Special Events

 Shark stocks in Scottish waters are severely threatened and data on their quantity, size, sex, distribution and growth rates is needed if they are to be protected.

To provide specific focus, SSACN run three major tagging events focusing on three shark species in trouble; these are held at various locations and times of the year, but the format is the same for all  …… fish where you want, fish when you want, gather the data and hand back this info to the organisers.

Read how it all came about.
Just click on the image.

By taking part in our “Special Events”, you will be helping both our current efforts aimed at shark conservation and our longer term objectives targeted at the wider regeneration of Scotland’s inshore fish stocks.

On these weekends, anglers fish from the shore, kayaks or boats and though the main aim of the weekend is to tag as many sharks as possible, they are also intended to raise the public awareness of the urgent need for sharks, ray and skate protection in Scottish waters. The Events are:

The Spurdog Tagathon weekend :: SSACN’s longest standing tagging event – the Spurdog Tagathon takes place in late autumn and is centred about Lochs Sunart and Etive. The main target of the event is spurdog which are currently around 5% of their historical biomass; evidence from anglers suggests Lochs Sunart and Etive and surrounding waters have resident populations and that the spurdog pup in the region.

The Sharkatag weekend :: This Event operates from  four main centres …… Drummore, Sandhead, Isle of Whithorn & Brighouse Bay at Kirkudbright and takes place around mid-summer from marks around the Solway and SW Scotland with the focus on tagging tope, smoothound and collecting data on other shark species.

Previous Sharkatags have been very successful with some great fish caught, great weather and great fun had by all those attending ……. it has become the major sea angling event in Scotland with over 200 anglers taking part from boats, kayaks and the shore;  this surely is the place to be in June .

The Skate Tagathon weekend ::  A new Easter event which is run over quite wide area, mainly centred around Crinan, Oban and Loch Aline where it is believed that the skate populations are largely resident.

The argument for a resident (or partial) population of common skate presiding around the coastline of Argyll is strengthened by a large proportion of fish being recaptured in the same location as their original tagging.

Why Tagging

Tagging data will be used to input into the Scottish Government shark management plans and reports on each event highlighting socio-economic benefit to the area are also produced and circulated to the Press, our Members, politicians and the Scottish Government. See past reports in our Reading Room.

Tagging is the only non-destructive assessment of sharks available which will help provide data such as :

• Species migrations
• Growth rates
• Population and stock make-up
• Stock fluctuations dynamics

Amongst other things, the European Community Plan of Action (CPOA) for sharks seeks to ensure

• Monitoring & assessment of recreational shark fishing mortality
• Species-specific evaluation & monitoring of shark population status
• Establishing time/area closures to protect shark pupping & nursery areas
• Further restricting or prohibiting fishing in critical habitats of endangered sharks.

and puts the emphasis on “member states” to gather the necessary data to ensure

• A deeper understanding of sharks & their role in ecosystems & fisheries
• Sustainable directed shark fisheries & properly regulated bycatch

The fact that the SSTP exists reflects the poor fisheries management policies put in place by politicians who in the past have been unwilling to address poor fisheries practices and mis-management and have not faced up to the obvious evidence of the excessive depletion of stocks.