Local shark researchers tagged 31 nice white sharks off the Cape this shark season whereas coming upon many beforehand tagged apex predators, because the scientists additionally launched drones to review shark conduct near shore.
Gregory Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, working with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, tagged the 31 nice whites off Cape Cod throughout 18 analysis journeys from July by means of November.
Since the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries started its tagging program, 277 particular person white sharks have been tagged off the Cape. In a median shark season, the Cape researchers tag about three dozen sharks.
“It was mixed results for us this year, mostly because of weather and other issues, but not because of the presence of sharks,” Skomal advised the Herald on Thursday.
“Many of the fish we encountered were already tagged,” he later added, noting that they’ve been tagging sharks for a number of years.
For the primary time through the 2022 season, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy started utilizing drone know-how to gather video footage of white sharks in Cape Cod waters. The footage collected is getting used to research potential relationships between environmental situations and shark predatory conduct.
“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,” stated Megan Winton, senior scientist on the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
The researchers say the challenge will enhance their understanding of white shark conduct in nearshore waters that overlap with people. The examine will even present science-based details about the success of a ceaselessly proposed shark surveillance measure.
After amassing the drone knowledge over the summer season, the researchers will likely be analyzing the info all through the winter.
Some drone corporations have proposed utilizing the know-how as an early warning system for swimmers.
Skomal stated, “It has always been our opinion that these kind of technologies need to be evaluated.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”