FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Researchers say a juvenile shortfin mako
shark tagged more than eight months ago off Ocean City Maryland is tracking a
highly unusual path directly south in the mid-Atlantic – a fast track to a
mystery destination.
“I’ve
never seen one act quite like this one,” said Dr. Mahmood Shivji, Director of
Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) and
Save our Seas Research Center. “The mako is displaying an amazingly directed
movement – as if this shark has a specific destination it wants to get to in a
hurry,” he added, pointing to a computer screen showing the nearly straight
vertical path of a young male mako dubbed I-NSU.
The
public can also follow I-NSU as well as other tagged sharks in near real-time,
courtesy of an interactive online website set-up by GHRI (www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/tracking/).
Shivji
and his GHRI team have satellite tagged and tracked several species of sharks. I-NSU
is among 16 mako sharks tagged with special satellite-linked devices allowing
GHRI researchers to monitor their movements. The research team has a particular
interest in mako shark behavior and conservation. In addition to being the NSU athletics
mascot, this fast swimming species is also under heavy fishing pressure. In fact, three of the nine mako sharks GHRI
started tracking in 2013 were captured in commercial longline fisheries.
The
tracking website is an educational outreach component of GHRI’s quest to study
shark migration patterns, with the ultimate goal being to better understand and
protect them, as some species are threatened or endangered.
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NSU’s GHRI began tagging mako
sharks in 2009 to study their migratory patterns and now undertakes expeditions
worldwide to study these amazing animals. The school's marine experts have
tagged mako sharks as far away as Mexico and New Zealand. In addition to makos, GHRI and Save Our Seas
Shark Research Center scientists are also tracking tiger, oceanic white tip and
sand tiger sharks, as well as blue marlin.
Shivji
said tagged sharks, though many do traverse thousands of miles, often move in
irregular patterns, sometimes even crossing over previous tracks and frequently
changing directions.
“I-NSU
also showed an irregular and looping pattern for four months when it was
exploring northern latitudes, but at some point it decided it was time to get
somewhere directly south and has been on a virtual straight track for the last
nearly 1,100 miles,” he said.
Is
the shark on a mission to reach a destination?
“I
guess we will just have to wait and see,” said Shivji. “It certainly hasn’t
been meandering for the past 26 days. It sure looks like it’s focused on
getting somewhere specific.”
About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 314 beautiful acres in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic, fully
accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational
programs at all levels. NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution
with an enrollment of 27,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s,
master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range
of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with “high research
activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it is
one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community
Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu.
Celebrating
50 years of academic excellence!
About
the Guy Harvey Research Institute at NSU:
Established in 1999, the Guy Harvey Research
Institute (GHRI) at NSU is collaboration between the renowned marine artist,
scientist and explorer, Dr. Guy Harvey, and Nova Southeastern University's
Oceanographic Center. The mission of the GHRI is to provide the scientific
information necessary to understand, conserve, and effectively manage the
world's marine fishes and their ecosystems. The GHRI is one of only a handful
of private organizations dedicated exclusively to the science-based
conservation of marine fish populations and biodiversity. The research,
education and outreach activities of the GHRI are supported by the Guy Harvey
Ocean Foundation, AFTCO Inc., extramural research grants, philanthropic
donations by private businesses and individuals, and NSU. http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/index.html