Celton Manx is pleased to be supporting Manx Basking Shark Watch with the sponsorship of a new satellite tag.
Every summer Basking Sharks visit our waters from late May to early August and the team at Manx Basking Shark Watch has been studying their behaviour since 2005. Unfortunately these sharks are very rare as a result of being hunted for liver oil and fins, the entire global population may be just 6,000 – 8,000 breeding females. The team began to tag sharks in 2007 to track where they visit after they leave our waters.
Jackie Hall from the Manx Basking Shark Watch said: ‘I am delighted that Celton Manx has generously donated funding for a satellite tag. The tags are highly technical and expensive pieces of equipment. We could not purchase them and gain the invaluable information from them without the generous sponsorship of companies like Celton Manx.
‘We have successfully tagged 17 sharks in the past 5 years; the tags provide invaluable information about the sharks’ movements. We provide this research to local and international governments and conservation bodies to help conserve this remnant population before it is too late. We need to know more as soon as possible, this means that we need to tag as many individuals as possible to understand their movements, both locally and globally. Ultimately we would like to understand as much as possible about these amazing creatures and help to save them for future generations. The kind support of Celton Manx will help us to achieve this.’
Celton Manx Executive Director, Bill Mummery said: ‘We are delighted to be able to support such a worthwhile local wildlife project. Basking sharks are so well-known and loved in the Isle of Man and their protection is very important to us as a community.
‘The research that has already been collected through the tagging of sharks is fascinating and vital to the ongoing support and protection of the species. I wish the team the best of luck in their future research and look forward to hearing more about their findings.’
