A mixed day to kick off Sharkatag – some really good fish taken offshore but catches inshore were more variable – some boats managing to take 4 or 5 taggable fish, others struggling to catch any – however, there was a reasonable spread of smoothhound, huss, rays and even some spurdog. There were also good [...]

Of all the species of shark regularly encountered around the UK, the Spurdog (Squalas Acanthias) is one of the easiest to identify, namely due to the large spines which protrude in front of both dorsal fins Spurdog are generally slate gray or dark brown on their back which fades to a white belly; they also [...]

The Scottish Shark Tagging Programme now has a facebook fan page! It is hoped that this page can be used for connecting anglers together on one site to display their photos, discuss any issues they would like to about the programme or related topics and to keep up to date with the tagging programme. Follow [...]

In the following article, David McNair highlights the the benefits angling, the challenges it can provide and how it can contribute to the health of individuals and society. All that is really needed to round off the experience – is FISH – that’s why SSACN is trying to ensure the future of our sport by [...]

The SSTP recently went to Coll to visit Arinagour Primary School to help them scour the beach at Feall Bay for eggcases. The day was a huge success with (slightly windy) beautiful sunny weather allowing the class to spend all afternoon on the beach after a morning learning fascinating shark facts. Many Catshark eggcases were [...]

In 2002, parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) – which included most nations on the planet agreed on a target to stem the loss of biodiversity by 2010. There are still more than six months to go before that deadline officially expires – but nationally, regionally and globally, the results are not good [...]

Pelamid considers the issues associated with catching fish them in a manner that minimises the chances of the fish being overly stressed, or physically damaged. He uses cod, pollack and bass – three of the favourite fish the Scottish sea angler. Most sea anglers fish for enjoyment and often release some, or all, of their [...]

SSACN’s Lauren Smith is currently taking a sabbatical in the Philippines and her activities are being regularly reported on the SSTP site at http://www.tagsharks.com/lol-lauren-on-location. In her latest mail she has taken time out from her normal shark based activities to talk with Helen King and find out about the Marine Protected Areas that have been [...]

With the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 now in place, the Scottish Government is now in the business of implementing the act. The Government’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) Guidelines and Marine Nature Conservation Strategy are out for consultation at the moment, both with a deadline of June 4th.  SSACN will of course be responding to these [...]