The Shark Tagger 1978-1979

Photo by H. W. Pratt RESEARCH CRUISES "NOBODY DOES IT BETTER • • • " Research cruises in 1978 were conducted by staff biologists OVERVIEW OF 1978. aboard the Polish vessel RIV Wieczno and the RIV Geronimo from the St. Georges School in In 1978, 4,504 sharks representing 30 species were tagged and released Newport, RI. Cruises ranged from under the NMFS cooperative shark tagging program. Volunteer taggers ac Georges Bank to Cape Canaveral, counted for about 90% of all releases which also included 53 swordfish and FL. Activities included longlining 51 miscellaneous teleosts. During the same period, 216 fish were recap for sharks and other large tured from 14 species of sharks and a crevalle jack. No swordfish tags were gamefish for tagging; a food habit returned. Last year was indeed a record year in that the number of sharks experiment using longline and released, the number recaptured, and the recapture rate of 4.7% were all trawl nets in a 25 sq. mile study higher than in any year since the program began in 1963. Of the 216 tags area south of Montauk, NY; and remote tracking experiments on returned last year, 161 (75%) came from blue, 11 (5%) from mako, 11 (5%) mako sharks and swordfish using from sandbar, and 32 (15%) from other shark species. Rod and reel sonic tags. The sonic tracking ex fishermen returned 152 (70%) of the tags, longliners accounted for 45 periments were in cooperation (21 %), and 19 (9%) were recaptured by other methods. Foreign fishermen with Dr. Frank Carey of the Woods returned 17 tags, of which 14 were taken by longline fishermen from Japan Hole Oceanographic Institution, a (6), Korea (2), Spain (2) , Canada (2), Cuba (1) , and Mexico (1). An un world expert on underwater precedented aspect of 1978 tag returns was that 77 came from fishermen telemetry. participating in the tagging program. Moreover, 22 of these sharks (primari Results of two cruises on Wiecz ly blue sharks) were retagged after the original tag had been retrieved. The no and one on Geronimo ac counted for 548 tagged sharks and maximum time at liberty for a tagged shark in 1978 came from a sandbar teleosts. These included blue, shark recaptured after six years. The shark was released off Montauk, N.Y. , mako, sandbar, and smooth ham and recovered off Jesus Maria, Mexico, a distance of 2,000 miles. This is merhead sharks and a few sword 1,000 miles further than any previous recovery from a sandbar shark and it fish. That part of the catch that was is the second recovery to show movements of the species from the Atlantic not tagged was taken on board and into the Gulf of Mexico. The longest distance recorded for any species in examined for reproductive, food and age-growth studies. continued on page 2 continued on page 8 Newsletter of the Distribution of this newsletter is Cooperative Shark Tagging Program limited to active participants in the U.S. Department of Commerce NM FS Cooperative Shark Tagging National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Program. This information is pre National Marine Fisheries Service liminary and subject to revision . Northeast Fisheries Center Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882 Pr inted compliments o f the Bay Shore Tuna Club. 1978 continued shore fishing grounds (15-30 SUMMA RY OF SHARKS AND TELEOSTS TAGGED fathoms) during May and June. JAN. -DEC . 1978 Other returns showed longer nor thward movements between Cape TAGGED BY Hatteras, NC, and Cape Cod, MA, in early spring with a part of the SPECIES FISHERMEN BIOLOGISTS TOTALS (SPORT & COMM.) {NMFS & OTHERS) population continuing on to Georges Bank and into the Gulf of SHARKS Maine later in the summer. Although tagging has Blue shark 2,237 488 2,725 Sa ndbar shark 609 30 639 demonstrated a well defined pat Dusky shark 279 2 281 Mako s ha rk 83 22 105 tern of blue shark migrations bet Sea 11 oped ha11111erh ead 116 33 149 ween the margin of the Gulf Sioooth hammerhead 8 8 Great hanmerhead 9 9 Stream and the northeast coast, Bonnethead 30 30 some segments of the population Ha11111erhead (uni dent.) 38 38 Blacktip shark (Small Blk. tip) 84 84 travel much longer distances. In Spinner shark (Lar}e 8lk. tip) 11 11 1978 several tags were received Blacktip (unident. 