Every year starting around mid April, when the Gulf waters begin to warm up and finally hit those magic numbers, we officially begin our Shark Fishing season here in Crystal River. The Blacktips, Sharpnose and Tiger Sharks have been south of us all winter in search of warmer waters and now the migration back north begins as schools of baitfish and tarpon begin their annual migration up the coast of Florida. Not far behind these annual migrators are large numbers of hungry sharks ready to eat after a long winter vacationing in the Keys. This is also the best time of year to tag as many sharks as we can for Gray FishTag Research. Gray is not only the largest marine taxidemist in the world, but it also has been leading the way in fish tag research among anglers for many years. By bringing fisherman and Charter Captains into the scientific mix, Gray Fish Tag Research has created a large tagging database that is free to use to scientists around the world. By tagging fish in certain geographic locations, it allows researchers to see where these sharks are migrating too and if they are ever caught again. Information like, how much they have grown, where they traveled to and in what period of time is vital information for the future of our fisheries.
Our very first tagged shark many years ago was a small 24 inch shark that soon after eating a bait was grabbed by another shark on the way up. Thankfully we were lucky enough to get the shark onboard before it could be injured any further. He was bitten pretty good and had two large teeth marks in his side that were bleeding when he surfaced. I did not know if he would make it, but he was in good shape in every other aspect except for the tooth wounds. We quickly measured him, named him LUCKY and released him soon after in hopes that he would make it to swim another day. I have tagged a lot of sharks over the years, but always hoped ole LUCKY would get caught again so I would know if he truly made it. Lo and behold, 6 months later, he was caught again in the Florida Keys by another charter captain. He was completely healed over and healthy as can be. It's information like this that allows scientists to learn more about shark movement, population counts, wound recovery and so much more. Our clients love to participate in the process and having the ability to name their own shark is even more of an incentive to catch one. They love the feeling of satisfaction they receive from playing such a vital role in the future of Shark populations and many other species of fish.
If you would like to tag a shark this upcoming season, contact us at www.extremesharkfishing.com to book a trip. We would love to guide you through the process and the benefit to the sharks is even more of a reason to give it a try!
For more information on Gray FishTag Research visit their website at