Riley Elliott Instagram – Unfortunately Mananui has lost her tag – BUT – thanks to massive local effort, she lost it back at home in the Tauranga Harbour and we have got it back!!! Thanks to local kid Sebana, who along with dozens of other people, ventured out in the rain to find this expensive piece of science. These tags were used because of their non-invasive method of attachment, whereby the shark doesn’t need to be caught in order to attach it. The method does however make the tags susceptible to being pulled out, and when we have had unprecedented flooding in NZ, the amount of debris, like logs and trees in the water, is more than ever. This is likely what pulled out Mananui’s tag. She was named by the local Maori Hapu reflecting her great mana and prestige. The four months we tracked her gave us some incredible and novel insight as to the lives of these Great White sharks which have historically been rare or absent in this region. Firstly it is pretty clear that something special is occurring in this harbour, being home to a 3.2m Great white. Then we have seen how floods made the sharks leave the area, Mananui heading north and around the north cape to the west coast! But then to return all the way back to the exact place we tagged her, is just truly incredible. It shows the migration capabilities and awareness, and it cements the definition of the harbour as a nursery area, where return residency, reflects the incredible ecosystem it offers. What we also see is an awesome human community, funding tags, eager to learn and literally getting out there to help. Thanks to all who searched for the tag. I am so grateful for the support. And I will endeavour to re-deploy the tag on Mananui asap