£200 reward for Basking shark satellite tag from St Ives beach

15/12/2008 16:33:18 A scientific instrument used to track and monitor basking sharks, the second biggest shark in the world, may be washed up on a beach near St Ives in the next few days. For the lucky beach-comber who finds it, it could mean a reward of £200!

December 2008. 'Phil', a male basking shark of at least 7 m length, was tagged with a digital satellite tag in July 2008, just off the southwestern corner of the Isle of Man. After 120 days the tag has detached itself and ‘popped up', appearing over 100 kilometres off the North Cornish Coast on the 17th of November. Since then it has been drifting southwards and on November 25th it was just 5 miles off St Ives.

Manx Wildlife Trusts Basking Shark Watch Project
The tags are deployed as part of the Manx Wildlife Trusts Basking Shark Watch Project and are used to track and monitor the movements of these enigmatic giants of our seas. Once detached from the shark, the tag transmits some of its data to the overhead satellite, but if the tag can be recovered a much greater degree of detailed data can be recovered - plus the tag can be refurbished and reused next season to tag another shark.

Map of tag location. Credit Manx Wildlife Trust

Tags cost £3,000
Each tag, manufactured by a company in America, costs some £3,000 to purchase and deploy. They are critical in providing accurate data on the movement and foraging behaviour of the sharks. In 2007 one shark called Tracy, tagged off the cost of the Isle of Man, travelled over 9500 km across the Atlantic to the coast of Nova Scotia.

How to claim a reward
The finder should please ring Jackie Hall, Volunteer Marine Officer for the Manx Wildlife Trust on 01624 833215 or the Manx Wildlife Trust on 01624 801985. They will be delighted to hear from you!

An identical tag from a shark named ‘Liz' was recovered earlier this year by Simon Zeal and his dog Millie from a beach at Trevone in Cornwall - see www.manxbaskingsharkwatch.com for story.

What the tag looks like. About 8 inches long and shaped like an ice - cream cone with a wire aerial sticking out of the top, the tags have a grey coloured base and red top dome. How the tag works. The tags are attached to the animal at the base of the dorsal fin and while attached record the shark's position, depth and the water temperature, collecting data every half hour. The tag remains attached for a pre-set number of days before self detaching and floating to the surface. Once on the surface the tag transmits its position and some basic data to the overhead Argos Satellite network, which sends it to a reception station in France, where the data is relayed back to the Isle of Man. The tag has enough battery power to transmit its position for just 7-10 days, so tracking its position if limited and recovery chances often slim.

The Manx Wildlife Trust Basking Shark Watch Project. Set up in 2005, this is an entirely voluntary project run by the Manx Wildlife Trust, and is led by Jackie Hall, Volunteer Marine Officer for the Manx Wildlife Trust, and her husband Graham Hall. Set up to collect sighting reports on basking sharks around the Isle of Man, the project is also carrying out work into studying the behaviour of these animals, doing fin identification work and tagging sharks to discover their migratory and foraging behaviour. Websites Manx Basking Shark Watch Project: www.manxbaskingsharkwatch.com Manx Wildlife Trust: www.manxwt.org.uk