Tagging NewsCelebrating 30 Years of the ORI Cooperative Fish Tagging Project

In the beginning ...

Main species tagged

Exciting recaptures

Top anglers

Cowsharkmovements

News from the ORI Cooperative Fish Tagging Project: Number 28

Published August 2015, Results from 2014

2 www.oritag.org.za

From the editors ...This, the 28 edition of the Tagging Newsletter, marks the30 consecutive year of the ORI Cooperative FishTagging Project (ORI-CFTP). To celebrate thisachievement, we have decided to change the look of theTagging Newsletter and we hope you enjoy this new,exciting and colourful edition.

Fish tagging is a basic and practical tool that has beenwidely used for obtaining valuable information on fishstocks, population connectivity, and movement patternssince the beginning of the 20 century. In South Africa fishtagging projects were initiated as early as the 1930s onCape snoek and continued later on other species.However, most of these projects were short lived (one ortwo years) and generally focused on specific species.Furthermore, many of them yielded poor results, partlydue to poor tagging techniques and technology at the timebut also because few people knew about them. In 1984,Rudy van der Elst, the previous director of theOceanographic Research Institute, realised the potentialfor a well-managed cooperative fish tagging project togenerate much-needed data on linefish and, spurred onby a growing concern amongst anglers of poor fishcatches, the ORI-CFTP was launched. Now in its 31year, this project is still going strong and is undoubtedlyone of the most enduring and successful environmentalprojects of its kind in SouthAfrica. Not only has this projecthelped us learn more about fish movement patterns,growth rates, mortality rates and population dynamics, ithas also made a major contribution towards changing theethics of anglers towards catch-and-release, whichundoubtedly goes far beyond the scientific value of thedata collected. Anglers now have a good reason tocapture and release a fish and in fact are contributingtowards a better understanding of the biology andultimately conservation of that species. This project cannow account for the tag and release of more than 285 000fish. Note that this value represents 285 000 fish that werereleased to 'fight another day' and hopefully reproduce forfuture generations.

Looking back at the past 30 years we thought it would beinteresting to highlight some of the many achievementsand records of the ORI-CFTP, especially for our recentlyjoined members. The total number of tags used to date is285 177, which amounts to ~R2.5 million worth of tags attoday's prices. The angler who has tagged the most fish isSimon Walker, with a whopping 4 927 fish (164 fish peryear) tagged (excluding the fish he has tagged on the DeHoop Marine Reserve Fish Monitoring Project), followedby Tony Oates (4 342) and Franz Klimas (3 415). Theangler with the highest number of fish recaptured is Petrus

Bekker, with a 100% of the fish he has tagged beingrecaptured. However, considering that Petrus has onlytagged three fish, this is a bit biased! The highestrecapture rate for an angler who has tagged 10 or morefish belongs to Bradley Wilford with 36% of the fish he hastagged having been recaptured, followed by Roger Mann(33%) and Fanie Bekker (25%). The fish species with thehighest recapture rate is a shortfin kingfish, with 1 taggedand 1 recaptured (100%). The highest recapture rate for aspecies where more than 25 individuals have beentagged belongs to speckled snapper with 1 893 fishtagged of which 804 (43%) have been recaptured, largelyowing to its highly resident behaviour. Galjoen is still themost tagged fish on the project, with 59 089 fish tagged,accounting for 21% of the total number of fish tagged todate. The longest recorded time free (time at liberty)between tagging and recapture for an edible fish (i.e. bonyfish) was for a red steenbras tagged in the TsitsikammaNational Park in 1989. This fish was recaptured off KeiMouth in the Eastern Cape in 2011, some 22.1 years later,providing good evidence of the longevity of this species.Similarly, in the inedible category (i.e. sharks, rays andskates) a ragged-tooth shark tagged at Southbroom onthe KZN south coast in 1988 was recaptured in MosselBay in 2011, a staggering 22.6 years later and 1 014 kmaway from its original tagging location. The longestdistance moved by a tagged fish was recorded last yearwith a yellowfin tuna tagged off Cape Point beingrecaptured two years later near the Seychelles some5 200 km away (7.3 km per day). The most recapturedindividual fish on the project belongs to 'Rocky', ayellowbelly rockcod tagged in the Pondoland MPA justsouth of Port Edward. This fish has been recaptured noless than nine times on the same reef over a three-yearperiod! It is these incredible recaptures and numerousother achievements of the ORI-CFTP that make thisproject so exciting and beneficial.

Summarising 2014, a total 10 740 fish were tagged overthe 12 month period, an average of just under 900 fish permonth. We also recorded our second highest recapturerate to date, with 942 fish recaptured (8.7%) and we thankour loyal angling supporters for this. Our top five fishtagged included: galjoen (2 016), leervis/garrick (1 016),dusky kob (775), spotted grunter (711) and elf/shad (300).

We would like to say a big thank you to all of our taggingmembers for their ongoing support as well as to thenumerous anglers who have provided information on tagrecaptures for the past 30 years. Without your ongoinghelp and support, this project would simply not haveendured for the time it has. Please feel free to distributethis edition of the Newsletter to your fellow anglers anddon't forget to assist them in reporting recaptured fish. Wewish you tight lines and happy tagging.

th

th

th

st

The Tagging News is edited by Stuart Dunlop, Bruce Mann and Bernadine Everett

Contact information:

Oceanographic Research Institute

Postal address:

PO Box 736

Durban

4000

Cell: +27 079 529 0711

Tel: +27 31 328 8222

Fax: +27 31 328 8188

Email: oritag@ori.org.za

Stuart Dunlop

Cover photo: Aidan Wood with a tagged blue emperor

www.oritag.org.za 3

1%

11%

11%

7%

25% 15%19%

4%

7%

WestCoast

WesternCape

SouthernCape

EasternCape

Border

Transkei

Natal

Zululand

Mozambique(2%)

(14%)

(10%)

(4%)

(17%)(7%)(27%)

(7%)(7%)

Namibia(5%)

0%

Percentages in parentheses indicate overall distributionof tagging since the start of the project in 1984

% of Fish Tagged Along the Southern African Coast in 2014

Top 10 Species Tagged in 2014

Galjoen 19% (21%) Garrick 9% (5%)

Dusky kob 7% (6%)

Spotted grunter 7% (4%)

Shad/elf 3% (3%)

White steenbras 2% (2%)

Dusky shark 2% (4%)

Spotted gulleyshark 2% (3%)

Yellowbelly rockcod 2% (1%)Blackspot smoothhound shark 2% (2%)Other 44% (49%)

Percentages in parentheses indicate overall compositionof tagging since the start of the project in 1984

4 www.oritag.org.za

In response to concerns over elf/shad stocks, regulationswere imposed on their capture during the late 1970s.Counter-intuitively, this sparked outrage amongstanglers, which prompted the 1979 Smith Commission ofInquiry. This proved to be a watershed moment. Not onlydid the Commission endorse ORI's research that calledfor control over shad angling in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), butit posed the question as to whether stocks in the Capewere part of the same population, and hence would alsorequire protection. As Cape fishermen were vehementlyopposed to any controls, it posed a real challenge. How toinvestigate this problem?

Clearly tagging presented a unique opportunity to identifyconnectivity between fish in KZN and those occurring inthe Cape. Consequently, Simon Chater and I assembleda small team of fishermen to undertake the “arduous andpainful” task of tagging as many shad as possible in theshortest time. A month-long tagging expedition waslaunched in 1981 during which several hundred shadwere tagged at Struisbaai, Plettenberg Bay, East Londonand subsequently also at Durban and Cape Vidal. Theresults were very convincing with several Cape-tagged

fish soon recaptured on the KZN South Coast. While thisappeared confirmation of the theory of one population, itdid not convince too many fishermen in the Cape!

