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Mysteries of the Great White Shark unveiled Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com February 17, 2008 [corrected 2/18] The Great White Shark's distinct populations never meet according to new research
TOPP uses satellite tracking and acoustic sensors to keep tabs on 100 White Shark individuals (the official name of the Great White Shark) off the California Coast. The sharks hunt the rich waters for seals and sea lions, but the research recorded that their movements extend far from the prey-filled coasts. Every winter the sharks leave California's coast for one of two destinations. A minority of sharks head to the Hawaiian Island chain. The majority, however, congregate in a part of the open ocean halfway from California and Hawaii, 1,300 miles from land. Researchers have yet to uncover what attracts the shark to this particular spot. During these journey the sharks will occasionally dive up to a quarter-mile beneath the surface and stay at this depth, where light barely penetrates, for hours. On returning to California, the sharks display remarkable site-fidelity, always heading to the same area of coast they left before. "These animals appear again and again at very specific areas," Salvador Jorgensen says, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station and the Monterey Bay Aquarium
White Sharks are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Although mostly left alone by commercial fisheries, some individuals pursue the shark for its jaws, teeth, and fins for international trade, mostly as souvenirs. It is also, perhaps surprisingly considering its size, often caught as by-catch. One of the major difficulties regarding White Shark conservation is the lack of available census populations. Jorgenson sees hope considering these new findings: "This is really important in terms of management, so that management can focus on these population units. And this really sets the stage for us to census the population, now that we know it is a confined population in the eastern Pacific." TOPP was begun in 1999 and has focused on more than just White Sharks. In total 3,000 predators have been tagged, including Leatherback Turtles, Northern Bluefin Tuna, Elephant Seal, the Shortfin Mako Shark, the Salmon Shark, and even the Black-Footed Albatross. Information on several more species from the Sperm Whale to the Humboldt Squid will be available soon. CORRECTION: This article inaccurately stated that the Great White Shark is the world's largest shark. The Whale Shark is the world's largest shark, followed by the Basking shark. Thanks To Nick S. and Dru for catching this error.
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