GPS Tracking Helps Researchers Study Great White Sharks

The OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker Project has been studying great white sharks since 2009 and they’re surprised by the findings. “We are seeing they are much more dynamic than we had previously thought,” explained Dr. Gregory Skomal, one of the project’s senior scientist and head of the Massachusetts Shark Research Program. “We are talking about thousands of kilometers in just a couple of months for some of these sharks.”

 

“What is fascinating is that they approach the shore regularly and have probably been doing this for thousands of years if not hundreds of thousands, but go completely undetected. So I don’t think there is any reason to be alarmed. They are not going out of their way to eat us so their reputation is somewhat undeserved,” Dr. Skooma said. The research shows that sharks, and great whites in particular, may be misunderstood when thought of as killing machines. In fact, the results of the GPS tracking study suggest that the sharks are more intelligent than previously thought.

 

“Some of the results are showing that individuals return to the very same place each summer and in some cases are doing it within days of the previous year. One shark we tagged in 2011 has been returning to the same pace around Cape Cod in very specific areas. She has area preferences and leaves around the same time in the fall,” Dr. Skomal added. “We have got fidelity to various sites and possibly even residency at these sites. That points to an incredible navigation capacity in these sharks.”

 

The GPS technology has allowed researchers to get a much closer look at the actual habits and movements of great white sharks. They have been able to tag the sharks by using a large lift attached to a boat, which safely scoops them out of the ocean. The team can get blood samples and even scrape bacteria from the teeth and gums to work on a shark bite antibiotic.

 

“Lydia, who we tagged in March, has moved thousands of kilometers. She traversed the Atlantic, stopped abruptly and then turned back. As to what is causing these broad movements, we have very little information, and that is frustrating,” explained Dr. Skomal. “When I look at Lydia’s track I wonder if she was just being complacent and riding the Gulf Stream and then woke up one day and realized she didn’t want to go that way. It is very intriguing. We were completely unaware of these kinds of movements.”

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GPS Tracking Helps Researchers Study Great White Sharks