Tagging a shortfin mako shark

Shortfin mako sharks are frequently caught as bycatch in tuna longline fisheries. Tagging with conventional gamefish tags has shown that New Zealand makos migrate to the South Pacific islands and Australia. Credit: Scott Tindale We need to understand the movement dynamics and stock structure of makos in order to determine their status, and so NIWA is collaborating with the Guy Harvey Research Institute and the Ministry of Primary Industries to tag makos with electronic SPOT tags attached to their dorsal fins. These tags give a satellite fix when the aerial comes out of the water. Click here to see the track of a 185 cm female tagged in the Bay of Islands in May 2012.