CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Texas researchers have launched a new interactive tool that allows the public to track sharks in near real-time as they travel through the Gulf of America.
The Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation at the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has partnered with fishing gear brand American Fishing Tackle Company (AFTCO) and the Coastal Conservation Association to create the Fin Finder app.
"The CSSC is home to the largest shark-tagging program in the western Gulf and has tagged more than 13,000 sharks with the help of volunteer anglers. Sportfish Center researchers utilize the latest wildlife tracking technology, including satellite tags that enable the real-time tracking of sharks," states developers on their website.
The tagged sharks are named after friends of the Institute, and you can get to know these sharks by selecting their names in the app. Each shark includes details such as distance traveled, average speed, time since the last location update, and total time tracked.
"The overall goal of this project is to generate much-needed data on the ecology of sharks in the Gulf using state-of-the-art assessment techniques. We are using SPOT (Smart Position or Temperature Transmitting) tags made by Wildlife Computers to tag large sharks along the Texas coast. These tags are affixed to the dorsal fin and feature a wet/dry sensor that when dry will ping local satellites providing locations for that animal," added developers.
The Gulf is a perfect location for studying the long-term movement patterns of species such as Tigers, Scalloped Hammerheads, and Shortfin Makos.
