The Save Our Sharks project had a successful couple of weeks in St. Maarten. After several days on the water, the team was able to tag multiple sharks including two nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), four Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi), and seven tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier). Part of the gear that was used was constructed in June of this year, whilst the remainder was built over the last couple of weeks. Having the appropriate gear for catching sharks is critical for the health of the animal and will also increase the likelihood of catching the targeted species. The gear is designed to minimize the stress on the animal as much as possible and the team has been training to make the work up process run as efficiently as possible. The combination of proper training and use of right equipment is necessary to keep the caught animals safe and healthy.
On October 12, 2016, the team succeeded in deploying a satellite tag on a 2,4-meter female tiger shark, which is the first ever tiger shark to be tagged with this equipment in the Eastern Caribbean. She has already transmitted data points about her whereabouts and the team is very excited to see where she will go.
Stay tuned for more updates from #SOSExpedition16