14 14 Bull shark 16 16 which showed blue shark Reef shark 15 15 Atlantic s harpnose sh ark 62 62 movements in the 1,000-3,000 mile Lemon shark 15 15 range. Tags were returned from Nurse shark 20 20 Silky shark 82 87 blues taken in the Sargasso Sea, Bl ac knose shark 22 22 off Portugal, the West Indies, Tiger shark 56 59 Night shark 1 1 South America, and Cuba. These Oceanic whitetip shark 19 19 recoveries support the Sa nd tiger shar k 21 21 Thresher shark 7 11 hypothetical migratory patterns we Smoo th do gfi sh 10 10 have discussed previously, but Sp iny dogfish 5 5 Fi netooth shark 4 4 every year new information is for Basking shark 3 3 White shark 1 1 thcoming. Ca r charhini d shark (un i dent. ) 12 12 The 1978 recapture of a blue Other sharks* 28 28 shark tagged off New England and Tota 1 Sharks 3,917 587 4,504 recaptured off Portugal is the first to show west to east movements TELEOSTS between the North American and Swordfi sh 48 53 European coasts. Whether the blue Tunas 11 14 sharks in the western and eastern Bil lfi sh 32 32 Misc. Te l eosts 3 5 Atlantic represent }he same stock, Tota l Teleosts 94 10 104 or different breeding populations which intermi x, remains unclear. GRANO TOTAL 4,011 597 4 ,608 Additional tagging on both the U.S. and European side will help to *Includes species reported simply as "shark" . clarify this point. Currently, there is an ongoing shark tagging pro gram in Ireland. In the past British biologists have also tagged blue BLUE SHARKS sharks. Results of their studies in OVERVIEW OF 1978 - continued (161 RECAPTURES) clude three recaptures from the U.S. coast. The latest recovery of a 1978 was 3,000 miles by a The number of tag returns from European tag was by Irwin Klein, blue shark that was tagged off blue sharks in 1978 was higher one of our taggers, who on August Southern New England and recap · than the combined returns from all 27, 1978, caught no less than three tured a year later off Portugal. We species in 1977. The times at liber tagged blue sharks off Montauk, have had blue sharks recaptured ty ranged from a few days to nearly NY. Two of these bore NMFS tags over broad areas of the Atlantic in four years. About 85 % of the blues that had been at liberty for less cluding the offings of South were recaptured within si x months, than two months. The third shark America and Africa, but this is the 5% were at liberty from si x months had been tagged off southern first recovery to show west to east to a year, and 10 % were at Ii berty Ireland on July 11 , 1977 by transatlantic movements to the from one to four years. Nearly all of Ireland's Inland Fisheries Trust, coast of Europe. Additional infor the short term . recaptures (less Inc., (2 ,600 miles in 412 days). Truly mation on last year's results is in than one month) were caught off a remarkable day for Capt. Klein cluded in this newsletter, but we Southern New England and Long considering most fishermen never hope these few highlights provide Island, generally within 50 miles of catch a tagged shark. · some idea of the scope of the tagg where they were tagged. The high Severa l developments during ing program and how vital you numbers of short term recaptures 1978 offer some exciting fishermen have been to its continu is in part explained by an increase possibilities in the course of the ing success. As the song says: in the number of fishermen coupl Cooperative Tagging Program. For " Nobody does it half as good as ed with an increase in the example, last year over 20 blue you .. you 're the best." availability of blue sharks on in- sharks were recaptured by you tag- continued on page 3 2 OVERVIEW 1978 - co n ti nued are more commonly taken by sport Florida, Cuba, Gult c oast or yers. This offers a unique oppor smen on inshore grounds between Florida, and now this latest tunity for age studies (see page 8) 15 and 30 fathoms. This is but one recovery from the western Gulf. and also for obtaining repeated small part of the migratory pattern. These recoveries are from all parts observations on the growth and Makos are widely distributed and of the range of the sandbar shark in movements of the same shark over during the summer it is nqt the western North Atlantic but the several months or seasons. unusual to catch one almost -· relationship between the Atlantic Another welcome development anywhere between Cape Hatteras and Gulf populations is not clear. is that through the cooperation of and the Grand Banks. The species Only two sandbar sharks, tagged U.S. Fishery Observers (i.e., agents is truly pelagic and we have, in the on the Atlantic coast, have been who maintain surveillance aboard past, had makos tagged off New recaptured in the Gulf of Mexico foreign fishery vessels) sharks, England and recaptured off South (after 6 and 12 years at liberty).

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