The South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) Shark Research and Education Program has announced a new published scientific research paper on juvenile great white sharks in New York waters.
The study was led by Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in collaboration with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, OCEARCH, SOFO, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. The study, using cutting edge satellite tag technology, provided a unique look into how young white sharks travel and use their habitats. The study is the first to provide fine-scale analysis of 3D movement behavior in young-of-year and juvenile white sharks in the only confirmed white shark nursery area in the entire North Atlantic Ocean.
Results published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science show that the tagged white sharks, all less than five feet long, consistently displayed movements parallel to Long Island’s southern shoreline and the New Jersey coast and likely cling to these waters due to their summertime productivity. Horizontal movements ranged from the surf zone to more than 80 miles from shore; however, sharks spent more than 90 percent of their time within 12 miles of Long Island’s southern shoreline, which further confirms the importance of this region to baby white sharks.
“We are thrilled to continue to lead the way on researching this unique population of juvenile white sharks,” said Greg Metzger, study co-author and Chief Field Coordinator for SOFO’s shark program. “Top-notch scientific collaborators and cutting-edge technology have helped us rapidly expand our understanding of why these young sharks hang around Long Island every summer.”
Data from the tagging study simultaneously address many questions on the ecology, behavior and conservation of a highly mobile marine predator that have been challenging to explore.
Altogether, the research suggests young white sharks prefer nearshore habitats where they play important ecological roles as apex predators on a variety of species, while also avoiding larger sharks. SOFO continues its collaborative shark research efforts in New York waters to support conservation and education.
SOFO Executive Director, Frank Quevedo, echoes the excitement of the new findings. “We now have several years of data highlighting the critical importance of Long Island’s South Shore waters to these baby white sharks. SOFO can use that science to help educate the public and encourage good stewardship of the local marine environment.”
Study co-authors are Tobey H. Curtis, Ph.D., NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division; Gregory Metzger, SOFO Shark Research and Education Program; Michael P. McCallister, MSc, FEC Laboratory, FAU Harbor Branch; Alisa Newton, Ph.D., Wildlife Conservation Society; and G. Christopher Fischer, OCEARCH.
To learn more about SOFO, visit www.sofo.org.