In a groundbreaking development for marine conservation in both Ireland and ‘across the world’, two rare angel sharks were successfully tagged and released by scientists from the Marine Institute in County Kerry’s Tralee Bay.

Local fishermen and members of the community came together last week to work alongside scientists from the Marine Institute to achieve what has been recognised as a ‘significant milestone achievement’ for conservation, marking the first (and second) time in local history that angel shark – one male and one female – have been fitted with an electronic tag in Irish waters.

The endeavour marks what has been called by the Marine Institute as a ‘crucial step forward’ in the preservation and study of one of the most endangered species in Europe.

“This is a landmark moment for marine conservation in Ireland,” said Dr Ross O’Neill, a licensed tagger with the Marine Institute. “The angel shark is an incredibly rare species making this recent encounter and successful tagging of two specimens in Tralee Bay all the more important. 

“The tagging will allow us to track their movements and better understand how we can protect this species from further decline. It’s an exciting development not just for Irish marine life but for global conservation efforts.”

Known to some as the ‘devil’s banjo’, angel sharks are a slow-growing, long-lived, and vulnerable species historically found in waters from North Africa to Norway. Catches of the species by commercial and recreational fisherman were at one time commonplace within the Tralee Bay area, but numbers have declined dramatically since the late 1960s. Today, encounters are ‘extremely rare’ and the species is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The success of the tagging operation in Kerry adds to the growing body of research focused on preserving these ancient creatures. The operation was carried out by the Marine Institute in collaboration with local fishers with received funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, and the EU as part of its ongoing Biodiversity Scheme. 

The successful tagging represents a vital contribution to ongoing efforts aimed at understanding the behaviour, migration patterns, and habitat preferences of this elusive species. Data collected from the tags will now provide researchers with information that will inform future conservation strategies, aiming to safeguard the survival of angel shark in Irish and European waters.

Dr Rick Officer, CEO of the Marine Institute, said: “The tagging project has been made possible through the close cooperation between scientists, local fishermen, and coastal communities who have been instrumental in reporting sightings and providing assistance during the tagging process. Our successful tagging of these angel sharks highlights the importance of collaborative community involvement in marine conservation efforts.”

The angel shark tagging was carried out as part of a broader initiative by the Marine Institute to monitor and conserve shark and ray populations in Irish waters. This research, involving acoustic tagging and tracking of common stingray and undulate ray as well as the additional Pop-up Satellite Archival Tagging of common skate aims to accumulate data on migration, movement, an habitat preferences for these vulnerable and endangered species. This will then contribute to the creation of more effective conservation strategies, including habitat protection and sustainable fishing practices, to ensure their survival in Irish waters.

It’s part of a wider project – co-funded by the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and the Irish Government in a Biodiversity Scheme project of EU Strategic Importance – to limit interactions between commercial fishing and protected and endangered species off the south west coast.

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