At this time there was a growing pro-conservationsentiment amongst SouthAfrican anglers, stretching fromZululand to the Eastern Cape and beyond to Gordon'sBay. We, at ORI, took advantage of this situation byintroducing a number of joint initiatives such as catchreturn cards and the analysis of specimens caught duringangling tournaments. Next we raised the idea offishermen tagging fish on behalf of scientists, therebyassisting research and having a bigger stake in the futureof their own sport. The idea was immediately popular,especially amongst the big game fishing fraternity of theWestern Cape. A draft programme was developed andsubmitted to Stellenbosch Farmers Wineries (SFW) whogenerously funded the tagging project for decades (22years) under their Sedgwick's Old Brown Sherry label,eventually in partnership with WWF. Fortunately for theproject, the Sedgwick's products did very well – a fact thatwe (obviously) attributed to the success of the taggingproject!

However, it was not all smooth sailing and there wasconsiderable opposition to the tagging idea, not least fromthe then director of fisheries in Cape Town. “Who was thisscientist from Durban launching a project in the Cape?” Ihad foolishly called it “a national tagging project” insteadof “nationwide”! Notwithstanding, the project wassuccessfully launched by an enthusiastic Minister ofFisheries at the Hout Bay Hotel.

The success of the tagging project is evident from thesepages. What is not always evident but which has been amost critical element is the commitment and dedication ofso many people. These people ranged from those firsttaggers and the SFW staff, to the record breakers and thescientific staff, and from Elinor Bullen to the present team,which keeps improving and adding refinements to thisgreat collaborative project.

In the beginning ...by Rudy van der Elst

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

19

84

19

86

19

88

19

90

19

92

19

94

19

96

19

98

20

00

20

02

20

04

20

06

20

08

20

10

20

12

20

14

Av

era

ge

fis

h t

ag

ge

d/a

ng

ler/

ye

ar

Fis

h t

ag

ge

d/y

ea

r

Year

Average no. tagged per angler

Total no. tagged

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

19

84

19

86

19

88

19

90

19

92

19

94

19

96

19

98

20

00

20

02

20

04

20

06

20

08

20

10

20

12

20

14

Cu

mu

lati

ve

no

. ta

gg

ed

Pe

rce

na

tge

re

cap

ture

d

Year

Recap %

Cumulative no. tagged

Fish tagged per year and per angler% fish recaptured per year and

cumulative number of fish tagged

www.oritag.org.za 5

Me

mb

er

Na

me

Fa

ce

t2

01

4To

tal

Re

ca

pt.

% R

ec

ap

t.M

em

be

r N

am

eF

ac

et

20

14

To

tal

Re

ca

pt.

% R

ec

ap

t.M

em

be

r N

am

eF

ac

et

20

14

To

tal

Re

ca

pt.

% R

ec

ap

t.

MR

. N

. D

E K

OC

KR

S/E

ST

51

51

54

38

65

.57

MR

. J.V

AN

CO

LL

ER

RS

28

10

16

5.9

4M

R.

W.

MA

TH

EE

RS

16

20

61

04

.85

MR

. C

J.

NIE

HA

US

RS

/ES

T2

98

69

82

02

.87

MR

. K

. W

EB

BE

RD

S2

81

75

63

.43

MR

. K

. V

RY

EN

HO

EK

RS

16

73

81

0.9

6

MR

. S

. M

EY

RS

/ES

T2

41

60

81

42

.3M

R.

D.

PA

UT

ZD

S/E

ST

27

37

62

87

.45

MR

. D

. L

AG

RA

NG

ER

S/D

S1

57

31

1.3

7

MR

. K

. S

MIT

HD

S/E

ST

22

56

04

21

3.4

8M

R.

R.

BE

RM

AN

ES

T/R

S2

74

41

2.2

7M

R.

C.

VA

N Z

YL

RS

/ES

T1

51

50

0

MR

. B

. S

PA

RG

RS

/ES

T1

83

20

07

97

4.8

3M

R.

C.

PIK

ER

S/D

S2

61

46

96

.16

MR

. C

. G

RO

EN

EW

AL

DR

S1

52

44

15

6.1

5

MR

. K

.A.H

. H

UM

PH

RE

YS

ES

T/R

S1

74

111

75

95

.28

MR

. J.P

YB

US

RS

26

45

11

32

.88

MR

. S

. H

UM

PH

RE

YS

RS

/ES

T1

41

80

00

MR

. J.P

. G

EL

DE

NH

UY

SB

F/F

LY1

37

17

64

2.2

7M

R.

L.

SM

ITH

RS

26

29

61

34

.39

MR

. M

. K

EO

GH

RS

/ES

T1

43

81

2.6

3

MR

. C

. H

AR

TR

S1

27

24

09

15

66

.48

MR

. R

. M

AG

GS

ES

T/D

S2

55

42

3.7

MR

. H

. L

EW

ISR

S/E

ST

14

20

28

3.9

6

MR

. G

.V.

GO

UG

HR

S/E

ST

11

73

39

17

5.0

1M

R.A

. V

AN

DE

R W

ALT

RS

25

52

00

MR

. I.

WE

DD

ER

BU

RN

RS

/ES

T1

48

35

6.0

2

MR

. S

. W

AL

KE

RR

S/E

ST

10

74

92

73

45

7M

R.

H.

CR

OU

SD

S/R

S2

46

64

35

5.2

7M

R.

S.J

.H

ER

MIT

AG

ED

S/R

S1

44

90

0

MR

. C

.D.

LIL

FO

RD

ES

T/R

S1

01

23

74

111

4.6

8M

R.

C.

WIL

KIN

SO

NR

S2

41

28

75

.47

MR

. J.F

. P

RE

TO

RIU

SR

S1

47

45

6.7

6

MR

. C

. N

EL

SO

NR

S9

43

43

18

5.2

5M

R.

V.

RE

ILLY

RS

24

53

23

.77

MR

. J.H

AM

MA

NR

S/D

S1

34

42

4.5

5

MR

. M

. D

OH

LH

OF

FE

ST

88

22

02

0.9

1M

ISS

. K

. K

YL

ER

S/E

ST

23

17

21

58

.72

MR

. B

.K.A

. L

AN

GE

DS

/ES

T1

33

52

52

14

.77

DR

. J.J

. D

E L

AH

AR

PE

RS

/ES

T8

39

20

66

7.1

7M

R.

M.

WE

ED

MA

NR

S/E

ST

23

10

52

1.9

MR

. H

. L

OU

WD

S/E

ST

13

13

78

5.8

4

MR

. S

. O

OS

TH

UIZ

EN

RS

/ES

T8

22

34

16

6.8

4M

R.

C.

CO

ET

ZE

EE

ST

/RS

23

23

21

77

.33

MR

. W

.B.

MU

LL

INS

DS

/ES

T1

35

52

3.6

4

MR

. E

. K

YL

ER

S/E

ST

78

15

49

26

81

7.3

MR

. R

. C

AM

PB

EL

LR

S2

36

42

3.1

3M

R.

P.H

. V

AN

NIM

WE

GE

ND

S/R

S1

31

71

95

.26

MR

. P.

MC

DO

NA

LD

RS

/ES

T7

64

75

21

4.4

2M

R.

W.

CO

LE

MA

NR

S2

311

83

2.5

4M

R.

J.B

AR

LO

WR

S1

32

12

9.5

2

MR

. J.L

UE

FD

S/R

S7

62

68

31

11

.57

MR

. D

. R

ED

DY

RS

23

48

24

.17

MR

. O

. R

ICH

TE

RR

S1

33

72

18

4.8

4

MR

. D

.M.

IRV

INE

RS

75

26

52

28

.3M

R.

G.

MU

LL

ER

ES

T/D

S2

27

52

2.6

7M

R.

R.

RO

OS

RS

13

18

00

MR

. B

.M.

OC

ON

NE

LL

DS

72

26

72

38

.61

MR

. R

. W

AR

RE

NR

S/D

S2

28

11

1.2

3D

R.

