NSW tagged as a world leader in shark program

The NSW Government’s shark tagging program is now estimated to be the largest in the world.

Tracking sharks is helping NSW DPI scientists to determine their movement patterns and increase our knowledge of shark behaviour.

Research shows that some White Sharks travel tens of thousands of kilometres, some moving across the Bight to Western Australia, others to Tasmania and New Zealand.

Check out the latest video showing the movements of sharks tagged in NSW

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The Department of Primary Industries’ shark tagging project is mainly carried out using SMART drumlines.

DPI scientists fit both externally fin-mounted satellite tags and surgically inserted acoustic tags to White and Tiger sharks, and internal acoustic tags to Bull Sharks. This enables scientists to register the natural movements of the sharks to determine the environmental and biological factors affecting their distribution in coastal waters.

Sharks tagged by DPI contractors during SMART drumline trials are fitted with external acoustic and identification tags. All acoustically tagged sharks can then be detected on the network of 21 real-time listening stations on the NSW coast that are located from Tweed Heads to Merimbula. When a shark swims within 500 metres of one of the listening stations, an instant alert is sent to the SharkSmart app and Twitter feed @NSWSharkSmart. Beachgoers can download the app and set it to receive tagged shark alerts at certain times and locations. DPI is collating more than 34,000 alerts from those listening stations to create interactive maps of our tagged sharks.

The table below includes sharks that have been fitted with a satellite tag by our DPI scientists. When the shark breaks the surface of the water for long enough to be received by a passing satellite, the tag 'pings' the shark location via GPS.

It is not unusual for some sharks to not 'ping' for some time. Interestingly, there have been sharks that have travelled thousands of kilometres before we receive a ‘ping’. One shark travelled from NSW to New Zealand before DPI received its location.

Shark tracking

Click on the name of each satellite tagged shark to go to the Wildlife Tracking website for maps and more information.

NameSpeciesLife StageRelease DateLast LocationDays Transmitted
Shark 1 White SharkJuvenile2015-08-262015-11-1379
Shark 10 White SharkJuvenile2015-10-142016-02-18127
Shark 103 White SharkJuvenile2017-06-052018-04-29328
Shark 105 White SharkJuvenile2017-06-062017-11-27174
Shark 106 White SharkJuvenile2017-08-172018-02-26193
Shark 11 White SharkJuvenile2015-10-152015-11-2036
Shark 13 White SharkJuvenile2015-10-172016-08-02290
Shark 14 White SharkJuvenile2015-10-192016-02-11115
Shark 15 White SharkJuvenile2016-05-312017-02-28273
Shark 16 White SharkJuvenile2016-05-312017-09-23480
Shark 160 White SharkJuvenile2017-08-172020-06-011019
Shark 17 White SharkJuvenile2016-05-312017-06-20385
Shark 179 White SharkJuvenile2017-09-112019-06-18645
Shark 18 White SharkJuvenile2016-06-022016-08-1574
Shark 180 White SharkJuvenile2017-09-122018-01-08118
Shark 2 White SharkJuvenile2015-08-262015-11-2086
Shark 227 White SharkSub Adult2017-10-242018-03-22149
Shark 229 White SharkJuvenile2017-10-242018-09-05316
Shark 234 White SharkSub adult2017-10-282019-04-18537
Shark 25 White SharkSub adult2016-07-042018-09-03791
Shark 251 White SharkJuvenile2017-11-152018-01-1056
Shark 26 White SharkJuvenile2016-07-042016-10-21109
Shark 27 White SharkSub adult2016-07-052017-11-25508
Shark 28 White SharkSub adult2016-07-052019-04-201019
Shark 290 White SharkSub adult2018-07-272020-07-16720
Shark 3 White SharkSub-Adult2015-08-282016-08-11349
Shark 30 White SharkJuvenile2016-07-202017-05-09293
Shark 31 White SharkJuvenile2016-07-212016-10-1485
Shark 315 White SharkSub adult2018-08-292019-07-30335
Shark 33 White SharkJuvenile2016-07-222017-01-03165
Shark 34 White SharkJuvenile2016-07-272016-09-1146
Shark 341 White SharkSub adult2018-12-032019-06-09188
Shark 35 White SharkJuvenile2016-08-012017-09-30425
Shark 358 White SharkSub adult2019-07-112021-09-30812
Shark 36 White SharkJuvenile2016-08-012018-01-29546
Shark 365 White SharkSub adult2019-07-182019-09-0448
Shark 37 White SharkJuvenile2016-08-022017-02-11193
Shark 38 White SharkJuvenile2016-08-092017-10-28445
Shark 39 White SharkJuvenile2016-08-092016-08-134
Shark 4 White SharkJuvenile2015-08-302016-08-26362
Shark 40 White SharkJuvenile2016-08-092018-10-31813
Shark 41 White SharkSub adult2016-08-102023-10-272634
Shark 42 White SharkJuvenile2016-09-062017-08-16344
Shark 44 White SharkJuvenile2016-09-062017-02-22169
Shark 45 White SharkJuvenile2016-09-072017-10-11399
Shark 47 White SharkJuvenile2016-09-072017-04-19224
Shark 48 White SharkJuvenile2016-09-272019-10-191117
Shark 49 White SharkJuvenile2016-09-272017-06-17263
Shark 5 White SharkSub-Adult2015-09-082015-11-2477
Shark 50 White SharkJuvenile2016-10-012017-05-21232
Shark 51 White SharkJuvenile2016-10-012017-09-29363
Shark 52 White SharkJuvenile2016-10-012018-08-03671
Shark 53 White SharkJuvenile2016-10-022017-08-26328
Shark 54 White SharkSub-adult2016-10-042019-04-10918
Shark 55 White SharkJuvenile2016-10-042017-03-03150
Shark 56 White SharkJuvenile2016-10-062017-04-04180
Shark 57 White SharkJuvenile2016-10-082017-04-08182
Shark 58 White SharkJuvenile2016-10-082017-03-04147
Shark 59 White SharkJuvenile2016-10-082016-11-2043
Shark 6 White SharkJuvenile2015-09-122015-10-1735
Shark 7 White SharkSub-Adult2015-09-122015-12-1695
Shark 8 White SharkJuvenile2015-09-132016-01-10119
Shark 9 White SharkJuvenile2015-10-132016-04-23193
Shark 96 White SharkJuvenile2017-05-302017-10-16139
Tiger 29 Tiger SharkJuvenile2018-01-292018-07-25177
Tiger 32 Tiger SharkJuvenile2018-02-122018-07-17155
Tiger 33 Tiger SharkJuvenile2018-02-122019-02-20373
Tiger 69 Tiger SharkJuvenile2019-03-292020-01-20297
Tiger 7 Tiger SharkJuvenile2017-05-302018-03-25299
Tiger 74 Tiger SharkJuvenile2019-05-082019-06-2245
Tiger 84 Tiger SharkJuvenile2019-05-082019-12-26232
Tiger 85 Tiger SharkJuvenile2019-09-052020-07-09308
Tiger 88 Tiger SharkSub adult2019-07-192019-11-29133
Tiger 93 Tiger SharkJuvenile2019-07-092022-02-14951
Tiger 96 Tiger SharkJuvenile2019-07-232021-01-11538
White 359 White SharkSub adult2019-07-112020-05-19313
White 366 White SharkSub adult2019-07-182019-11-07112
White 367 White SharkSub adult2019-07-182019-08-2033
White 375 White SharkSub adult2019-07-272020-12-24516

Click on an animal's name for maps and more information.