20 Feb 2017

Shark tagging study for Pacific

8:47 am on 20 February 2017

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, or Tuna Commission, is launching a study to assess shark survival rates post catch and release.

a shark on the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau.

Photo: AFP

That follows the meeting of a group of scientists and academics from around the world in Wellington last month at New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

A spokesperson for the project, Shelley Clarke, said a sample of about 200 sharks in the Pacific will be electronically tagged and tracked.

"One of the things that we talked about at this workshop we held recently is the idea of understanding how stress relates to the long-term and even short-term health of the shark, which is very poorly understood."

Dr Clarke said accurate estimates of shark mortality are critical if fish stocks are to be managed sustainable.

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