Cape Cod isn’t the one spot in New England the place nice white sharks wish to feast on seals.
A new research from native shark researchers has discovered that greater than 100 white sharks that had been tagged off the Cape had been later detected alongside the Maine coast.
Shark scientists have tracked the actions of white sharks in Maine state waters since 2020 — following the state’s first recorded deadly shark assault.
With a give attention to the southern shoreline, researchers have deployed acoustic telemetry receivers from Might by way of November annually to watch for tagged sharks.
In complete, 107 white sharks tagged by researchers within the Western North Atlantic had been detected, with the bulk detected in shallow waters.
“We know through our research and tracking that white sharks that visit Cape Cod travel well beyond these waters,” stated Megan Winton, senior scientist on the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
“This study gives us deeper insight into their movement patterns off the coast of Maine,” Winton added. “This work reflects true partnership and will add to the ever-growing body of knowledge on white shark ecology.”
White sharks had been detected between the months of Might to December, with peaks between July and September.
The sharks had been detected close to a number of of Maine’s western seashores and islands/outcroppings, with greater numbers noticed at a number of websites in jap Casco Bay.
“By assessing acoustic transmitter data from over three hundred individuals, our findings provide evidence that a sizable portion of the WNA (Western North Atlantic) white shark population that visit the Cape Cod aggregation site also uses the waters of western nearshore Maine, particularly around the eastern Casco Bay area,” the researchers wrote within the research.
The general decrease variety of detections on this research would recommend that shark exercise is extra unfold out alongside Maine’s shoreline than on the close by Cape Cod aggregation website.
That is the primary research to characterize the looks of white sharks over time within the area.
“We are excited to have this study published and continue to expand our understanding of white sharks in the western North Atlantic and the coastal waters in Maine,” stated Matt Davis, lead creator of the research and scientist with the Maine Division of Marine Sources.
“This work could not have been done without the collaboration of many researchers and organizations, and we thank everyone involved,” Davis added.
The research’s outcomes present beneficial insights for fisheries administration and ongoing conservation efforts associated to white sharks in a area that has been traditionally understudied.
Researchers plan to construct upon this work and proceed to develop a extra complete understanding of motion and habitat use within the area.
