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Harmless Harpooning

March 13, 2012

In 2011, scientists employed the services of a professional harpoonist, Capt. Bill Chaprales, aboard the fishing vessel Ezyduzit out of Sandwich, Mass., to tag basking sharks with a device that records data for up to a year. The sharks aren’t harmed—the tag is like an earring and attaches just below the dorsal fin. The tags record light levels, diving depth, and seawater temperature, and are programmed to pop off, float to the surface, and send back information that give scientists insights into the largely unknown behavior of these endangered animals.(Photo by Li Ling Hamady, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)