New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), has been tagging great white sharks around Stewart and Chatham islands for the last 5 years. So far they have tagged 25 with tags that stay on for 6 – 9 months before floating to the surface. The biggest shark they have tagged is nicknamed “Shack” and is a 4.8 metre long. Shack has recently set a world record for the deepest known dive by a great white, of 1200 metres.
NIWA’s research has shown that between April and September the sharks are moving from New Zealand to warmer waters during the winter. One shark was found to have spent 6 months in Norfolk island, which is in the Pacific, north of New Zealand.
The research aims to improve our knowledge of the sharks’ behaviour and habits, which may help to prevent them being accidentally killed by the fishing industry. Although with the price of shark fin being what it is, I suspect it won’t help them being deliberately killed by the shark fin industry.
More on this in the New Zealand Herald.
Wow! It would be interesting to note the process for tagging these sharks. It must be very risky. Here’s a video that might interest you about the study of fish personalities. Enjoy. http://cbt20.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/biotechnology-and-fishy-personalities/