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To Report A Tag
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Welcome to the Apex Predators Program
The Apex Predators Program (APP) is located at the Narragansett, RI Laboratory of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). We are one of three programs in the Population Biology Branch of the Fisheries and Ecosystems Monitoring and Analysis Division. Our mission is to conduct life history studies of commercially and recreationally important shark species. Information gathered from our research programs provides baseline biological data for the management of large Atlantic sharks. |  |
What's New
 | Spiny Dogfish Tagging Study In 2011 and 2012, over 30,000 spiny dogfish will be released with tags. Anyone who captures a tagged fish and returns complete information can earn either a $20 or $100 cash reward depending on the color of the tag. |  |
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Double Tagging Experiment
During research cruises in 2009 and 2010, we conducted a double tagging experiment to test tag retention. We have tagged over 500 blue sharks with one tag on each side of the dorsal fin. The tag numbers to look out for occur in the ranges 314550-314801, 336800-337475, and 343095-343345. If you happen to catch a shark with one of these tag numbers, please make note of how many tags are in the fish. |
Rewards Offered for Tagged Spiny Dogfish
In January 2011, NOAA Fisheries Service's Northeast Fisheries Science Center launched a cooperative initiative to tag spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) in the Gulf of Maine, Southern New England, and Georges Bank. This project is an effort to answer long-standing questions about stock structure, movement patterns, and life history of the species in order to update and improve dogfish stock assessments. Over a two-year period, a minimum of 33,000 dogfish will be tagged during the winter and summer months from three commercial vessels. Some of these fish will be double tagged for a tag retention study. Some also will be injected with oxytetracycline (OTC) for an age validation study. Fish age is often measured by counting the growth rings on certain calcified structures in the fish. To verify that these rings develop every year, OTC, a common antibiotic, is used to leave a permanent mark on structures such as the vertebrae or spines. When a tagged fish is recaptured, these structures can be examined to see how many layers are added each year, which provides a verified ageing method. Standard fin tags called rototags will be used during the project and will include a toll-free number for reporting required recapture information -- tag number, fork length, date, and location. Anyone who captures a tagged fish and returns complete information can earn either a $20 cash reward for one of the 27,000 white tags or a $100 cash reward for one of the 3,000 "high reward" orange tags. Recaptures of fish injected with OTC and fish with two tag types -- a rototag and a dart tag -- will require return of the whole fish for a $100 cash reward (3,000 green tags). This will ensure that the OTC-marked vertebrae and spines are received and allow the condition of the tag in the fish to be examined. Whole fish to be returned should be iced or frozen. Shipping instructions will be provided upon contact. To report the capture of tagged spiny dogfish, call toll-free (877) 826-2612, report online at www.nefsc.noaa.gov/sharktagreport, or e-mail sharkrecap@noaa.gov |  |
Sharks! Apex Predators Program Celebrates Five Decades of Shark Research
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Considered apex predators with few natural predators themselves, sharks prey on many species lower on the food chain, and are often less abundant than their prey. Sharks grow slowly, live long lives, and have few offspring, making them the object of both fascination and fear.
They are also exploited in many parts of the world, making understanding their life histories and role in the food chain all the more important. Many shark species are in trouble due to shark finning, bycatch, and other practices.
While little is known about the biology and life histories of some species, coastal surveys and cooperative tagging programs begun decades ago by federal fisheries scientists have contributed significantly to current knowledge of many shark species.
The NEFSC's Narragansett Laboratory in Narragansett, R.I., is home to the Apex Predators Program (APP). Shark jaws, vertebra and other samples provide visual evidence of the program's activities and help educate visitors, from school children to researchers to the general public, about sharks and their role in the ecosystem.
Apex Predators Program scientists conduct life history studies of commercially and recreationally important shark species, participate in and conduct a variety of research cruises, and often go aboard commercial vessels to obtain biological samples and to tag sharks. Data from coastal shark surveys, shark tagging programs, pupping and nursery area surveys, and other research activities are collected year-round.
NEFSC researchers have been attending recreational shark tournaments in the Northeast U.S. since 1961, monitoring the size, sex, and species composition in the recreational catch while collecting biological samples. In 2012, biological samples for life history studies, catch and other population data for more than 150 pelagic sharks were collected at nine recreational fishing tournaments in the northeastern United States. In July 2013, APP researchers collected data and samples at the annual shark tournament on Martha's Vineyard, and provided tags for the all-release shark tournament at Montauk, Long Island.
The Apex Predators Program also manages and coordinates theCooperative Atlantic States Shark Pupping and Nursery (COASTSPAN) Program, collaborating with researchers in coastal states from Rhode Island to Florida to conduct a comprehensive and standardized investigation of shark nursery areas. Program staff also work with thousands of volunteers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean through the Cooperative Shark Tagging Program (CSTP).The data and samples collected by these various activities are unique, making the Apex Predators Program a valuable resource for researchers around the world. Federal scientists, often in collaboration with other, international shark researchers, use these data and samples to detect trends in species and size composition, and process tissue for life history and genetic studies. They also engage in outreach opportunities with fishermen and the public.
Each year, scientific papers using the Apex Predators Program database and sample collection appear in journals. Media outlets have featured Apex Predators Program staff and their research, including the television series "Swords: Life on the Line," which first aired on the Discovery Channel in 2009. While program staff scientists generally prefer to stay out of the limelight of media and public attention, their work contributes significantly to our knowledge about the life history of sharks.
Interested in information about shark tagging, how to report a tagged shark if you catch one, or learning how to identify a shark species? Go to the Apex Predators Program web site. You can also click on the related links above or highlighted in the text to learn more about other NOAA/NEFSC shark research activities and information resources.
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