Kent's shark secrets discovered in new project

A new project is helping to gather data on sharks which can be found off the Kent coastline.Sharks of Kent is an initiative from Kent Wildlife Trust, led by their marine partners Adonis Blue. Sharks are caught and important information is gathered before they're released so that scientists can help to track their movements and behaviour.The project also involves training local anglers and boat skippers to tag sharks too, so that they can contribute to the work. Image caption, Sharks are tagged before being released back into the waterMax Renton, project manager, said: "Sharks are incredible. They've been around for 400 million years, so they're older than trees, and as top or mid-level predators they regulate the entire marine eco system.""In Kent we think it's a really important nursery and pupping ground so we're hoping the research can shed light on that because it could be a really important area for their development before they head out to sea."On the day the BBC joined the team, 31 smooth hound sharks were caught, measured and weighed and 11 were big enough to be tagged. If they're recaptured, the tag can give scientists vital data about the animal's growth and where it's been.Image caption, Sharks are released back into the seaKent's waters are part of the cross-channel Geopark, a protected zone with key natural features, and the shark's presence is influential in international policy.Greg Taylor, Kent Downs National Landscape manager for geodiversity delivery, said : "We are aiming for UNESCO Global Geopark status for the whole area, and hopefully we'll have an announcement sometime next year about it.""With Geoparks it's about internationally-significant geology, but also how that connects to everything else."Related storiesMore on this story