The Two Oceans Aquarium team, released four spotted gully sharks into the ocean near Mgwalana in the Eastern Cape.
The spotted gully sharks (Triakis megalopterus) were housed at the Aquarium’s Kelp Forest Exhibit, since 2017.
Simon Brill, Senior Aquarist at the Two Oceans Aquarium, said at the time of the release “these gully sharks were collected at Mgwalana by anglers in 2017, 2020, and 2022, so we are fortunate to release them back into the wild where they were originally found.”
The gully sharks (three females and one male) were removed from the exhibit on 16 July 2024, weighing 11 to 23kg and measuring between 65 and 72cm.
Scientists have found a way to monitor the sharks whilst in the wild, using VEMCO tags.
The tags have a 10-year battery life and were inserted under their skin, to keep up with high-frequency noise that transmits to underwater acoustic along the Southern African coastline.
This will allow scientists to track their movement.
Fishermen who catch any of the 4 Gully Sharks released, are encouraged to record the location and date on which it was caught, the tag number, and the length of the shark.
All information can be sent to the Oceanographic Research Institute in Durban or Bayworld in Port Elizabeth.
Spotted gully sharks are endemic to the southern African coast from Walvis Bay in Namibia to Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape.
Image credit: Leanne Shelton