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Shark Tagging Program

The NOAA Fisheries Service cooperative shark tagging program is an ongoing tag/recapture study for shark and ray species in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic Ocean. The Shark Population Assessment Group, in collaboration with the Shark Team at the NOAA Fisheries Mississippi Labs, has played an important role in this study, tagging over ten thousand sharks since 1993. This study helps determine the movement patterns of elasmobranchs in order to better understand their abundance, when/where they use coastal habitats, what distances they migrate and where they migrate to, and overall, how they are distributed.

The NOAA Fisheries Shark Tagging Program uses five basic types of tags:

1. The Dart Tag (~10 cm or 3.9" long), used on moderate to large sharks.
2. The Roto Tag (small and large versions; ~4.5 cm or 1.8" long), used on moderate to large sharks.
3. The Spaghetti Tag (~7 cm or 2.8" long), used only on small sharks.
4. The M-tag (~18 cm or 7.1" long), used only on large sharks.
5. The Cinch-loop tag, used only on batoids.

If you encounter a shark or ray that has been tagged with one of our tags, please keep the whole shark (and tag) and contact the NOAA Fisheries Service Panama City Laboratory at (850) 234-6541 immediately. If the shark is released alive, please keep the tag, measure the fork (or total) length, and call the NOAA Fisheries Service Panama City Laboratory.

Be prepared to submit the following information:

1. Your name, phone number, and home address
2. Date, time, and location of your encounter with the shark (Be specific as possible!)
3. Species, length, and condition of the shark
4. Your activity at the time of the encounter (e.g., Fishing hook and line using shrimp as bait)
5. Information on the tag (Especially the 4, 5, or 6-digit tag number!), scars, or distinguishing marks

You can also email us this information using this online form: Shark Tag Report.

In return for your assistance, the Shark Population Assessment Group will send you an official cooperative shark tagging program T-shirt or hat and a letter with information about the shark that you encountered.

From spring 2005 to spring 2007, several age-1 Atlantic sharpnose sharks Rhizoprionodon terraenovae were tagged in Crooked Island Sound, FL, with a small, black acoustic pinger attached to a Roto Tag. If you catch a shark tagged with an acoustic pinger and the shark is still alive and in good condition, please write down the tag number, release the shark with the tag still attached, and call 850/234-6541. If the shark is dead or in poor condition, please keep both the shark and the tag. For more information regarding this project, click on the Research Areas link to the right and follow the Telemetry link at the top of the page.