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Nature Foundation Starts Shark-Tagging Programme
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St. Maarten Nature Foundation has initiated its sharktagging programme as part of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) Save Our Sharks project, funded by the Dutch National Postcode Lottery. This research is intended to better understand the life characteristics of sharks in St. Maarten’s waters, including population structure, abundance and migration. Jillian Morris and Duncan Brake of Sharks4kids assisted the Nature Foundation with building gear, catching, handling and tagging the sharks. The team successfully caught, tagged and released eight sharks in St. Maarten in the last few weeks. The Nature Foundation tagged four Caribbean Reef sharks and four tiger sharks, with lengths varying from four to seven feet. All sharks were measured, equipped with an identification tag and a DNA sample was taken without removing the shark from the water. All sharks were released in good health and may be identified on other locations in the near future. In October, the Nature Foundation, in collaboration with Saba Conservation Foundation, is to continue the shark-tagging project in the waters of St. Maarten and on the Saba Bank.