S.L

. S

UT

HE

RL

AN

DR

S1

311

64

3.4

5

MR

. J.P

. M

cC

AR

TH

YR

S/D

S7

21

73

11

6.3

6M

R.

J.S

CO

TT

RS

/ES

T2

24

53

23

5.0

8M

R.

M.

VL

CE

KR

S1

311

59

7.8

3

MR

. R

. K

YL

ER

S/E

ST

67

13

39

15

111

.28

MR

. C

. E

RA

SM

US

ES

T/R

S2

24

83

6.2

5M

R.

J.H

YM

AN

RS

/ES

T1

25

91

1.6

9

MR

. N

. S

TO

NE

ES

T/R

S6

61

00

77

MR

. J.A

SH

ER

WO

OD

RS

22

33

01

33

.94

MR

. B

. M

EN

TO

OR

RS

/ES

T1

21

50

0

MR

. C

. R

EIM

AN

RS

/DS

65

31

31

34

.15

MR

. C

.K.

DE

CL

ER

CQ

RS

22

45

01

84

MR

. G

. W

RIG

HT

RS

/ES

T1

22

20

0

MR

. K

. H

AN

SE

NR

S/E

ST

65

22

68

3.5

4M

R.

K.

HA

ND

LE

YR

S/E

ST

21

52

23

.85

MR

. J.L

OU

WR

S1

24

31

2.3

3

MR

. G

. S

AV

ILL

EE

ST

65

92

44

44

.76

MR

. C

.S.

MU

LL

ER

RS

/ES

T2

12

91

12

4.1

2M

R.

S.

BR

ILL

RS

/DS

11

22

00

MR

. W

. C

OE

TZ

EE

DS

/ES

T5

81

67

63

.59

MR

. H

.F.

PE

TE

RS

RS

/ES

T2

01

23

97

.32

MR

. Q

. C

AT

HE

RIN

ER

S/D

S11

22

88

3.5

1

MR

. P.

MO

RR

ISR

S5

67

56

47

6.2

2M

R.

D.

SO

LO

MO

ND

S/E

ST

20

96

20

20

.83

MR

. S

. K

EW

LE

YR

S/D

S11

16

01

0.6

3

MR

. R

. C

OO

KD

S5

49

25

5.4

3M

R.

C.

LA

ING

RS

20

50

00

MR

. W

. L

ES

LIE

RS

/DS

11

90

55

.56

MR

. J.C

.R

AN

CE

SN

R.

DS

54

38

12

36

.04

MR

. L

. D

AV

IDO

WIT

ZE

ST

20

18

26

3.3

MR

.A

. M

AN

NR

S/E

ST

11

70

10

14

.29

MR

. R

.TA

YL

OR

RS

48

12

48

6.4

5M

R.

S.

DU

NL

OP

RS

/DS

19

20

61

57

.28

MR

. W

. P

OT

GIE

TE

RR

S/E

ST

11

24

00

MR

. L

.TA

YL

OR

RS

46

12

13

2.4

8M

R.A

. H

EA

TH

RS

/ES

T1

94

91

2.0

4M

R.

E.

ST

EY

LS

RS

/ES

T11

45

00

MR

. L

.A

LL

ISO

NR

S/E

ST

44

13

86

4.3

5M

R.

G.

BR

OW

NR

S1

99

34

4.3

MR

. P.G

. V

ILJO

EN

RS

/FLY

11

30

41

3.3

3

MR

. M

. M

AR

EE

RS

/ES

T4

36

00

0M

R.

W.

KR

ITZ

ING

ER

RS

19

57

11

.75

MR

.T.M

. H

AN

SE

ND

S11

52

11

.92

MR

. L

. P

RE

TO

RIU

SF

LY

/RS

43

18

08

4.4

4M

R.

R.B

. M

UL

LE

RR

S1

92

23

41

.79

MR

. W

.A

HL

SC

HL

AG

ER

ES

T/R

S11

17

15

.88

MR

. R

.A.

SH

EP

HE

RD

RS

/ES

T4

15

11

18

3.5

2M

R.

R.T

HO

MP

SO

NR

S1

96

05

23

3.8

MR

. W

.R.

BA

RF

OO

TE

ST

/RS

11

20

15

MR

. G

. H

EIM

DS

/RS

41

62

23

.23

MR

. B

. F

OR

RE

RR

S/E

ST

18

18

00

MR

. J.B

ISH

OP

DS

/RS

11

86

89

.3

MR

. G

. M

AR

CH

AN

DD

S/R

S4

14

03

40

9.9

3M

R.

G.

CR

OU

SD

S/R

S1

85

11

1.9

6M

R.

R.

ST

RY

DO

MD

S/R

S11

77

79

.09

MR

. P.T

ER

BL

AN

CH

ER

S/E

ST

38

83

22

.41

MR

. W

.S.

VA

N D

ER

ME

RW

ER

S1

81

95

31

.54

MR

. B

. C

RO

NE

YD

S11

20

00

MR

. S

. V

AN

ZY

LR

S/E

ST

38

10

93

2.7

5M

R.

G.

CA

IRN

SR

S1

85

43

5.5

6M

R.

C.

JO

HN

ST

ON

RS

11

49

48

.16

MR

. G

. G

RO

BL

ER

ES

T3

63

59

25

6.9

6M

R.

B.

FU

CH

SR

S1

84

52

4.4

4M

R.

W.

LA

BU

SC

HA

GN

ER

S11

45

00

MR

. D

. C

OL

ER

S/D

S3

53

04

41

.32

MR

. J.D

.L

IND

SA

YR

S1

82

75

14

5.0

9M

R.

P.D

. M

UL

LE

R J

NR

RS

11

50

41

63

.17

MR

. C

.H.

DE

LA

HA

RP

ER

S/E

ST

35

31

44

31

3.6

9M

R.

C.

VE

UG

EL

ER

SE

ST

18

12

65

3.9

7M

R.

J.B

.J.

VA

N V

UU

RE

NR

S11

20

00

MR

. J.D

E J

AG

ER

RS

/DS

34

99

13

13

.13

MR

. B

.D.

CA

RR

RS

/DS

17

73

04

76

.44

MR

. J.S

TA

PE

LB

ER

GR

S/D

S1

02

31

4.3

5

MR

. J.D

.L

EN

TZ

RS

/DS

34

33

71

54

.45

MR

. B

. K

AR

PR

S/D

S1

72

60

0M

R.

J.G

IAI-

MIN

IET

TI

RS

/DS

10

10

00

MR

. R

.F.

BU

RG

ER

RS

/ES

T3

21

85

42

.16

MR

. P.C

. O

OS

TH

UIZ

EN

ES

T/D

S1

72

88

52

18

.06

MR

. W

. M

AG

UIR

ER

S/D

S1

01

52

13

.33

MR

. J.C

OA

TE

SE

ST

32

26

71

34

.87

MR

. P.

CU

RR

IER

S/E

ST

17

46

00

MR

.A

.A

RT

HU

RR

S/E

ST

10

68

68

.82

MR

. B

. G

RO

BB

LE

RR

S3

211

75

4.2

7M

R.

C.

BO

TE

SD

S1

79

33

3.2

3M

R.

ST

INK

MO

SS

EL

RA

DE

ME

YE

RR

S/E

ST

10

15

36

3.9

2

MR

. D

. S

TO

NE

ES

T3

11

81

52

.76

MR

. C

. C

AR

RU

TH

ER

SR

S1

72

11

4.7

6M

R.

P.

ME

YR

S1

06

41

1.5

6

MR

. B

.F.

VA

N W

YK

RS

/ES

T3

14

91

21

4.2

8M

R.

G.

GR

AY

RS

17

26

84

1.4

9M

R.

P.

VA

N D

ER

ME

RW

ED

S/R

S1

011

00

MR

. R

.F.

RA

UB

EN

HE

IME

RD

S/R

S3

13

08

92

.92

MR

. C

. B

EZ

UID

EN

HO

UT

RS

/ES

T1

67

75

6.4

9M

R.

