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. 2011;6(11):e27242.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027242. Epub 2011 Nov 14.

Effects of Smart Position Only (SPOT) tag deployment on white sharks Carcharodon carcharias in South Africa

Oliver J D Jewell  1 , Michelle A Wcisel, Enrico Gennari, Alison V Towner, Marthán N Bester, Ryan L Johnson, Sarika Singh
Affiliations

Effects of Smart Position Only (SPOT) tag deployment on white sharks Carcharodon carcharias in South Africa

Oliver J D Jewell et al. PLoS One. 2011.

Abstract

We present 15 individual cases of sub-adult white sharks that were SPOT tagged in South Africa from 2003-2004 and have been re-sighted as recently as 2011. Our observations suggest SPOT tags can cause permanent cosmetic and structural damage to white shark dorsal fins depending on the duration of tag attachment. SPOT tags that detached within 12-24 months did not cause long term damage to the dorsal fin other than pigmentation scarring. Within 12 months of deployment, tag fouling can occur. After 24 months of deployment permanent damage to the dorsal fin occurred. A shark survived this prolonged attachment and there seems little compromise on the animal's long term survival and resultant body growth. This is the first investigation detailing the long term effects of SPOT deployment on the dorsal fin of white sharks.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. An example of a white shark with SPOT tag freshly deployed (A) and another with pigmentation scaring following SPOT detachment (B).
Figure 2
Figure 2. White shark dorsal fin with SPOT tag in place 172 days after deployment with algal growth on tag.
Sighted in Mossel Bay November 2003, after making a migration from Mossel Bay to Mozambique and back again.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Great white shark dorsal fin with SPOT tag present over 24 months after deployment.
(A and B) - tag is showing excessive fouling and fin is leaning to the left as a result of the weight; images taken in 2005 at Mossel Bay and without the tag (C and D) and with resulting hole and fin degradation after tag detachment; images taken in 2009 at Gansbaai.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Photo ID of a male white shark tagged in Mossel Bay 2004 with missing upper caudal fin (A and B) re-sighted in Gansbaai 2010 and 2011 from Marine Dynamics cage diving vessel displaying pigmentation scaring from tag (C).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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