Sharks in the Gulf of Mexico are tagged with the latest in satellite equipment to track their movements. OCEARCH and the Harte Reserach Institute at Texas A&M- Corpus Christi launched a month-long tagging expedition in October in Corpus Christi. Courtesy Photo
A week of sharks kicks off Monday, Oct. 12 with public tours of the M/V OCEARCH expedition vessel from its dock at the Solomon P. Ortiz Center, Port of Corpus Christi. The vessel will launch the most extensive shark tagging program in the Gulf of Mexico region the next day just as the Texas State Aquarium holds grand opening ceremonies for its newest exhibit, Saving Sharks. An international shark-tagging research organization, OCEARCH is part of both the tagging expedition and the new exhibit.
Free public tours of the M/V OCEARCH will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 12, as the vessel prepares for the month-long tagging project. The expedition began Oct. 10 in Galveston, Texas, and will end Oct. 30 in New Orlean’s, Louisiana. OCEARCH and the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi have teamed up for the shark tagging project.
“OCEARCH brings amazing capacity that allows us to greatly increase the numbers of sharks tagged in our region,” said Dr. Greg Stunz, HRI Chair for Fisheries and Ocean Health and Director of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation (CSSC). “We will have access to a world-class vessel and fishermen to locate and capture the sharks.”
That world-class vessel comes equipped with a system to safely lift sharks from the water.
“This method is key for efficiently attaching tags, drawing blood, assessing reproductive status using ultrasound technology,” Stutz said, “along with a host of other scientific data collection methods that would otherwise be impossible on such a large, powerful, and dangerous animal.”
The team’s goal is to tag 20 to 25 sharks with the latest in satellite transmitters, enabling scientists to track their movements in real time.
Anyone and everyone can follow the OCEARCH expedition by accessing the near-real time, free online Global Shark Tracker or by downloading the Global Shark Tracker App available for Apple and Android platforms.
“Sharks, especially the large pelagic species, are difficult to access and this expedition will provide HRI an unprecedented opportunity to better understand where and how they live,” said Dr. Larry McKinney, HRI Executive Director. “We are always looking for how the Gulf of Mexico is connected to the world’s oceans and these sharks are the perfect model to study.”
NEW SHARK EXHIBIT
Shark studies can continue on land at the Texas State Aquarium with the opening of its latest exhibit, Saving Sharks on Oct. 13. OCEARCH founder Chris Fischer kicks off the opening at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday when he speaks on the shark tagging project. Placed between Islands of Steel and the Flower Gardens exhibits, Saving Sharks highlights the research techniques and findings of OCEARCH.
The exhibit will include a display of equipment, such as shark cages used in research and tagging programs. A touch tank of baby sharks will be moved from the ground floor of the aquarium to the exhibit area. A large set of megalodon jaws has been set up for photos as well as a video of shark-tagging procedures and a map of different species. Saving Sharks replaced the 10-year-old Amazon exhibit. It will be part of the aquarium’s future for at least two years, while animals in the Amazon exhibit have been placed in other areas of the aquarium.
Texas State Aquarium, which was recently No. 2 in the top 10 aquariums in the United States, is located at 2710 N. Shoreline Blvd. on North Beach in Corpus Christi.
