The Marine Biological Association (MBA) has been a key part of a new international collaboration focused on studying the movement ecology of sharks.
In 2024, this research initiative reached new heights, with significant advancements in the number of sharks tagged.
The project, which involved tagging and tracking blue sharks (Prionace glauca) in the eastern North Atlantic will provide valuable insights into the behaviour and migration patterns of this iconic species under a changing climate.
As part of this project, Senior Research Fellow Dr Bryce Stewart organised and ran a shark research workshop at the MBA with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and a variety of other people and partnerships.
The project team helped facilitate a workshop with local recreational anglers in Looe who subsequently tagged 2200 sharks over the summer of 2024.
Bryce also helped with the satellite tagging of blue sharks with researchers from NOAA and the University of Exeter on a research trip with Bite Adventures from Penzance in July.
The team tagged five blue sharks with satellite tags that day with PSATs – Pop off Satellite Tags which stay on the sharks for a year.
They were also able to tag a shark they named ‘Tasha’ with a SPOT tag which gives positions every time the shark comes near the surface.
NOAA have now received funds to come back to the UK to continue the work for a second year – most likely in the summer. This time they will focus on running a workshop with anglers and a satellite tagging trip in Wales
The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries Apex Predators Program is a NOAA-funded International Science initiative.
Partnering with seven UK-based organisations and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the project’s goal is to study potential climate-driven shifts in migratory corridors and stock identification of blue sharks in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Satellite tags were deployed in collaboration with volunteer anglers and charter skippers, and scientists from the University of Exeter. The project is being coordinated with support from the University of York, the Marine Biological Association UK (MBA), the Angling Trust, the Shark Angling Club of Great Britain and the Pat Smith Database via Shark Hub UK.
