High-Tech Tracking of White Sharks

Section Topics

Tracking the movements of the most famous fish in the ocean

The field work of the Great White Shark Conservation Research Project was launched in August 2002 with the attachment of 8 electronic tags to white sharks in two localities on the Western Cape Province: Gansbaai and Mossel Bay. Over the last two and half years the project has continued to expand with the completion of four additional tagging expeditions and the attachment of 43 tags in total.

We use two kinds of satellite tags: pop-up archival satellite tags (PAT tags) and near-real time satellite tags (SPOT tags and SDR tags). By using a combination of different scientific instruments we increase our chances of learning more about the behavior of white sharks because the specific function and data collected by each type of tag is slightly different. Prior to WCS' tagging research with white sharks in South Africa, there was only one other research group - in Australia - which had successfully attached near-real time satellite tags to white sharks and only a small number of other research groups that have used pop-up archival tags on great white sharks.

Why do we study white sharks?
Even though great white sharks have gained much popularity among the public - oftentimes a negative one due to biased media attention - there has not been enough research done on them, such that much of their basic biology and ecology remains unknown. As the future existence of white sharks is put under threat through human activities such as sport fishing and bycatch in commercial fishing, there is an increasing need to obtain the scientific information that is essential for developing sound conservation measures that will guarantee the recovery of white shark populations and the survival of the species into the future. The most recent advance in the conservation of the great white shark was its listing in the Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). This listing ensures that the trade of white sharks parts will be monitored and required to prove that it is not detrimental to the survival of wide populations. Our project will continue to help increase our understanding of white shark ecology, and use this knowledge to contribute to the challenging task of saving this magnificent fish.

What do we expect to learn with this project?
The need for better ecological and biological information about white sharks, essential for more effective protection measures for the species is the basis for WCS' involvement in this collaborative conservation research project in South Africa. By tracking great white sharks with innovative high-tech satellite devices we hope to answer -among others- the following important questions:

Which are the preferred habitats of great white sharks?
What is the size of their home ranges?
Do white sharks show fidelity to particular sites, such as hunting grounds, and if so for how long?
How far do white sharks travel?
Do they ever leave the protected waters of South Africa and if so, how often do they leave, how far they go, and how often do they do this?
Are the movements of white sharks driven by environmental factors and if so which are the most important of them?
What are the relationships between South African great white sharks and those elsewhere?
Do white sharks have regular migrations, and if so what is the size and routes of these migrations?
Do females and males, juveniles and adults, have the same patterns of space utilization?

This information is important not only to create a more comprehensive understanding of the sharks but also to evaluate the need for more extensive protection mechanisms and design such mechanism on the basis of scientific knowledge. The ecological information we have set out to collect will underpin the design and implementation of more effective and comprehensive protection plans.

HELP SAVE WHITE SHARKS

Partners and collaborators

Research Team copyright R.Bonfil/WCS

WCS has joined forces with the Marine and Coastal Management Branch (MCM) of the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to develop a strong collaborative project to study and conserve great white sharks. MCM has been a major partner in this project by providing both local personnel to lead and assist with the South African component of the research, as well as essential resources like the research ships Sardinops and Algoa used for the field work. Other collaborators in the project include graduate students from the University of Cape Town and University of Pretoria who have also provided very valuable support and assistance, including a smaller research vessel used for part of the tagging. The Natal Sharks Board is another collaborator whose personnel have participated in the tagging campaigns. The Roe Foundation has generously funded an important part of this research.