C.

HA

YT

RE

AD

RS

10

37

79

2.3

9

MR

. D

. G

OV

IND

ER

RS

31

13

01

31

0M

R.

B.

FE

RR

EIR

AE

ST

16

41

39

2.1

8M

R.A

. L

EG

GE

RS

10

25

31

2

MR

. C

.F.

MA

RA

ISR

S3

17

03

41

5.8

3M

R.

E.

PO

TG

IET

ER

RS

/ES

T1

62

20

0M

R.A

.R.

VO

RS

TE

RR

S1

011

65

4.3

1

MR

. L

. M

CK

EN

ZIE

RS

31

85

44

.71

MR

. M

. M

OL

EN

AA

RR

S1

64

44

22

4.9

5M

R.

H.P

. V

OS

LO

OD

S1

08

92

2.2

5

MR

. G

.P.

BE

AU

MO

NT

RS

/DS

30

26

75

1.8

7M

R.

J.F

RO

ST

RS

16

15

81

38

.23

MR

. J.V

ON

BO

ND

ED

S1

01

06

10

.94

MR

.T.

EG

ER

SD

OR

FE

RR

S3

06

56

69

10

.52

MR

. J.L

E R

OU

XR

S1

62

08

10

4.8

1

Top Taggers: 10 or more fish in 2014

BF

= B

illfish

, D

S =

De

ep

se

a,

ES

T=

Estu

ary

, F

LY=

Fly

fish

ing

, R

S =

Ro

ck a

nd

su

rf

6 www.oritag.org.za

www.oritag.org.za 7

8 www.oritag.org.za

No. % Avg. Max. Avg. Max. No. % Avg. Max. Avg. Max.

Galjoen 59089 4100 6.94 43 1892 421 5815 Halfmoon rockcod 376 70 18.62 1 45 394 2511

Dusky kob 16528 1047 6.33 28 1625 330 4370 Bonefish 350 1 0.29 6 6 17 17

Garrick/leervis 13160 872 6.63 235 1670 332 3208 Hottentot 348 14 4.02 2 10 269 1078

Dusky shark 12333 841 6.82 70 1374 104 2772 Largemouth queenfish 341 16 4.69 1 10 193 630

Spotted grunter 10651 293 2.75 12 823 261 2950 Southern pompano 340 23 6.76 61 464 132 848

Copper/bronze shark 9099 288 3.17 166 1790 429 3981 White stumpnose 336 4 1.19 2 3 298 463

Blacktail 8602 213 2.48 6 358 266 2715 Sandbar shark 327 6 1.83 166 345 250 536

Spotted gulleyshark 8400 491 5.85 32 911 534 6332 Pickhandle barracuda 314 56 17.83 2 44 268 1856

Shad/elf 8105 305 3.76 251 5709 138 1106 Eastern little tuna 311 0 0 0 0

White steenbras 6711 345 5.14 38 804 274 2262 Red stumpnose 301 8 2.66 678 5303 802 1998

Lesser guitarfish/sandshark 6441 72 1.12 44 726 345 2572 Flapnose houndshark 281 34 12.1 1 43 582 2216

Blackspot smooth houndshark 6149 179 2.91 46 582 558 2561 Puffadder shyshark 271 28 10.33 1 20 128 741

Spotted ragged-tooth shark 5033 585 11.62 225 2966 755 8256 Bluntnose spiny dogfish 266 4 1.5 188 669 615 1476

Slinger 4947 186 3.76 8 1059 187 1660 Bartail flathead 263 6 2.28 3 18 244 796

Roman 4455 283 6.35 4 294 322 3549 Banded galjoen 262 5 1.91 112 562 230 507

Giant guitarfish/sandshark 4213 211 5.01 31 360 313 1945 Elephantfish/St Joseph 255 1 0.39 1342 1342 218 218

Sailfish 3521 28 0.8 63 1060 154 727 Blackspot shark 248 6 2.42 35 192 281 708

Sevengill cow shark 3335 182 5.46 78 597 500 4332 Brown shyshark 243 10 4.12 1 10 346 933

Black musselcracker/poenskop 3281 256 7.8 9 483 480 6809 Lemonfish 243 12 4.94 0 2 230 749

Largespot pompano 3198 61 1.91 14 270 255 1372 Spearnose skate 233 6 2.58 1 3 182 316

Giant kingfish 3181 117 3.68 16 419 362 2226 Bluefin kingfish 219 8 3.65 4 15 152 260

Diamond ray 3056 20 0.65 208 1577 416 1890 Snapper kob/salmon 213 10 4.69 20 132 170 378

Zebra/wildeperd 2937 67 2.28 2 52 220 1399 White seacatfish 200 4 2 14 21 595 1895

Blue/marbled stingray 2893 7 0.24 53 234 460 1085 Blue hottentot 200 6 3 0 0 106 199

Bronze bream 2697 99 3.67 21 799 190 1465 Malabar rockcod 192 28 14.58 1 8 225 1540

Carpenter 2484 23 0.93 48 290 946 4766 Snoek (Cape) 181 1 0.55 136 136 491 491

White musselcracker 2431 75 3.09 55 843 523 2313 Whitespotted smoothhound shark 176 4 2.27 5 15 478 1627

Catface rockcod 2320 527 22.72 5 411 189 2867 Blue emperor 168 11 6.55 0 3 280 539

Yellowbelly rockcod 2306 415 18 5 355 326 2329 Greyspot guitarfish/sandshark 167 1 0.6 6 6 51 51

Baardman/tasselfish/belman 1963 22 1.12 2 17 252 679 Javelin grunter 157 16 10.19 9 65 378 2940

Speckled snapper 1893 804 42.47 2 146 272 2376 Dorado/dolphinfish 151 1 0.66 64 64 66 66

Santer/soldier 1690 106 6.27 19 490 235 1683 Spotted eagleray 133 2 1.5 8 15 460 850

Ladyfish/springer/skipjack 1624 30 1.85 25 412 369 1426 Smallspotted pompano 128 3 2.34 4 13 135 220

Sharpnose stingray 1620 4 0.25 6 24 166 465 Englishman 116 4 3.45 2 6 266 554

Smooth hammerhead shark 1560 21 1.35 139 384 577 3075 Cock grunter 107 5 4.67 14 65 144 490

Unidentified hammerhead sharks 1536 10 0.65 74 218 219 955 Flathead mullet 101 1 0.99 738 738 738 738

Albacore/longfin tuna 1510 36 2.38 303 1008 412 2585 Great barracuda 96 23 23.96 0 1 170 467

Perch/riverbream 1477 206 13.95 1 42 378 1583 Russell snapper 95 3 3.16 0 1 328 896

Natal stumpnose 1448 41 2.83 10 230 196 653 Eeltail catfish 91 1 1.1 1 1 47 47

Red steenbras 1367 101 7.39 168 923 1069 8080 Cape gurnard 89 2 2.25 0 0 207 377

King mackerel/couta 1344 53 3.94 412 1552 564 2604 Maasbanker 88 0 0 0 0

Westcoast steenbras 1284 78 6.07 61 280 253 1449 Sliteye/tope shark 86 2 2.33 290 565 1334 2652

River snapper 1259 248 19.7 3 391 298 2403 Thorntail stingray 84 2 2.38 0 0 295 357

Striped catshark 1233 81 6.57 7 381 317 2096 Green jobfish 79 1 1.27 0 0 31 31

Cape stumpnose 1106 7 0.63 9 56 200 732 Short-tail stingray 77 2 2.6 0 0 39 77

Brassy kingfish 1099 66 6.01 1 13 265 1441 Spotted spiny dogfish 74 1 1.35 36 36 120 120

Grey grunter 1072 72 6.72 0 15 227 1099 Moustache rockcod 72 24 33.33 52 1200 425 2990

