Atlantic Shark Institute tags its first hammerhead shark off Rhode Island coast

NEW SHOREHAM, R.I. — A hammerhead shark tagged off the coast of Rhode Island has made history for the Atlantic Shark Institute, which successfully fitted its first-ever hammerhead shark with an electronic tracking tag during a recent research expedition.

Researchers were surveying waters off Southern New England on Friday to tag sandbar sharks when they spotted a massive endangered scalloped hammerhead shark swimming near Block Island.

Although the team attempted to bait and tag the large scalloped hammerhead, the shark did not take the bait.

Second encounter leads to historic first

Later in the expedition, researchers encountered a second hammerhead, a 6-foot-long female, and successfully attached an electronic tracking tag, marking the nonprofit’s first successful hammerhead shark tagging.

The Atlantic Shark Institute announced the milestone Tuesday.

Tracking shark movements

Executive Director Jon Dodd said the electronic tag will allow researchers to monitor the shark’s movements along the East Coast.

The institute’s tagging program helps scientists better understand shark populations in Southern New England by collecting data on migration patterns, nursery grounds and changing habitats.

Rare encounter captured on video

The expedition also captured video of the large endangered scalloped hammerhead. The footage was recorded by Tomas Koeck of Silent Flight Studios as the shark swam through the clear waters off Block Island.

Koeck said documenting the Atlantic Shark Institute’s first successful hammerhead shark tagging highlights the important shark research taking place in Rhode Island.

The milestone follows another recent success for the Atlantic Shark Institute, which last year tagged two juvenile great white sharks off Rhode Island as part of its ongoing research into shark populations and migration.