When large exotic animals like bears require operations, veterinarians rely on anesthesia to keep both the animal and medical team safe. But what happens if a shark in the open ocean needs surgery–for example, to insert an internal tag?Â
The process is surprisingly fast and looks very different, explains Caroline Collatos, a PhD student at UMass and researcher at the New England Aquarium, in an interview with Popular Science.
The first step involves catching the shark. Collatos explains that she start by tossing out a piece of bait with a fishing rod. When the shark takes a bite, she reels it to the side of the boat, where she grabs its dorsal fin and wraps rope around its tail.
Secured in this position alongside the boat keeps the animal and handler safe. “It’s not thrashing around, hurting itself, or dangerous for us,” Collatos says. “And once I have that done, it’s much easier to be able to maneuver the fish. So then I can actually just physically turn the shark over.”
Flipping a shark onto its back induces a trance-like state known as “tonic immobility.” While the exact reason for this phenomenon is still unknown, researchers like Collatos believe it’s related to sensory overload.
“It is a very helpful tool when you’re trying to work with the animal and, you know, perform that minor surgery on their abdomen, because it’s like a natural sedative,” she explains. “If I had to sedate that animal, that would actually cause a much longer recovery process to let that animal go back into the wild. So our tagging process is three to four minutes.”
Collatos uses a topical anesthetic to insert the internal shark tag, which is about the size of a AA battery. When she completes the procedure, she flips the shark upright and removes the ropes and hook before releasing it. From start to finish, the shark is usually on the line for only five to ten minutes.Â
Talk about in-and-out!
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