Basking shark tagging project

Scottish Natural Heritage and the University of Exeter   have joined forces in an exciting new tagging project which will help to solve some of the mysteries about basking shark behaviour.

• How long do basking sharks remain feeding in certain areas in Scottish waters?
• How are the sharks using these areas which are important to them for feeding and potentially breeding?
• Where do basking sharks go after their summer feeding in Scotland's seas?
• Do the sharks remain in deeper waters off Scotland over winter?

These are some of the questions we hope this project will help to answer.

Many of you have contacted us with your own queries about the basking shark tagging project, so we have produced a list of the most frequently asked questions  .

The first Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Research Report on the project is now published: Basking shark satellite tagging project: post-fieldwork report.  Further reports will be published when data has been analysed.

We have tagged 20 basking sharks in 2012 off Scotland's west coast and used 2 types of tags. For the first time in Scotland eight sharks' movements are being displayed online  in near-to-real time with surface location tags. One additional tag donated by University of Exeter failed to transmit. Please follow the link to join us as we monitor the basking sharks' tracks! Long-term tags are also collecting data on movements of sharks during the winter, including how deep they have swam, but will not provide information until Spring 2013.

Scroll down to watch a short video taken during the tagging phase of the project.

What do you call a shark basking in Scottish waters?

We asked you to help us name the eight sharks which we have been following in near-to-real time and we received more than 200 name suggestions! It wasn't easy but we eventually named the sharks Elgol, Solas, Cearban, Gill, Marna, Cailleach, Roy and Fionnlagh. Thanks very much to everyone who sent in suggestions.

How can you help? Return any tags you find!

You can help the project by returning any detached tags you come across. The tags  are designed to eventually detach from the sharks and they can get washed-up onto the beach. The tags will provide us with a lot of information whilst attached to the sharks but if we can retrieve them after they fall off we can learn even more. If you return a tag you can also claim a reward! 

Only two sharks that we have been tracking in real-time still have their tags attached - Elgol and Roy. All of the basking sharks tagged with short-term tags stayed within the Inner Hebrides area for a period of time. Calleach travelled as far as the Canary Islands, off the west coast of Africa (at least 3000km from where it was tagged!), Elgol was last tracked to the west of Portugal, while Roy has reached the Bristol Channel.  Six of the long-term tags (with depth data) have also detached and the final six tags are programmed to detached in mid April 2013.

Please keep an eye open when you are on the shore for tags (see photo). If you do find a tag, please contact the Scottish Natural Heritage Oban Office on 0300 244 9360, or email - baskingsharks@snh.gov.uk.