Dageraad 1029 48 4.66 19 592 336 1568 Blackfin reef shark 72 1 1.39 0 0 697 697

Duckbill 1025 10 0.98 17 123 572 1427 Oxeye tarpon 70 0 0 0 0

Skipjack tuna 1020 1 0.1 1061 1061 464 464 Banded catshark 67 8 11.94 16 55 423 1155

Soupfin shark 969 24 2.48 134 1034 771 3586 Striped mullet 65 1 1.54 1 1 230 230

Yellowfin tuna 956 12 1.26 719 5645 255 697 Longfin yellowtail 61 0 0 0 0

Blacktip shark 953 37 3.88 95 1288 224 1148 Java shark 58 2 3.45 14 18 67 76

Milkshark 917 25 2.73 91 363 187 772 Striped threadfin 58 1 1.72 1 1 39 39

Cavebass 909 137 15.07 5 328 293 2255 Whitebarred rubberlip 57 1 1.75 1 1 176 176

Scotsman 874 262 29.98 17 1211 426 2370 Sailfin rubberlip 56 0 0 0 0

Scalloped hammerhead shark 804 13 1.62 157 629 213 832 Bigeye stumpnose 55 2 3.64 2 3 33 38

Geelbek 800 6 0.75 37 218 101 293 Atlantic bonito 55 0 0 0 0

Black marlin 789 2 0.25 256 504 124 159 Yellowspotted kingfish 54 0 0 0 0

Stonebream/stinker bream 756 8 1.06 19 149 202 563 Cape moony 53 0 0 0 0

Blacktip kingfish 727 26 3.58 4 54 146 545 Greater yellowtail/amberjack 52 0 0 0 0

Cape/giant yellowtail 670 26 3.88 176 1746 286 1287 Blue/ferdy kingfish 51 0 0 0 0

Squaretail kob 670 36 5.37 9 266 152 2043 Sand steenbras 51 1 1.96 0 0 79 79

Honeycomb stingray 650 8 1.23 1 8 502 2543 Yellowtail scad 51 0 0 0 0

Spinner shark 623 21 3.37 68 1055 219 1295 Doublespotted queenfish 50 0 0 0 0

Bigeye kingfish 604 31 5.13 12 163 242 2751 Dark shyshark/catshark 50 33 66 0 0 70 230

Seventy-four 602 18 2.99 70 521 478 2845 Tomato rockcod 47 9 19.15 1 6 252 537

Natal seacatfish 590 187 31.69 0 3 294 1299 Needlescaled queenfish 47 1 2.13 0 0 227 227

Hardnose smooth houndshark 575 9 1.57 87 340 344 870 Longfin kingfish 46 1 2.17 12 12 453 453

Eagle ray 562 4 0.71 14 49 278 635 Thintail thresher shark 45 0 0 0 0

Leopard catshark 522 44 8.43 21 722 469 4431 Brown catshark 45 1 2.22 0 0 34 34

Striped marlin 518 2 0.39 805 848 202 379 Lyretail/swallowtail rockcod 44 0 0 0 0

Great white shark 497 14 2.82 345 1548 370 959 Marbled electric ray 44 0 0 0 0

Janbruin/John Brown 487 14 2.87 1 12 110 279 Panga 44 0 0 0 0

Tiger shark 486 23 4.73 205 1751 391 1823 Shortfin mako shark 43 4 9.3 19 69 294 786

Silver kob 454 18 3.96 15 134 216 839 Concertina fish 43 0 0 0 0

Zambezi shark 447 30 6.71 77 539 307 2599 Prodigal son/cobia 40 1 2.5 36 36 479 479

Queen mackerel 442 3 0.68 4 12 376 1044 Wreckfish 39 2 5.13 4 7 231 388

Potato bass 408 22 5.39 2 22 310 2639 Shortbill spearfish 38 0 0 0 0

Blue marlin 377 0 0 0 0 Steentjie 37 0 0 0 0

Total tagged

Recaptured Km travelled Days free

SpeciesTotal tagged

Days freeRecaptured Km travelled

Species

Priority species for tagging are highlighted with colour

Main Fish Species Tagged Up To 31 December 2014

www.oritag.org.za 9

Sp

eci

es

Tag

da

teTa

g l

oca

lity

Tag

siz

eTa

gg

er

Re

cap

Da

teR

eca

p l

oca

lity

Re

cap

siz

eR

eca

ptu

rer

Dis

t. (

km

)D

ay

s fr

ee

Gro

wth

(mm

)

Co

mm

en

ts

Bla

ck m

arl

in0

6/1

2/2

01

3B

aza

ruto

, M

oza

mb

iqu

e?

Du

art

e R

ato

24

/01

/20

14

So

uth

Be

ach

, D

urb

an

(K

ZN

)?

KZ

N S

ha

rks

Bo

ard

13

79

49

?Ta

g w

as

fou

nd

on

th

e b

ea

ch.

Like

ly s

he

d b

y t

he

fish

an

d d

rift

ed

so

uth

wa

rds

in t

he

cu

rre

nt

Bla

ck m

uss

elc

rack

er/

po

en

sko

p

06

/10

/19

95

Cin

tsa

Riv

er

are

a (

Tke

i)5

90

J. L

en

tz2

8/0

5/2

01

4O

ffsh

ore

, G

len

mo

re (

KZ

N)

84

5D

. Li

eb

en

bu

rg3

14

68

09

(18

yrs

)

25

5T

he

lo

ng

est

re

cord

ed

dis

tan

ce a

nd

tim

e a

t li

be

rty

for

a p

oe

nsk

op

hig

hli

gh

tin

g t

he

slo

w g

row

th r

ate

of

this

sp

eci

es

Bla

ckti

p s

ha

rk0

5/0

1/2

01

3C

oe

ga

Ha

rbo

ur

(EC

ap

e)

81

0C

oe

ga

re

sea

rch

te

am

18

/04

/20

14

Um

ga

zan

a R

ive

r (T

kei)

? (

10

kg

)B

ruce

?4

55

46

8?

Mo

ved

no

rth

at

0.9

km

pe

r d

ay,

on

e o

f re

lati

vely

few

bla

ckti

p s

ha

rks

reca

ptu

red

Co

pp

er/

bro

nze

-wh

ale

r sh

ark

22

/02

/20

12

Mo

sse

l B

ay

(S

Ca

pe

)8

30

B.F

. va

n W

yk

10

/06

/20

14

Ea

st L

on

do

n (

EC

ap

e)

11

10

B.J

. A

ren

tse

n6

47

83

92

80

On

e o

f fe

w j

uve

nil

e b

ron

zie

s re

cap

ture

d n

ort

h o

f

tag

gin

g l

oca

tio

n

Co

pp

er/

bro

nze

-wh

ale

r sh

ark

05

/11

/20

04

Be

gh

a R

ive

r, P

ort

Alf

red

(E

Ca

pe

)1

41

7J.

Cra

bb

16

/10

/20

14

Str

an

dfo

nte

in,

CP

T (

WC

ap

e)

19

40

M.

Sw

an

ne

veld

er

10

86

36

32

(9.6

yrs

)

52

31

0 y

ea

rs f

ree

hig

hli

gh

tin

g s

low

gro

wth

ra

te,

mo

ved

we

st

Du

sky

sh

ark

15

/09

/20

13

Po

rt E

dw

ard

(K

ZN

)7

30

C.K

. d

e C

lerc

q0

9/0

1/2

01

4Je

ffre

y's

Ba

y?

M.

Ferg

uso

n6

81

11

6?

So

uth

wa

rd m

ove

me

nt

at

a s

pe

ed

of

5.9

km

pe

r d

ay

Ga

ljo

en

08

/08

/19

98

Blo

uk

ran

s R

ive

r (S

Ca

pe

)4

14

Rh

od

es

scie

nti

sts

10

/07

/20

14

Ca

pe

St

Fra

nci

s (E

Ca

pe

)5

40

S.

