Shark Savers - Retrieving the Whale Shark receivers

Retrieving the Whale Shark receivers

February 18, 2008
Utila, Honduras

Now the priority is to retrieve the receivers that were placed at strategic locations last year as part of the Marine Meganet program in order to download the data.

Let me tell you about the receivers. We put cement blocks on strategic reef banks to which we attached a rope. At a depth of 25 feet, we put a buoy on the rope for easy surface spotting. The receiver is secured to the rope with tie-wraps at 80 feet. The receiver records the nearby appearance of a tagged Whale Shark.

With the wind finally dying down yesterday, we set out to retrieve the first of the receivers. Success! When we got to it, the buoy was gone so we had to do a bottom search (in quite a bit of current) for the block. The rope and receiver were still attached but lying on substrate. The receiver was intact after having been attached more than 100 feet down for about 7 months. That probably explains in part the results found upon downloading the data from the receiver. There were no instances of tagged creatures on it. That is understandable as the receivers were placed at the very end of the whale shark season on Utila. The results are still conclusive in the fact that, well, the method for placing them and the equipment is in full working order after all that time at sea. We are learning every day!

Now all we need is to get to the other ones as soon as the wind plays again in our favor. You will be the first to know.

Enjoy the pictures.
Isabelle.

After spotting the cement block , Isabelle followed the rope and voilà, finds the receiver

Steve Fox and Isabelle seconds before cutting loose the receiver

Isablle shows that the receiver is happily still functioning as the LED light is blinking.

As all good divers do, taking a safety stop on the way up.

Isabelle unwrapped the receiver which had been wrapped with cling wrap to prevent algae and other creatures from encrusting and damaging the unit. It worked beautifully.