A tiger shark, tagged 140 miles off the coast of Massachusetts in the United States of America, was recently captured by an Anguillian fisher, at the north eastern end of the Seal Island reef, on the north coast of Anguilla. The shark, estimated at 8 feet in length, originally tagged in July of 2008 migrated over 1500 miles from the US to Anguilla.

Tiger shark

Upon return from the fishing trip, the local fisher notified an official from the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources (DFMR) about the tag, who in turn contacted the US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to notify them of the recapture and to request information about where and when the shark was tagged.

The shark was tagged under the NMFS Cooperative Shark Tagging Program (CSTP), which is a program geared towards the study of the biology of large Atlantic Sharks. The CSTP was initiated in 1962, where up to 2001 more than 17,000 sharks of 52 species have been tagged and more than 10,000 sharks of 33 species have been recaptured. Data from tagging programmes such as the CSTP provide valuable information on the migration and the extent of fish movements. The tagging of marine species also provides information about stock identity, abundance, age and growth, mortality, and animal behaviour.

Tiger sharks, distinguishable by the dark vertical stripes on their bodies (mostly found on juveniles), can grow to an average size of 10 – 14 feet in length and are common in tropical and sub-tropical waters throughout the world. They undergo seasonal migrations, moving from tropical to temperate waters in the warmer months of the year and returning to the tropics during the winter months. Tiger sharks are capable of travelling long distances in a short period of time, feeding on fish, birds, dolphins, seals, sea turtles, squid, and other sharks. Tiger sharks are listed as ‘Near Threatened’ on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) list of endangered species.

The Actual tag taken from shark

The DFMR would like to thank the fisher and others for reporting the tag and would like to encourage all fishers in Anguilla to continue to cooperate with the Department in providing such information and other data requested by the Department. The information collected by the DFMR not only contributes to regional and international scientific research, it also allows for informed decisions to be made about the exploitation of our fishery resources. The data collected by DFMR is also used in the preparation of national statistics, more notably the contribution of the fishing industry to Anguilla’s Gross Domestic Product.

- Press Release

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