OCEARCH Tags Great White off Cape Cod
Scientists and crew members aboard the M/V OCEARCH recently caught a 15 foot, 2,292 pound Great White shark off the coast of Chatham, Massachusetts.
Before releasing her, they measured and weighed her, attached a satellite tag to her dorsal fin and collected blood and tissue samples. They also named her Genie, after the founder of Mote Marine Laboratories, Eugenie Clark.
OCEARCH is a non-profit organization that supports researchers and institutions who aim to gather new data on the biology, health and life history of sharks. The data collected through OCEARCH will support shark conservation and management strategies.
All research is conducted aboard the 126 foot M/V OCEARCH, a unique vessel that acts as an at-sea lab. All sharks are tagged and have a tissue sample taken before being released.
“We have massive knowledge gaps about how to protect their future,” said Chris Fischer, OCEARCH’s expedition leader.
The vessel, which can frequently be found off the coast of South Africa, is around Cape Cod to study the sharks’ migration patterns in order to better protect breeding sites and raise public awareness.
For more information, check out these links:
- OCEARCH’s Global Shark Tracker
- See pictures of the shark tagging in Chatham, Mass
- Read more about the tagging experience from NBCNews
Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Photo credit:pterantula via photopin cc.
Copyright © 2012 by Marine Science Today, a publication of Marine Science Today LLC.
