Reward $100.

Macquarie University PHD student Julianna Kadar is missing an important piece of kit. She’s hoping to enlist the help of South Coast residents to find it.

The device is an acoustic shark tag which was attached to a Port Jackson shark as part of Miss Kadar’s study of shark movement and behaviour.

The tag was mounted on a shark in Jervis Bay two weeks ago and was designed to detach two days later.

The tag should have signaled its location to be retrieved by boat. However there is no sign of the device.

“We think it has probably been caught up in kelp beds or rocks, Port Jackson sharks likes to hang out in kelp and caves. But we think it will break lose and turn up,” Ms Kadar said.

“The tag is not very expensive and is of no value to anyone else, but it’s of great value to science and us. 

“The information it collects tells us so much about the shark, and how it responds to its environment,” she said.

The tag is a sensor that takes measurements of the environment and what the animal is doing.

“We can determine when the shark is resting, swimming, chewing or even mating. It’s a cool piece of technology that’s very helpful,” Ms Kadar said.

Scientists already know quite a bit about Port Jackson sharks.

“We know they return to the same caves and areas each year to breed,’ Ms Kadar said.

“Despite earlier beliefs that they were lazy sharks that just hung around and did very little, we now know they migrate from Jervis Bay and travel about 1000 kilometres south toward Tasmania.

An impressive feat for an animal that’s only about one metre long.

“A recent article even mentioned sharks have BFFs [best friends forever] too, they choose certain sharks to to aggregate with over others.

“They’re such a cool, chilled out shark,” Ms Kadar said.

If you find the missing tag phone 0415 186 299 or email jpkadar@gmail.com