Sa

ss1

06

58

15

(16

yrs

)

12

6Lo

ng

est

tim

e f

ree

fo

r a

ga

ljo

en

, e

stim

ate

d t

o b

e a

t

lea

st a

21

ye

ar

old

fis

h!

Ga

ljo

en

13

/11

/20

11

Ca

pe

Po

int

(WC

ap

e)

38

1S

. W

alk

er

02

/09

/20

14

Ma

itla

nd

s, S

ea

vie

w (

EC

ap

e)

42

0J.

Vo

lsch

eck

90

41

02

43

9M

ove

d e

ast

90

4 k

m,

on

e o

f th

e "

mo

vers

" in

th

e

po

pu

lati

on

Ga

rric

k/l

ee

rvis

30

/11

/20

12

Ke

urb

oo

ms

Riv

er,

(S

Ca

pe

)3

20

P. M

cDo

na

ld1

4/0

5/2

01

4K

nys

na

La

go

on

(S

Ca

pe

)6

75

H.

Bo

tha

47

53

03

55

On

e o

f fe

w j

uve

nil

e g

arr

ick

ob

serv

ed

to

mo

ve

be

twe

en

est

ua

rie

s

Ga

rric

k/l

ee

rvis

02

/02

/20

09

Bre

ed

e R

ive

r (S

Ca

pe

)5

20

G.

Gro

ble

r0

6/0

9/2

01

4R

ich

ard

s B

ay

(K

ZN

)1

09

0N

. N

aid

oo

14

64

20

42

(5.6

yrs

)

57

0N

ort

hw

ard

sp

aw

nin

g m

igra

tio

n o

f th

e s

am

e

coh

ort

? (

see

be

low

)

Ga

rric

k/l

ee

rvis

14

/04

/20

10

Bre

ed

e R

ive

r (S

Ca

pe

)4

50

R.

Nie

na

be

r0

6/0

9/2

01

4S

cott

bu

rgh

(K

ZN

)?

(7

.8k

g)

J. N

aid

oo

12

54

16

06

?N

ort

hw

ard

sp

aw

nin

g m

igra

tio

n,

tag

ge

d a

t sa

me

pla

ce a

nd

re

cap

ture

d o

n t

he

sa

me

da

y a

s a

bo

ve

fish

!

Re

d/c

op

pe

r st

ee

nb

ras

22

/02

/20

09

Cin

tsa

Riv

er

are

a (

Tke

i)4

70

B.

Oo

stin

gh

08

/08

/20

14

Pre

sle

y B

ay

are

a (

Tke

i)8

50

K.

We

bb

er

16

41

99

3

(5.5

yrs

)

38

0U

sua

lly

re

sid

en

t a

s ju

ven

ile

s, o

n r

ea

chin

g m

atu

rity

ad

ult

s m

ove

no

rth

wa

rd f

or

spa

wn

ing

Riv

er

sna

pp

er/

rock

sa

lmo

n0

5/0

6/2

01

3K

osi

Ba

y (

KZ

N)

45

0E

. K

yle

18

/09

/20

14

Ric

ha

rds

Ba

y (

KZ

N)

55

0T.

Sti

rk2

31

47

01

00

Usu

all

y v

ery

re

sid

en

t, s

eco

nd

lo

ng

est

mo

vem

en

t

reco

rde

d f

or

this

sp

eci

es

Sa

nte

r/b

ast

erm

an

/so

ldie

r1

6/0

7/2

01

3B

ush

y P

ark

, P

E (

EC

ap

e)

33

5K

. S

mit

h0

3/0

4/2

01

4P

ort

Alf

red

(E

Ca

pe

)4

00

H.

Vo

slo

o1

79

26

16

5U

sua

lly

fa

irly

re

sid

en

t re

ef

fish

bu

t d

o d

isp

lay

occ

ass

ion

al

no

ma

dic

be

ha

vio

ur

Sa

nte

r/b

ast

erm

an

/so

ldie

r2

3/1

2/2

01

3R

YE

Ba

nk

Off

sho

re,

PE

(E

Ca

pe

)3

40

K.

Sm

ith

21

/01

/20

14

Sw

art

kop

s R

ive

r, P

E (

EC

ap

e)

34

0U

nk

no

wn

62

90

Re

cap

ture

d 1

km

up

stre

am

in

th

e S

wa

rtko

ps

Riv

er

foll

ow

ing

a c

old

wa

ter

up

we

llin

g

Sco

tsm

an

23

/01

/20

10

Mka

mb

ati

, P

on

do

lan

d (

Tke

i)6

15

OR

I sc

ien

tist

s1

1/0

8/2

01

4P

on

ta d

a B

arr

a,

Mo

zam

biq

ue

80

0U

nk

no

wn

12

21

16

61

(4.5

yrs

)

18

5R

eca

ptu

red

tw

ice

at

Mka

mb

ath

i a

nd

th

en

a 3

rd

tim

e i

n M

oza

mb

iqu

e.

Pro

ba

bly

mo

vin

g n

ort

h f

or

spa

wn

ing

Sco

tsm

an

18

/10

/20

09

Mte

ntu

, P

on

do

lan

d (

Tke

i)4

32

OR

I sc

ien

tist

s3

1/1

2/2

01

4B

all

ito

(K

ZN

)6

90

I. S

ee

da

t2

31

19

00

(5.2

yrs

)

25

8U

sua

lly

re

sid

en

t a

s ju

ven

ile

s, p

rob

ab

ly a

no

rth

wa

rd m

ove

me

nt

for

spa

wn

ing

as

pe

r a

bo

ve

Se

ven

gil

l co

wsh

ark

02

/04

/20

11

So

verb

y (

WC

oa

st)

11

90

P. v

an

de

r W

est

hu

ize

n0

2/0

8/2

01

4S

tra

nd

(W

Ca

pe

)1

25

0B

. B

row

n3

81

12

18

60

On

e o

f th

e f

ew

co

wsh

ark

s to

mo

ve f

rom

th

e w

est

coa

st t

o e

ast

co

ast

aro

un

d C

ap

e P

oin

t

Sp

eck

led

sn

ap

pe

r1

4/0

2/2

01

1Le

ven

Po

int,

Ca

pe

Vid

al

(KZ

N)

31

0M

. Ty

lde

sle

y1

5/0

3/2

01

4M

ab

ibi

(KZ

N)

?S

ub

sist

en

ce f

ish

er

67

11

25

?N

orm

all

y a

ve

ry r

esi

de

nt

spe

cie

s b

ut

a f

ew

fis

h i

n

the

po

pu

lati

on

do

un

de

rta

ke l

on

g d

ista

nce

mo

vem

en

ts s

uch

as

this

on

e

Sp

ott

ed

gu

lly

sh

ark

01

/03

/20

06

Sp

ree

uw

all

e,

Lan

ge

ba

an

(W

Co

ast

)1

38

0W

. R

ap

son

28

/12

/20

14

Ca

pe

Po

int

(WC

ap

e)

15

50

B.

De

aco

n2

07

32

24

17

0U

sua

lly

ve

ry r

esi

de

nt,

mo

ved

ou

t o

f th

e l

ag

oo

n

an

d s

ou

thw

ard

s to

Ca

pe

Po

int

Sp

ott

ed

ra

gg

ed

-to

oth

sh

ark

30

/11

/20

03

Bla

ck R

ock

, Z

ulu

lan

d (

KZ

N)

15

90

J. d

e G

oe

de

01

/03

/20

14

Gre

at

Fis

h P

oin

t (E

Ca

pe

)1

72

0M

. M

ard

on

95

43

74

4

(10

.2 y

rs)

13

01

0 y

ea

rs f

ree

an

d o

nly

gre

w 1

30

mm

, ra

gg

ies

are

kn

ow

n t

o m

igra

te b

etw

ee

n K

ZN

an

d t

he

Ea

ste

rn

an

d W

Ca

pe

Sp

ott

ed

ra

gg

ed

-to

oth

sh

ark

20

/12

/20

08

Ple

tte

nb

urg

Ba

y (

SC

ap

e)

19

70

L. W

oo

d2

3/0

2/2

01

4P

lett

en

bu

rg B

ay

(S

Ca

pe

)2

01

0U

nk

no

wn

01

98

1

(5.4

yrs

)

40

Re

cap

ture

d o

nce

at

Zin

kw

azi

(K

ZN

) in

a s

ha

rk n

et

an

d t

he

n r

ele

ase

d a

nd

ca

ug

ht

ag

ain

ba

ck a

t

Ple

tte

nb

urg

Ba

y

Sq

ua

reta

il k

ob

11

/01

/20

09

Mte

ntu

, P

on

do

lan

d (

Tke

i)6

60

OR

I sc

ien

tist

s1

6/0

8/2

01

4Z

ink

wa

zi (

KZ

N)

10

80

B.

