Overview Tagging

The KZNSB has been an active member of the South African National Tagging Program since 1984. The Tagging Program is administered by the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) and since its inception in 1984, 4689 registered members have tagged over 219 000 fish of about 350 species. Most of the participants are volunteer anglers, but several research institutes and universities also participate.

Of the annual average of 591 sharks caught in the nets, about 13% are found alive, and from 1978 to 1989 the percentage of sharks released increased steadily to 100%. This development was a result of a gradual acceptance that many sharks caught pose little threat to swimmers and the increasing reluctance of those servicing the nets to kill live sharks. The KZNSB started with their own tagging program in 1976 and by 1986 some 2030 animals were tagged with different-coloured roto tags (”C-tags”). Sharks were tagged from the nets (480), but the majority was tagged during dedicated fishing outings and those were mainly small dusky sharks.

1984	The KZNSB joined the National Tagging Program in 1984, tagging free-swimming raggedtooth sharks. Most of this tagging has taken place near Leven Point in the St Lucia Marine Reserve. A pole sling was (and still is) used by KZNSB snorkel divers to insert a “Hallprint” dart tag with stainless steel head and plastic streamer (”B-tag”). By the end of 2009, 762 raggies had been tagged this way.
1987	In 1987 the KZNSB changed from C-tags to B-tags for animals caught in the nets and by the end of 2009, 2151 sharks comprising 14 species were tagged before release. The majority of these were raggedtooth sharks (942), followed by tiger sharks (354) and dusky sharks (251). Seventy (70) great white sharks were tagged.
1993	In 1993 the KZNSB started injecting live sharks with the antibiotic oxytetracycline, to improve our ability to age sharks. Injected sharks are marked with an orange tag, instead of the conventional yellow tag. The KZNSB offers a “reward” of R 100 for the return of such a shark or a section of vertebrae. Between 1993 and 2009, 904 sharks were injected, both in the nets and through opportunistic tagging (137). The majority were again raggedtooth sharks (332), followed by tiger (171) and dusky sharks (90). In addition, nine mako sharks and 35 great white sharks have been injected.
2009	In addition to the diver tagging and tagging of net caught animals, KZNSB staff also tag opportunistically, and between 1984 and 2009, 309 sharks were tagged.

Historically, the KZNSB has tagged only one batoid species, the giant guitarfish and between 1988 and 2009 515 have been marked including opportunistic tagging (19). In 1996 the KZNSB started to tag other batoids and to date 148 have been tagged, the majority being spotted eagle rays (32) and diamond (27) and manta rays (30). The KZNSB was one of the first institutions to tag manta rays and was asked by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture of the Republic of Maldives about possible different tag insertion positions.

The KZNSB has two tagging categories: “sharks” and “harmless”. The latter includes the above-mentioned batoids, but also teleosts and small sharks such as angel, milky, blackspot and hound sharks. A further 112 were tagged in the nets and opportunistically by KZNSB staff. The majority of these were smooth hound sharks (57) and angel sharks (12). Thus the total tagging effort of KZNSB staff for the last 26 years stands at:

Sharks	3236 (incl. 904 injected animals)
Harmless	775
Total	3997

If the pre-membership period (net and opportunistic tagging) is included the figure rises to 6041 animals.