Bull sharks are renowned for their ability to tolerate fresh water (the Bull Shark has been recorded some 2,600 miles (4,200 kilometres) upriver from the mouth of the Amazon) and until recently Lake Nicaragua in South America actually had a resident population of breeding Bull sharks… however the Nicaraguan dictator Somoza permitted a shark-fin processing plant to be built on the shores of the San Juan River. So during the 1970s, thousands of sharks were caught and killed each year then processed through this Japanese plant, as a result the …

As you’ll remember we had to call off the proposed AGM in November 2011 due to weather.
It will now take place on Wednesday the 1st February 2012 at the Carlton Hotel, Prestwick (KA9 1TP) and will start at 7.00pm.
If any Member would like to propose a Resolution, please ensure it is received by the 24th January 2012 – just send it to this email address marked FAO The Secretary. NB:: Any resolutions which were proposed for the last meeting will be carried forward unless we are informed otherwise.
Finally, for …

Shark species in the Clyde have all but disappeared.
Although most people know that the Clyde was once one of Europe’s prime destinations for cod, haddock, saithe and other white fish species, very few are aware that prior to 1960, 30% (by weight) of all demersal fish in the Clyde was made up by spurdog, thornback ray and tope.
Of course, once the bans on trawling were lifted in the 1960s and 1980s, and commercial exploitation was allowed to take place without restriction, stocks of all white fish were quickly depleted.
During the …

Over the last few years the SSTP has brought together tagging data from our own database and historical data from the Glasgow Museum Tagging Programme and the UK Shark Tagging Programme to form a single database of Scottish shark tagging information.
Analysis of this data over the last few weeks has brought one particularly interesting tag and recapture to light.
A female skate, originally tagged by Brian Swinbanks west of the Isle of Mull in 1990 was recaptured a staggering 19 years, 10 months and 14 days later in the Sound of …

Welcome to the December 2011 issue of the Scottish Shark Tagging Programme (SSTP) Newsletter which highlights some of the key moments in another successful year and an insight to some opportunities for next year. We hope you will find it an enjoyable and informative read.
You can read the full newsletter by following the link here SSTP Progress Report 2011.
Recognising everyone who has given their support is impossible, but our thanks go to all those Members, volunteers and contributors – without YOUR input, help, guidance and support, SSACN and the SSTP …

The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a complete ban on the practice of shark finning – where fins are sliced off sharks when vessels are at sea, and the dead or dying shark is thrown back to sea.
The move follows the Scottish Government’s lead, which strengthened the shark finning ban for Scottish vessels in January 2010, the first country to do so.
Scottish Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said:"Sharks are part of Scotland’s rich marine biodiversity and I am delighted that the Commission has finally seen sense and followed our …

Today we look at the Blackmouth Dogfish in the tenth of our Species Fishing and ID guides.
If you have a picture of yourself with a Blackmouth Dogfish and want to show it off on this page please send it to contact@ssacn.org or post it on the Scottish Shark Tagging Programme’s Facebook page! Remember to keep checking www.tagsharks.com to make sure you don’t miss your chance to show off your PB shark, skate or ray!

Biology
Other Names: Galeus melastomus, Blackmouth Catshark
Description: Blackmouth’s are a slender dogfish with a distinct marbled brown …

Any idea what caused the wound in the following photo ?

No !
Well, skate and rays are common bycatch in many trawled fisheries; to return the fish to the water some commercial fisherman cut a ‘handhold’ in the fish to make them easy to handle; with larger fish they will cut a slit in both wings and thread a rope through the cuts in order to lift the skate out and overboard.
Although the end result is not very pretty, as you can see the wounds can heal well; in fact earlier …

Today we look at the Starry Smoothhound in the ninth of our Species Fishing and ID guides.
If you have a picture of yourself with a Starry Smoothhound and want to show it off on this page please send it to contact@ssacn.org or post it on the Scottish Shark Tagging Programme’s Facebook page! Remember to keep checking www.tagsharks.com to make sure you don’t miss your chance to show off your PB shark, skate or ray!

Biology
Other Names: Mustelus asterias
Description: Slender shark with grey/sandy brown dorsal surface, white ventral surface and two large …

Tonight’s (8/12/11) AGM has been cancelled because of the storm force winds that are due for the region today and the to the long distances many members need to travel. The police and met office are advising there will be trees down and local flooding.
We will publish an alternative date once we have determined one.