Expedition planned to find shark mating site
Researchers believe waters off Outer Banks could be where great white sharks gather to breed
A research group will explore the waters off the Outer Banks starting this week to see if great white sharks are mating there.
Where the apex predators known as lions of the sea reproduce has long been a mystery, but clusters of males and females show up frequently off the North Carolina coast.
Ocearch, a nonprofit organization that studies and tracks sharks, plans for the expedition to last from Friday through the end of the month with 42 scientists from 28 research organizations.
“Could this be when and where they’re mating,” says an online description of the expedition.
Over the years, the group has tagged 20 great white sharks, collecting data from them and researching their habits and condition. Ocearch maintains a website that tracks each of the tagged sharks, giving them names like Helena, Jefferson and Oscar. The sharks can be followed on social media.
The tag pings off a satellite when the sharks come to the surface. The Ocearch website allows viewers to watch the travels of the tagged sharks, typically from the northeastern coast of the United States to the Gulf of Mexico.
Last April, eight tagged white sharks appeared off the Outer Banks at the same time. For every tagged shark that surfaces in an area, there are dozens of others that could be there, said Ocearch founder Chris Fischer in an interview last year.
Currents from the north and from the south merge off the Outer
Banks, mixing cold and warm waters, bringing with them a variety of fish species — and more prey for the great white shark.
This will be Ocearch’s first expedition off the North Carolina coast.
The research will include using ultrasound technology to see if the females are pregnant and taking blood samples from sharks to analyze reproductive hormones. Scientists also will use the ultrasound equipment to study the male reproductive organs and collect semen for further study.
The Ocearch team embarks on a 126-foot ship equipped with a platform that can be lowered below the surface to retrieve sharks that the researchers catch on a hook and line. The platform rises above the surface where scientists take samples and perform tests in minutes before releasing the shark.
Great white sharks are the largest predatory fish on earth. They have excellent senses of sight, smell and taste and can detect movement in the water at great distances.
They grow to an average of 15 feet, but can exceed 20 feet. They can swim at speeds up to 35 mph and chomp on prey with a jaw filled with 300 serrated teeth.