Sharklife

11/05/2026

Four months goes fast.

A big thank you to Danny from Plymouth University, who has just wrapped up his time with us on the Sharklife MBTI programme.

From long days at sea, classroom sessions, logbooks, species ID, and plenty of real field experience, Danny threw himself into station life and became a solid part of the team.

Safe travels back to Plymouth, mate, and all the best for what’s next.

Once part of Sharklife, always part of the family.

30/04/2026

This is a Critically Endangered wedgefish recorded on our remote underwater camera at a study site.

This individual appears to have a plastic ring lodged around its head. If it remains in place, this ring is likely to tighten as the animal grows, causing long-term injury and suffering.

As wedgefish cannot swim backwards, shedding debris like this can be extremely difficult.

Please remember that ring-shaped plastics of any size can pose a risk and should be disposed of away from the beach, and even cut open if possible.

25/04/2026

19/04/2026

Welcome Laura from the University of Padova, Italy, to the Sharklife intern team.

We’re looking forward to a focused period of field training, ocean time, and real-world experience in the iSimangaliso MPA.

11/04/2026

The Sharklife team recently had the privilege of visiting Tembe Elephant Park, we saw antelope moving quietly through the bush, and had an encounter with a few of the park's majestic elephants.

Tembe is renowned for being home to the legendary Great Tuskers, some of the last remaining giants with impressive ivory, making every visit a truly unique experience.

For more information on how to join the Sharklife team, please follow the link below: Www.sharklife.co.za

Thank you for the photos Jules.

05/04/2026

A warm goodbye to Noeline!

Although your time with us was short, it was great having you as part of the team.

You settled in quickly and brought a positive energy to the field station from day one.

All the best for what’s ahead, and thank you from all of us at Sharklife

04/04/2026

Recently Dr Matt Parkinson and his team visited the Sharklife field station to deploy acoustic telemetry tags into rays and wedgefish as part of our collaborative SCRI project with NMU.

With limited time and challenging conditions, the team tagged four juvenile whitespotted wedgefish. These animals will help build a clearer picture of how the species uses the inshore zone of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

The process is kept as efficient and controlled as possible. Each animal is supported in a purpose-built pool with constant water flow over the gills. A local anaesthetic is applied before a small incision is made to place the tag.

The full procedure takes under seven minutes. Animals are released once they are swimming normally again. Each tag can then provide years of movement data.

Thanks to all Partners involved and everyone who assisted in the field, as well as the iSimangaliso Park Authority and Ezemvelo for their support .

01/04/2026

A warm final goodbye to Zoe, Beth and Megan (UK, Ireland and US).

Thank you for being such enthusiastic and dedicated Sharklife team members over the last several months. You have worked hard and completed the MBTI programme with flying colours.

We wish you all the best for your future studies, and a big thank you from the Sharklife team.

29/03/2026

Clear escalation pathways for repeat offenders need to be in place and applied.

Following an October 2025 Mongabay report of the shark fishing vessel Zanette violating the conditions of its permit to catch endangered sharks, the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) announced that it would consider suspending or revoking the permit. The Zane...

26/03/2026

We recently assisted ATAP partners with servicing deep-set acoustic receivers positioned at 40–60 m.

Each unit is attached to a mooring line with a built-in acoustic release mechanism.

From the boat, a VR100 sends a signal to the release. Once confirmed, it detaches, and buoys bring the receiver up from depth.

Inside each receiver is a record of movement from tagged sharks and rays. Over weeks and months, those detections begin to form patterns.

What becomes interesting is how those patterns extend beyond a single site.

Receivers are deployed by different teams along the coastline, but they operate as a connected array.

Animals move between them, and those movements are picked up across projects. A detection in one area can link to another far down the line.

Servicing and resetting these units keeps that connection intact.