The Maine Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) will team up with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF). Together, the research team hopes to provide information about the recent influx of great white sharks off the coast of Maine.
Maine DMR science bureau staff will place 20 passive acoustic receivers in near-shore Maine waters. The receivers will capture data from tags set on great white sharks from research conducted by DMF since 2010. Currently, this on-going research work has tagged approximately 210 great white sharks.
Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) will also support this project. AWSC is a non-profit that works to advance white shark research, education, and public safety. The organization is funding the purchase of twelve receivers.
Current data finds that roughly 20% of sharks tagged in a recent study migrate into the Gulf of Maine. Commissioner Keliher claims that “This effort will provide a much better understanding of when they are in our waters, what their habitat use is, and how those change over time. This work is important from a public safety perspective, and it will provide valuable biological information.”
Data from the acoustic receivers will upload to AWSC’s Sharktivity app. The app provides users with a recap of shark activity detected by receivers, shark sighting information, and alerts. Sharktivity also allows users to upload their photos and locations of sharks they spot.
Maine DMR will work with Mass DMF to identify locations for the receivers, and DMR’s Bureau of Marine Science and Marine Patrol will deploy them.
Original news break can be found on Maine DMR’s website.