Several New Ocearch Sharks Tagged During No-Kill Tournament
Non-profit group Ocearch has added several new sharks to their popular lineup of predators, in conjunction with a no-kill tournament that was held earlier this month off Montauk.
The sharks were tagged during the third annual Shark’s Eye tournament, which originated from Montauk Marine Basin on July 18 and 19. As the event’s website notes, the tournament was an all-release event, during which four sharks were tagged with satellite transmitters that enable researchers and observers alike to track them using Ocearch’s website. Of the four sharks that were tagged, several stand out as notable additions to Ocearch’s already highly-popular stable of predators.
Say hello to Elias, the newest #hammerhead shark on the Shark Tracker! http://t.co/0NTIl0xIOi @CaterpillarInc pic.twitter.com/2mA0oE60qn
— OCEARCH (@OCEARCH) July 22, 2015
One of the most notable sharks ever tagged by Ocearch, a roughly 100-pound smooth hammerhead named Elias, was given a GPS tracking device during the course of the tournament. Elias was caught by angler Dave Grimes, and named by a volunteer observer. While other hammerheads sharks have been tagged by researchers affiliated with Ocearch, as the Inquisitr has previously reported, Elias has the distinction of being one of the first smooth hammerhead sharks to ever be tagged with a GPS receiver.
In addition to Elias, a mako shark was tagged, and given the name Carl. Though a female, the shark was named in honor of the late Carl Darenberg, Jr., who was responsible for founding the Shark’s Eye Tournament in 2013, and after whom the event has since been renamed. Footage of the mako’s release was uploaded online following the tournament, on the Facebook page of Blue Crush Charters.
6ft 100lbs #makoshark Carl pings! She’s travelled over 210 mls in over a week: http://t.co/MW1kyPzgHP @CaterpillarInc pic.twitter.com/3rjcYDwGHw — OCEARCH (@OCEARCH) July 26, 2015
The mako shark carries a tag that was recently returned to Ocearch, after the shark it was affixed to was killed. As Oceana reports, the shark which originally carried the tag was named Cate Ells, an animal that was particularly celebrated among researchers since she was tagged by Wendy Benchley, wife of the late Peter Benchley, author of Jaws, during the second annual Shark’s Eye Tournament in 2014. Unfortunately, Cate Ells was killed in June by a commercial fisherman, who reported her tag and returned it to Ocearch. Though some fans of the non-profit responded to the shark’s death with frustration, Ocearch founder Chris Fischer noted on Twitter that the mako is not a protected shark species.
@JoeScubaShack @kinglandnwg @OCEARCH just a commercial fisherman that catches and sells fish. mako’s not protected.
— Chris Fischer (@ChrisOCEARCH) July 18, 2015
Both Elias and Carl quickly “pinged” in the weeks following their tagging, revealing their positions and already endearing themselves to Ocearch’s most devoted shark trackers.