Ph

elp

s2

66

20

43

(5.6

yrs

)

42

0T

he

lo

ng

est

re

cord

ed

dis

tan

ce a

nd

tim

e a

t li

be

rty

for

a s

qu

are

tail

ko

b p

osi

tive

ly i

de

nti

fie

d b

y O

RI

scie

nti

sts

Wh

ite

mu

sse

lcra

cke

r0

7/1

0/2

01

4D

e H

oo

p M

PA (

WC

ap

e)

65

5D

EA

sci

en

tist

s3

0/1

0/2

01

4S

tilb

aa

i (S

Ca

pe

)6

55

F. R

ou

x7

92

30

3.4

km

pe

r d

ay,

no

rma

lly

a r

esi

de

nt

spe

cie

s b

ut

ad

ult

s m

ay

mo

ve n

ort

hw

ard

an

nu

all

y t

o s

pa

wn

Yell

ow

be

lly

ro

ckco

d0

1/0

5/2

01

1M

kam

ba

ti,

Po

nd

ola

nd

(T

kei)

70

5O

RI

scie

nti

sts

20

/05

/20

14

Ric

ha

rds

Ba

y (

KZ

N)

78

0P.

Co

etz

er

35

51

11

57

5N

orm

all

y a

ve

ry r

esi

de

nt

ree

f fi

sh s

pe

cie

s b

ut

it i

s

po

ssib

le t

ha

t th

ere

is

som

e n

ort

hw

ard

mo

vem

en

t

of

ad

ult

s fo

r sp

aw

nin

g

Top 25 Exciting Recaptures

10 www.oritag.org.za

The broadnose sevengill shark (more commonly referred to as acowshark) is an apex predator that inhabits the coastal waters ofmany temperate seas worldwide. In Southern Africa their knownrange extends from northern Namibia to the Eastern Cape of SouthAfrica.

The tendency of cowsharks to inhabit shallow inshore bays,seldom venturing below a depth of 100 m, makes them extremelyvulnerable to exploitation by inshore fisheries. In Southern Africa,cowsharks are a popular target species for recreational shoreanglers and line fishermen in many areas. Furthermore, they aretargeted commercially by the demersal shark longline and handlinefisheries, and are caught as bycatch in certain multispeciesfisheries.

Due to the extensive gaps in our knowledge of this species, theirvalue as an apex predator in marine ecosystems has been largelyoverlooked. It is imperative that these gaps in our understanding befilled in order to effectively manage and conserve not only a singlespecies, but the functionality of entire ecosystems. Long termmark-recapture programs such as the Oceanographic ResearchInstitute's Cooperative Fish Tagging Project (ORI-CFTP) areinvaluable in providing insights into the movement patterns andbehaviour of an array of species, including cowsharks. Thisinformation is crucial in advising management strategies for thesespecies on a local and regional level.

Over the period from 1984 to 2012 a total of 3 185 cowsharks weretagged and released as part of the ORI-CFTP, of which 167 (5.2%)have been reported recaptured. Catches were recorded from CapeFrio (northern Namibia) to the Kei River (Eastern Cape of SouthAfrica), with most catches recorded on the west coast of SouthAfrica (north of Cape Point).

The total number of cowshark catches varied regionally, with thewest coast of South Africa having the highest number of catches,as well as the highest recapture rate (see below). However,regional catch rates may be reflective of variations in fishing effort,rather than cowshark abundance or distribution. For example,there is reduced fishing effort north of Port Owen on the west coast,while large stretches of northern and southern Namibia are closedto fishing - hence there are few catches of cowsharks recorded inthese areas.

The majority of cowsharks (69.5%) were recaptured <50 km fromtheir original release location. This is indicative of a fairly rangerestricted species. Furthermore, while there was notablemovement of cowsharks between the west and south-east coastsof South Africa, no individuals tagged in Namibia were recapturedin South Africa (and vice versa), possibly indicating regionallysegregated stocks. However, non-reporting of recaptures betweenthe two countries cannot be discounted.

Despite the apparent range limitations of this species, a number ofindividuals were observed to have undertaken large scale coastalmigrations of several hundred kilometres. For example, one

individual tagged at Cape Agulhas on the south coast in 1991 wasrecaptured 597 km north-west of this location on the west coast ofSouth Africa after only 396 days at liberty. This was not the onlyexample – a total of 21 cowsharks were recaptured >200 km fromtheir original release location, with days at liberty for these sharksranging from 53 - 1406 days (3.8 years).

Another very interesting finding was that a large proportion ofcowsharks were recaptured at the exact location from which theywere originally tagged and released (see below), despite extendedperiods at liberty. For example, one individual captured atJacobsbaai on the west coast of SouthAfrica was recaptured in theexact same area after over three years at liberty. This indicates thatcowsharks are either resident in these areas, or display site fidelity,in which sharks return to the same areas on an annual or seasonalbasis. Such behaviour has been recorded in many other sharksspecies found in South Africa. Again further research usingacoustic and/or satellite telemetry can provide a betterunderstanding of whether cowsharks are resident in these areas,or display seasonal site fidelity, which may be linked to behavioursuch as foraging, reproduction and/or parturition.

Results from tag and recapture data for cowsharks

Scale of movements of cowsharks in SouthernAfrica

Evidence of residency or site fidelity

vbv

First insights into the movement

patterns and behaviour of

broadnose sevengill sharks

( ) in

Southern Africa

Notorynchus cepedianus

By Tamlyn Engelbrecht

MSc student, University of Cape Town

and Shark SpottersA broadnose sevengill shark at Miller's Point, False Bay(Photo: Morne Hardenberg / Shark Explorers)

Locations of cowshark catches recorded in Southern Africa between1984 - 2012. White icons indicate first capture, red icons are recaptures.Satellite imagery: Google Earth

Map of Southern Africa indicating locations where cowsharks displayedresidency/site fidelity (white icons). Inset: histogram showing the numberof cowsharks recaptured at various displacements. Satellite imagery:Google Earth

www.oritag.org.za 11

Conclusions

Acknowledgments

In conclusion, this study provided useful preliminary insights intothe behaviour and scale of cowshark movements in SouthernAfrica, and provides a platform for more detailed studies on themovement patterns of cowsharks in this region. Currently a longterm collaborative research project on cowsharks is underway(http://www.aquarium.co.za/blog/entry/sevengill_shark_research_project), with the aim of improving our understanding of theecology, demography and spatiotemporal dynamics of this speciesin Southern Africa. This project makes use of acoustic and satellite

telemetry to track the movements of cowsharks, building on thefoundation of information provided by the ORI Tagging Program,with the aim of contributing towards improved management andconservation of an important apex predator.

Funding for the Sevengill Shark Research Project is primarily fromthe Two Oceans Aquarium, with additional financial or equipmentsupport from the University of Cape Town, James Cook University,Save Our Seas Foundation, Woolworths and Ocearch.

