Study identifies best practice for whale shark tagging
An international team led by scientists at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) has published new guidance aimed at improving the way researchers track whale sharks, helping strengthen conservation efforts for the world's largest fish.
Published by Springer Nature, the study evaluates different tagging approaches with a particular focus on clamp-based attachment systems, which allow electronic tags to be attached to whale sharks without more invasive techniques.
Tracking whale sharks is essential for understanding their movements, behaviour and exposure to threats including ship strikes and climate change. However, attaching tracking devices to animals that can exceed 10 metres in length remains technically challenging.
The researchers assessed the performance of clamp-based systems using expertise gathered from scientists around the world.
Lead author Dr Freya Womersley, a postdoctoral research scientist at the MBA, said satellite tracking has transformed understanding of the species.
“People are often amazed to learn that the world's largest fish can travel thousands of kilometres across the ocean,” she said.
“By tracking whale sharks, we can begin to understand these extraordinary journeys and the challenges they face along the way.”
The study found that clamp systems are more versatile than traditional drill-based approaches, can remain attached for more than 200 days and are compatible with a wide range of electronic tracking devices.
Womersley said bringing together international experience had helped identify the most effective approaches.
“Everyone has faced similar challenges when tagging whale sharks, so it made sense to pool that knowledge and identify the approaches that work best,” she said.
The authors believe the work will help improve future field studies by providing practical guidance on tag deployment and performance.
The MBA, which was founded in 1884, is based in Plymouth where it runs a research programme and houses both the National Marine Biological Library and the Continuous Plankton Recorder, together with the world’s largest catalogued plankton archive. The city is also home to the Plymouth Marine Laboratory.
Pic: Mounish Raja
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