Atlantic White Shark Conservancy Closes 2022 Shark Research Season

Courtesy of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy

HYANNIS – The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy has closed out its shark research season with 31 animals tagged. 

Since the program began several years ago, 277 white sharks have been tagged with the support of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and Dr. Gregory Skomal. 

The research season typically runs from July through early November. This year 18 research trips were made.

Scientists highlighted the inclusion of drone technology this year, which they hope will increase sightings and improve understanding of sharks when they’re near the coast.  

“The drone technology is paired with tracks of tagged sharks through a fine-scale acoustic receiver array deployed by the Center for Coastal Studies off five Outer Cape beaches,” said Megan Winton, senior scientist with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in a statement.

“We are also estimating the spotting efficiency of observers using drones under a variety of environmental conditions. This project will improve our understanding of white shark behavior in nearshore waters and will also provide science-based information about the efficacy of a frequently proposed shark surveillance measure.”

 

About Grady Culhane

Grady Culhane is a Cape Cod native from Eastham. He studied media communications at Cape Cod Community College and joined the CapeCod.com News Center in 2019.



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