May 7, 2014 — Two sharks. Two species. And two different journeys that have kept marine scientists closely monitoring the migrations of these satellite tagged sharks for months—one for its place in history and the second for the way it continues to make history.
“Beamer”, a 200-pound blue shark, was caught by Blue Fin IV captained by Michael Potts last year off Montauk, New York during the nation’s first catch-satellite tag-and- all-release shark tournament named Shark’s Eye. Beamer made history that day last July when he was fitted with a SPOT (Smart Position Or Temperature) Tag and released. In fact, there were 64 sharks caught and released during Shark’s Eye, 33 makos and 31 blues. None were killed. (Shark’s Eye All-Release Tournament & Festival is returning to Montauk July 11-13.)
Beamer, whose track was followed by scientists as well as the six-grade students at Montauk Public School that named him, covered over 8,000 miles on a path that took him north to Maine and then south towards South America into the Caribbean Sea, where his transmissions last pinged on land in Costa Rica—a scientific journey’s end with his recent catch presumably by fishermen.
“I-NSU”, a shortfin mako shark SPOT tagged about a year ago by the Guy Harvey Research Institute team at Nova Southeastern University off Ocean City, Maryland, continues to amaze researchers.
After heading north off the coast of Nova Scotia, I-NSU began tracking a highly unusual, virtually straight beeline south past Puerto Rico and off the coast of Venezuela. He then made a tight turn and has headed north, replicating nearly the same path—a straight down and up journey of some 2,000 miles that is part of almost 10,000 miles of travel in eleven months so far.
Read the full story at Sport Fishing magazine