Scientists Tag Whale Shark Off New England Coast to Track Movement

Marine scientists placed a temporary spot tag on a whale shark off the New England coast, according to BBC Wildlife Magazine.

The Tech TL;DR:

• Marine researchers deployed a temporary spot tag on a whale shark off the coast of New England to study its migratory patterns.
• Scientists had to swim alongside the three-mile-per-hour animal to physically attach the tracking device to its dorsal fin.
• Built-in radio transmitters will allow the research team to track the tag once it automatically detaches from the shark.

Placing a tracking device on the largest fish on the planet requires precise physical endurance. Whale sharks travel at around three miles an hour, forcing researchers to match their pace in open water.

“How do you place a temporary ‘spot tag’ on a whale shark?” Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution wrote on LinkedIn. “The answer is simple: just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

During the operation, MIT-WHOI grad student Jaida Elcock dove below the water’s surface to secure the tag directly to the animal’s dorsal fin. The resulting data will chart the creature’s route through the open ocean.

Researchers initiated the tagging effort to understand why whale sharks visit the continental shelf off the coast of New England. The deployed hardware relies on a timed release mechanism.

“Each tag carries a built-in radio transmitter, so once it pops off, Elcock and her team can track it down and retrieve the data,” WHOI explained.