Shark tagged in 2012 off South Carolina caught again — same date, same area, NOAA says

A shark caught off South Carolina surprised researchers when a tag revealed it had been caught 12 years prior “to the day” — near the same spot, according to NOAA Fisheries.

That location was 30 miles off the coast of tourism hot spot Myrtle Beach, and it could be an indication that some shark species have favorite hangouts, just like the rest of us.

It was identified as a 5-foot, 5-inch sandbar shark, a species known “to make seasonal movements between nursery grounds and offshore areas based on time of year,” according to NOAA Fisheries research fish biologist Michelle Passerotti.

“Female sandbar sharks commonly move between offshore areas and pupping or mating grounds throughout the year based on their reproductive cycle,” Passerotti told McClatchy News.

“We know they tend to return to favorite nursery areas to pup, and now are learning more with tagging studies just how closely they might stick to their favorite offshore spots year-to-year. It’s tough to say whether this was just a happy coincidence or evidence of that type of behavior, but it’s a great datapoint to add to these studies.”

The shark was among 1,949 caught this year as part of the 2024 Coastal Shark Bottom Longline Survey, which covered waters from southern Florida to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. More than 10,700 sharks have been tagged in the program’s 35-year history.

However, only a fraction — an estimated 271 — have been caught a second time by the same survey, officials say.

In the 2024 survey, sandbar sharks accounted for the species most often caught, followed by dusky, tigers, blacktips and scalloped hammerheads, NOAA Fisheries reports.

Nine sharks (seven sandbar and two dusky sharks) carried tags from past surveys, including one tagged 24 years ago off Georgia, Passerotti said in a report. “The other recaptures ranged from one to nine years,” she wrote.

The sandbar shark caught off Myrtle Beach is estimated to be 25 to 30 years old and may have given birth several times, Passerotti said.

Sandbar sharks are “one of the largest shark species found in coastal waters,” reaching about 8 feet and 200 pounds, NOAA Fisheries reports.

“Due to its preference for smaller prey and its tendency to avoid beaches and the surface, the sandbar shark poses little threat to humans,” the Florida Museum of Natural History reports. “Although it has been rarely associated with attacks on humans, its size makes it potentially dangerous.”

This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 5:57 AM with the headline "Shark tagged in 2012 off South Carolina caught again — same date, same area, NOAA says."