Yamaha Marine New Zealand is celebrating a major milestone in its support of shark scientist Dr Riley Elliott, with one of the largest great white sharks ever tagged in his research programme now named ‘Yamaha’.
The 4.5-metre mature female was tagged near Stewart Island in May as part of Dr Elliott’s satellite tracking programme. Sponsored by Yamaha Marine New Zealand, the tag will provide valuable data on great white shark movements and behaviour.
The milestone highlights Yamaha’s commitment to marine conservation through its Yamaha Rightwaters initiative, which supports scientific research, habitat protection, education and community engagement.
“Our goal is to support programmes that make a genuine, long-term contribution to protecting New Zealand’s waterways and oceans,” says Pete Dick, Group Marketing Manager for Yamaha New Zealand.
Dr Elliott has tagged 32 great white sharks during more than a decade of research, with support from public sponsors and Yamaha Marine New Zealand. The programme is helping scientists better understand migration patterns, habitat use and population health across the South Pacific.
The newly tagged shark, ‘Yamaha’, is one of the largest mature females encountered during the research.
“In all the years we’ve worked in these waters, seeing a mature female of this size is incredibly rare,” says Dr Elliott. “To safely tag a shark like ‘Yamaha’ and gather information that contributes to her species’ conservation is a privilege.”
Research has shown great whites travel vast distances, migrating to Australia, New Caledonia and Tonga before returning to New Zealand waters. As one of the few regions with a stable great white population, New Zealand plays an important role in global shark research and conservation.
The public can track ‘Yamaha’ through the THE GREAT WHITE app or via the Sustainable Ocean Society website. Anyone interested in sponsoring a future shark tag can also get in touch through the www.sustainableoceansociety.co.nz website.