Way back in November 2001 ORI started a project in the St LuciaMarine Reserve (part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in northernKZN) to monitor the effectiveness of the no-take sanctuary areabetween Leven Point and Red Cliffs in protecting surf-zone fishpopulations. Following the implementation of the beach vehicleban in January 2002, the project also provided the opportunity tomonitor the potential recovery of surf-zone fish populations in thepreviously exploited area between Cape Vidal and Leven Pointusing the no-take sanctuary area as a benchmark. This projectadopted a “citizen science” approach using volunteers from theORI Tagging Project and guest anglers. Between November 2001and November 2014 a total of 104 anglers participated on 63 fieldtrips. The project also had wide exposure being covered in TVprogrammes such as ESA, ASFN and Inside Angling, as well as anumber of magazine articles, including articles in previous issuesof the Tagging News.

After 13 years we can clearly show thebenefits of the no-take sanctuary area whichinitially had many more fish of greater sizethan the adjacent exploited area. Over timewe have witnessed the recovery inabundance and in mean size of the main fishspecies caught in the exploited area betweenCape Vidal and Leven Point, such asspeckled snapper, large-spot pompano, greygrunter, cave bass, yellowbelly rockcod andblacktail. The tagging of 7 229 fish from 17different fish species with 1 129 (15.6%)recaptures, has shown that the majority ofspecies are highly resident with relativelysmall home ranges, most not more than a few100 m in extent (see table). There has thusbeen relatively little spillover of adult and sub-adult fish moving from the sanctuary to thepreviously exploited area. However,approximately 5% of most reef fishpopulations do exhibit a more ranging type ofmovement behaviour where individual fishleave their home range and do not return. Sosome of these fish did leave the sanctuaryarea and settle in the previously exploitedarea. Furthermore, we found greater

evidence of recovery close to the boundary of the sanctuary areasuggesting that this area received greater benefit from seeding ofeggs and larvae spawned in the sanctuary area.

These are important results as they have shown that no-takesanctuary areas are indeed an effective tool for managing residentsurf-zone fish species. The movement patterns of the dominant fishspecies, based on tagging results, have given insights into theeffective size that such no-take areas need to be to protect viablepopulations of surf-zone fish species and how far such areas needto be spaced apart to ensure connectivity between protected fishpopulations. Ultimately these results can feed into improving thecurrent zonation of the surf-zone habitat within the iSimangalisoWetland Park to ensure wise use of fish resources and greaterconservation benefits.

It is along these lines that a proposal was submitted to theiSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority in January 2015 to considerexpanding the current project which had focused on the same areanorth of Cape Vidal for the past 13 years. The Authority acceptedthe proposal and a three-year research agreement has now beensigned whereby we use the same methodology but undertake fourfield trips per year in four different areas of the Park namelySodwana Bay, Bhanga Nek, Maphelane and Cape Vidal. Each fieldtrip still consists of a comparison between areas zoned forexploitation and no-take. An added dimension is the inclusion of asubsistence fisherman from the local community on each field tripto help raise awareness about the tagging project as well as todemonstrate the value of no-take areas as a viable managementoption. We hope to have some exciting results at the end of 2015,stay tuned!

Surf-zone fish monitoring and tagging in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park,

taking stock of achievements and looking to the futureBy Bruce Mann

Oceanographic Research Institute

SpeciesNo. of

recaps

%

recap

Ave distance

moved (m)

Max

distance

moved (m)

% that

moved

> 2 km

Movement

type

Giant guitarfish/sandshark 5 9.09 2 520 ± 2 567 5 200 40 Nomadic?

Catface rockcod 57 17.54 726 ± 4 536 34 300 1.8 Resident

Yellowbelly rockcod 73 24.75 262 ± 1 049 6 800 4.1 Resident

Potato bass 11 4.66 182 ± 322 1 100 0 Resident

Lemon fish 10 6.33 90 ± 129 400 0 Resident

Whitebarred rubberlip 1 2.17 100 100 0 Resident?

Grey grunter 57 6.98 137 ± 240 1 100 0 Resident

Cavebass/lantern fish 96 20.04 2 259 ± 12 144 90 000 5.2 Resident

River snapper 2 10 0 0 0 Resident

Speckled snapper 652 49.85 1 141 ± 7 480 125 000 5.8 Resident

Zebra 1 6.25 0 0 0 Resident

Natal stumpnose 16 3.02 15 450 ± 57 259 230 000 18.8 Resident

Dusky kob 2 6.9 20 500 ± 9 192 27 000 100Resident/

migatory

Bluefin kingfish 3 10 433 ± 513 1 000 0 Resident

Blacktip kingfish 5 3.55 7 620 ± 10 808 26 000 60 Nomadic?

Small spotted pompano 1 100 200 200 0 Resident?

Large spotted pompano 12 0.9 19 317 ± 42 656 114 000 25 Resident

12 www.oritag.org.za

Special ThanksWe would like to express our sincere gratitude for thefinancial and administrative support received from thefollowing organizations during the 30-year history of thisproject: the South African Association for MarineBiological Research (SAAMBR), Stellenbosch FarmersWinery (now called Distell) who generously funded theTagging Project for 22 years under their Sedgwick's OldBrown Sherry brand, the South African NatureFoundation which became WWF-South Africa, the Tonyand Lisette Lewis Foundation and most recently, the KZNDepartment of Economic Development, Tourism andEnvironmental Affairs (EDTEA), without which we would

have been unable to continue this important project.David Hall (Hallprint© Australia) is thanked for hisexcellent service and on-going supply of high quality tagsand applicators. A special word of thanks to Rudy van derElst for his foresight in developing this remarkable“citizen science” project long before this type of sciencewas considered acceptable and to Elinor Bullen forrunning the project as “Tagging Officer” for an incredible27 years (1984-2011)! Lastly, we thank all of the othersponsors who have contributed in some way to thisproject over the past 30 years, there are simply too manyto mention.

Total Recapt% Total % Recapt.

Oceans and Coast (DEA) De Hoop Marine Reserve 1473 9.2 52248 6.8

Port Elizabeth Museum/Bay World Coega/Ngqura Harbour (P.E.) 964 9.1 4236 9.4

St Lucia Marine Reserve 627 18.5 7254 14.7

Pondoland Marine Reserve 402 30.3 3898 25.6

MPA Connectivity Project 38 0 78 1.3

South African Shark Conservancy (SASC) Western Cape (Hermanus) 99 42.4 120 45.0

Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife Kosi Bay Estuary and surf zone 83 8.4 2972 8.7

KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board KwaZulu-Natal Coast 77 9.2 4257 6.4

White Shark Africa- Shark Warriors Mosselbaai area 64 17.2 523 6.7

Oceans Research and Shark Lab Mosselbaai area 24 4.2 110 6.4

uShaka Marine World Aquarium (Released Fish) Durban (KZN coast) 7 0 175 9.1

Institute /Organisation Area2014 Overall

Oceanographic Research Institute

Institutional Scientific Tagging

Total % Recapt. Total % Recapt.

Duarte M. Rato Rani Resorts- Indigo Bay Bazaruto Island, Mozambique DS BF 31 0 863 0.3

Mr Graham Pollard Unknown Inhaca Island DS, BF 5 0 137 1.5

Mr J.C. & Mrs E.L. Smith Seevarkie Guest House Sodwana Bay, KZN DS, BF, FLY 1 0 61 0

Mr Sean Amor Hooked on Africa Cape Town, Wcape DS, BF 1 0 49 10.2

Name Group Area Facet2014 Overall

Commercial Charter Groups

Species Scientific name # Tagged

Spotted ragged-tooth shark Carcharius taurus 20

Tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier 18

Dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus 11

Great white shark Carcharodon carcharias 6

Spinner shark Carcharhinus brevipinna 6

Giant guitarfish/sandshark Rhynchobatus djiddensis 6

Spotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari 3

Blacktip shark Carcharhinus limbatus 3

Zambezi shark Carcharhinus leucas 2

Scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini 1

Smooth hammerhead Sphyrna Zygaena 1

Devilray Mobula kuhlii 1

Total 77

KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board - Net/Drumline Tagging