behind reinforced glass tanks in Aquariums than in the wild! It wasn’t until I moved to Plymouth to pursue my undergraduate degree that I could finally begin to immerse myself in the shark’s realm. Specific research projects grabbed my attention and the more I discovered about sharks, the more I wanted to find out. I can spend all day everyday reading about sharks, observing sharks, swimming with sharks and I’ll always be ready for more!

Qualifications

BSc Honours degree in Marine Biology and coastal Ecology from the University of Plymouth 2001-2004.

PhD in Marine Biology, from the University of Aberdeen 2005-2008. Thesis titled: “Behavioural and Neural Correlates of Hydrostatic Pressure Sensing in Sharks”

Shark Work

My shark work to date has covered many aspects of shark biology, primary focuses include: depth, temperature and horizontal habitation by juvenile lemon sharks using DSTs, behavioural responses to changing pressure by the lesser spotted dogfish and the evolution of the shark immune system. I have also carried out field research in the following areas: population studies of adult lemon, nurse, tiger, bull and blacktip sharks, social interactions, population genetic structure, magnetic and chemical repellents and environmental preferences of the juvenile lemon shark.

The Benefits of DSTs

The tagging of sharks is recognised as a valuable means for studying various aspects of their life history, migrations and movements, and population structure. The majority of tagging undertaken has the primary objectives of understanding migration patterns and obtaining stock assessment data. This typically involves the attachment of numbered colour coded tags to the base of the shark’s fins. If re-caught the tags are then removed and the location of recapture noted. The data obtained from this type of tagging study is important yet rudimentary; it tells us a start and end point but nothing in between. Data Storage Tags (DSTs) provide additional data on the sharks chosen habitat by logging time/date, depth and temperature. From this we can learn more about a shark’s habitat usage and can make better informed decisions concerning the protection of both the shark and its habitat.

Shark Conservation

I personally believe it is a scientist’s responsibility to make their work accessible to all. As a result of this philosophy I have been active in promoting shark research and shark perception in a positive light to the media driven by an extremely high motivation in all aspects of shark biology, this has resulted in my assuming a national, international and global consultancy role and conducting newspaper interviews, providing information for documentaries and radio shows and the creation of a personal website which is regularly being updated www.sharkiologist.com

With the current need for the protection of elasmobranchs inhabiting Loch Sunart and Etive from unsustainable exploitation the Tagathon event on 14^th/15^th Nov will be instrumental in bringing about a positive change and I am delighted to be part of the SSTP team and I sincerely hope our efforts will heighten awareness and positively contribute to the implementation of effective conservation strategies.

Related posts:

1. Tagging porbeagle
2. Orkney Skate Trust
3. Welcome to the SSTP

If you are interested in applying for the Project Officer job go to http://www.snhjobs.co.uk/; if you require any further information, details etc, just use this form.

The following press release went out today.

The Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network

SSACN receive £52,000 for shark research

SNH and LEADER to fund a Shark Project Officer

SSACN are delighted to announce they have been awarded a funding package worth £52,000 to help support their data gathering on species of sharks, skates and rays found in Scottish waters, many of which are at risk.

The funding has been offered by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Argyll and the Islands LEADER Programme and will be used to employ a Shark Project Officer who will work with SSACN and to further develop the Scottish Shark Tagging Programme (SSTP – www.tagsharks.com) whose objectives are to :

• Record data on shark, skate and ray species
• Increase public awareness
• Highlight the need for species protection
• Encourage use of “codes of best practice”
• Showcase conservation methods and efforts

Project Director Ian Burrett " SSACN has long campaigned for programmes aimed at regenerating the stocks of Scotland’s sharks; unfortunately the government and fisheries managers say they are unable to act as they say they lack the necessary scientific data and have no programme in place to gather it.

"Thanks to our funding partners and the many anglers who support our efforts, we shall be gathering that data for them."

Tagging is the only non-destructive means of gathering the necessary data. It will be undertaken by volunteer sea anglers – fishing from the shore, kayaks or boats – who will catch, tag and release various shark, skate and ray species, either as part of their normal fishing trips or during major tagging events coordinated by the Shark Project Officer and SSACN.

The duties of the Shark Project Officer will also include arranging training workshops for anglers and raising awareness of Scottish sharks, skates and rays by liaising with fishermen, and visiting schools in Argyll.

Jane Dodd, SNH Marine Project Officer for Argyll and Stirling said: "We are hoping to recruit a dynamic project officer to lead this exciting project. Someone with project management skills and at least an interest in sea angling and a willingness to do some boat based field work.  Quite an unusual range of skills to be found in a single person but we have our fingers crossed that he or she is out there!

[END]

Related posts:

1. Glasgow Museum Tagging Project adds great value to the SSTP
2. SSACN Spurdog Tagging Programme
3. 1000 up press release