Park City, Jan. 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OCEARCH, who has produced critical scientific data related to the tracking of keystone marine species, is returning to the Lowcountry - the South Carolina coast - plus the coastal waters of north Florida and Georgia after tagging two white and two tiger sharks in the area last year.
“We’re returning to the Lowcountry because our sharks led us here,” Chris Fischer, OCEARCH founding chairman and Expedition Leader, said. Previous data collected shows that OCEARCH’s mature Lowcountry white sharks and most of OCEARCH’s mature Cape Cod white sharks have differing paths. The team is returning to gather data that will help researchers understand the habitat use of the Lowcountry White Shark vs. the Cape Cod White Shark.
“Two of our mature animals, Lydia and Hilton, tagged in the Southeast spent significant time in Canadian Atlantic waters, while most of our Cape Cod sharks have not, with some exceptions,” said Dr. Bob Hueter, Director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory and OCEARCH’s Chief Science Advisor. “Because of the overwintering importance of the Southeast for the entire Northwest Atlantic population, and because our mature animals tagged there went to Canada, it's important we follow up on previous expeditions and try to get more tags out in the Southeast, especially on mature animals.”
OCEARCH tagged Hilton, its first mature male who is currently pinging off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, in the area last year. In total, the research group has caught, satellite-tagged, and tracked 33 great white sharks in the Atlantic since 2012, including five mature white sharks; however, scientists need a larger sample size.
“More movement data, especially on mature animals, remains the key to a comprehensive understanding of the species’ habitat use,” Dr. Bryan Franks, expedition lead scientist and Assistant Professor of Marine Science at Jacksonville University, said. “More data that will allow researchers to better understand seasonal ranges and identify critical areas for the white shark along the eastern seaboard.”
The team of shark researchers and fishermen will begin their research on January 18 off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, before heading to Hilton Head, South Carolina, as part of Expedition Lowcountry II. OCEARCH will host 11 researchers, from 11 various institutions, aboard its M/V OCEARCH research vessel as part of its mission to enable data collection by providing collaborating researchers and institutions unprecedented access to mature marine animals.
There are also 11 other researchers from 10 institutions who will receive the biological samples from each animal tagged, allowing them to analyze the results from the blood, mucus, muscle, parasite, genetic, and other samples collected. Researchers will use these samples to conduct several studies, including understanding the sharks’ reproductive condition.
The expedition will include scientists from Jacksonville University, Mote Marine Laboratory, Adventure Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium, Georgia Southern University, University of South Carolina-Beaufort, Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Massachusetts, University of North Florida, Auburn University, College of Charleston, University of Florida, Cape Canaveral Scientific, South Eastern Zoological Alliance for Reproductive Conservation, VithajSafari, Long Island Shark Collaboration, Georgia Institute of Technology, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Windsor University, and Shedd Aquarium.
All sharks will be fitted with at least one satellite transmitter tag and an acoustic tag. As the sharks’ fins break the surface, the satellite tag will transmit their locations. You can follow the sharks tagged during Expedition Lowcountry II by accessing the near-real time, free online Global Shark Tracker or by downloading the Global Shark Tracker App available for Apple and Android platforms.
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Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1a4e01c0-6e21-47d9-960b-87fd4ca863a1
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cfd6befe-3952-488b-b6ad-6afa354c6a34