The Importance of Tagging Sharks

 

Shark tagging is an important part of marine science because it helps scientists to understand how sharks work, such as where they travel, as well as giving them the ability to test things such as the bacteria in their mouths, and taking tissue samples. Despite the fact that this research is important, there is some controversy around the subject. While this research is done in an attempt to better understand sharks and their migration patterns among other things, many people believe that it is harmful to the sharks, and are against the practice entirely. While shark tagging is not without risk, the benefits far outweigh it. 

Shark ID Tag

ID tags, such as the ones above and below are used to track the movement of sharks, with a tag being placed onto a sharks fin and then if the shark was to be captured again, the tag also has contact information on it so that whoever tagged the shark could be contacted and informed of the size, species, and location that the shark was caught in. This helps scientists to find out more about these sharks movement patterns, with information related to them as these sharks are spotted out in the wild, with minimal damage done to the shark. 

A major risk of shark tagging is that the sharks may end up injured by the tags, sometimes permanently, because the tags can become damaged and go foul. If this happens while a shark is tagged before it is found again, or if tourists come through and see that a shark has damage caused by a fouled tag, they may decide that shark tagging is no longer worth the risk, thus causing more people to fight against something that for the most part poses a fairly small risk for the shark. 

While there are certainly risks when tagging sharks, the benefits far outweigh them, because so much useful information can be gathered just by having one shark tag put out there. It’s hard to believe that one tag through a dorsal fin can do so much for researchers. As time goes on, maybe even better methods can be used to track sharks in their natural habitat, but for now these tags are doing the job fairly well.