More than 2,000 sharks were tagged by fishermen in Argentina

Conserving Sharks in Argentina is a Citizen Science Project made up of shark anglers and biologists of the Wildlife Conservation Society Argentina, the National University of La Plata and the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences. The marking project is federal and It has been running since 2010, being the longest running in the country, according to the Ministry of Science of the Nation. basically unite science and conservation, inviting sport fishermen from all over the country to tag endangered species and practicing the fishing with return of the great coastal sharks of our country.

This project has generated reliable and unpublished information for the conservation and study of coastal sharks in the country, achieving today tag 2,136 sharks of nine different species, being 21 of them, recaptured. In addition, it is estimated that there are another 5,000 returned without marks by the same fishermen of the project. The relevance of this project, which extends from the Querandí Lighthouse (Buenos Aires) to Puerto San Julián (Santa Cruz), It implied the training in marking and return of 207 fishermen, of which 83 are active.

He marking of individuals allows you to accurately determine your migration patterns, growth, fidelity to tagging sites, population dynamics, among other key aspects for its management and conservation. The work carried out by the fisherman consists of take a genetic sample and insert a yellow aseptic tube under the dorsal fin of the shark which is called spaghetti because of its elongated shape, where the alphanumeric data obtained are placed: size, sex, general condition and approximate weight along with a cell phone number and an email. Thus, the canoeist who recaptures this specimen will again be able to allow the biologists to compare the information and draw conclusions about its behavior at sea from the route it has taken. Most of the sharks marked over the past decade They are females, mainly Bacotas and Cazones, joining a virtual podium, the Leopard, specimens that were later returned safe and sound to their habitat, since it is scientifically proven that the fight does not cause them any post-return damage if it has been practiced correctly.

one of the most relevant facts of the data obtained is the largest migration of a bacota shark in the world, with 397 days at liberty and 2,566 km traveled to Espiritu Santo (Brazil). In addition, it should be noted that between 70 and 80% of the catches of all shark species by sport fishermen are females.

Between nearly a hundred years of active fishermen tagging and returning sharks, in percentages, within the Province of Buenos Aires, they are divided into nodes. The one in Buenos Aires Norte with 40% is the one with the greatest presence, followed by Buenos Aires Centro with 16% and Bahía San Blas with 15.5% of the total participation. On the other hand, the Río Negro Node has 25.5% of active fishermen, Chubut only 2%, while in Santa Cruz there are no active fishermen at the moment. In case of San Blas is paradoxical, since the sport fisherman’s paradise is the place where, on the one hand, 52.7% of the specimens have been tagged, and on the other, It is the site where seven specimens were marked, of three different species, which were later recaptured. Five dogfish, a bacota and a leopard, with the color data that a female dogfish tagged in San Blas was recaptured in Uruguayan waters.

The project establishes a constant back and forth between biologists and fishermen, what was demonstrated in the meetings during the end of March and the beginning of April of this year. There was held a traversed through the different nodes, in order to visit the fishermen and tell them the results obtained by them. In turn, the occasion was used to distribute tags, circle hooks and emphasize with our fishermen about good practices when it comes to fishing with release of large coastal sharks. In addition, they have held meetings to strengthen the relationship with fishermen, incorporate new fishermen trained in tagging, continue promoting and highlighting the good practices of sport fishing to reduce post-capture stress.

What do I do if I come across a tagged shark?

• if he is dead: Remove the mark and take the data.
• If he is alive: Do not remove the mark, nor mark it again. Take the following data: Brand number. Place and date. Species. Sex. Size. If possible, take a photo or video of the mark and the shark.

How to contact the project?