SharkTagger.org

What a week - Deterrent trials are finished! We didn’t have much time to post as we went ...so here is a summary and we’ll do some more posts this week about each individual deterrent.

We trialled three shark deterrent devices. Two electric devices that are available on the market - (200V) and Sharkguard (50V) and one acoustic device (in its testing phase that emits the sounds of an Orca hunting)- the SharkStopper.

In summary the electronic devices showed more promising deterrent effects than the acoustic device. Oceanic whitetips appeared to react negatively to both electric deterrents which emit a pulse of electric current when a shark comes within a 3ft of the hook.

Fishing was pretty slow but we managed to catch at least 16 whole fish including; ahi (yellowfin and bigeye over 50lbs), tombo (albacore tuna), aku (skipjack) and shibi (small tunas) .

We didn’t have any instances of depredation where a shark took a bite of the fish from the line. But we lost a few at depth. We also had a some problems with dolphins stealing our bait from the line.

This makes it difficult to determine if the deterrent devices were effective, because we were able to land fish with the devices switched on and off! But we were fishing next to fishers getting sharked and we weren’t, so there may be some promise in these devices!

Trials will continue over the next month so we can increase our sample size!

Huge mahalo to Jason & Radon on Kalohokai and & on for taking us out and helping us conduct these trials!

Stay tuned for more detailed updates this week 🤙🏾

We have another confirmed re-sight of an oceanic whitetip shark! 

Last month, on 1 September 2025, &   encountered this 6ft male oceanic whitetip off Kona. He was cruising with another oceanic whitetip and a pod of pilot and melon-headed whales and was clean of fishing gear.

Then, just over a month later &  encountered the same individual off Kona again hanging around with a pod of pilot whales and still clean of fishing gear.

Oceanic whitetip sharks are often found around Kona associating with pods of pilot whales. Overall, about 20% of our photo submissions of oceanic whitetip encounters are recorded in association with pilot whales. Normally, these types of associations result in a benefit for one of the species either through shelter and decreased predation risk or an increase in feeding opportunities

Pilot whales are extremely efficient at detecting food, and their distribution links closely with their primary food source, squid which is also a component of the diet of oceanic whitetips. Pilot whales also share their catch within their pods and family groups, so it’s possible that this allowed OCS to benefit from scraps that are not consumed. 

Mahalo to everyone who submits their interaction imagery to us, we really appreciate it!

Awesome pics snapped by:

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Hawai’i is home to so many marine protected species. Protected species are those that are exempt from harm under various federal or state legislation and in Hawai’i these include; all marine mammals, i.e. Hawaiian monk seals, and many species of whales and dolphins, as well as sea turtles, manta rays, and oceanic whitetip sharks.

We have teamed up with the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) Protected Species Program (PSP), who are helping us manage and maintain our oceanic whitetip dorsal fin catalog. The PSP is responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing the protected marine animal species found in Hawaiian waters. They do this through public outreach and education, invasive predator management, pono (responsible) fishing advocacy, animal and habitat monitoring, marine debris removal, stranding response, and more.

Outreach and education are so important for everyone who lives in and visits Hawai’i to get more information on Hawai’i’s protected species. We love seeing how far and wide these outreach materials can be found around the islands. This is great for us, as it expands our outreach capacity for our oceanic whitetip shark dorsal fin catalog too!

The PSP team is working on getting species ID guides at all harbors, fishing stores, dive stores, charter, fishing, and dive boat operations across the Hawaiian islands, to help ocean-goers with species identification and where to report their sightings.

If you are a shop owner, fisher, boat owner / operators and would like to any outreach materials, please reach out to our friends at