What’s next with great whites?
Shark researchers turn attention to shore encounters
Cape Cod great white shark researchers have identified more than 500 sharks and tagged nearly 300 of them over the last 10 years, learning about the apex predators’ nearshore behavior as the scientists look ahead to more groundbreaking research and public safety initiatives during the next decade.
The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy is entering its second decade of operation this year after the nonprofit was founded in 2012 to support white shark research and conservation. The organization later expanded its mission to provide shark education and help with public safety, as the presence of white sharks continued to increase off the coast and multiple beachgoers were bitten, including a 26-yearold man who died.
The AWSC research team has identified and cataloged more than 500 individual white sharks in the waters off the Cape since 2014, working in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries. Nearly 300 of the sharks have been tagged by the researchers.
The Conservancy’s Sharktivity app, which tracks the presence of white sharks off the coast via real-time receivers, has more than 750,000 users — and alerts beachgoers about where sharks have been spotted.
While AWSC founder and CEO Cynthia Wigren said the organization has hit many milestones and made a major impact on white shark research and conservation efforts over the last 10 years, she said AWSC has “only scratched the surface in fully understanding white sharks.”
“During the next 10 years, it will be important to learn more about their behavior close to shore,” Wigren said. “Public safety is a significant area of interest for us, and we will continue to work on learning how to peacefully coexist with the species.
“We want to change the perception of an animal that has been primarily feared due to the ‘Jaws’ factor,” she added. “We want to change that perception to fascination and respect for the role that the species plays.”
AWSC researchers over the years have determined that white sharks along the Cape spend nearly 50% of their time in water less than 15-feet deep. In addition to the shark tags, the scientists have used blimps and drones to study white sharks in the nearshore waters off popular beaches.
Researchers have been working on a study to forecast when and where great whites will roam along the shore.
“The more information we can provide, the better the public is aware and educated for making decisions,” Wigren said. “The ocean is a wild area, and a lot of risk is associated with going in the ocean.
“Learning what you can do to help improve your safety comes down to us learning more about the animals’ behavior off the coast,” she added. “It’s important that we provide all of that data to the public as we’re learning about them. We want everyone to have that data and knowledge.”