Written by: Natalie Hess. November 2021
Here in Southeast Florida, our winter season is often marked by the return of cooler temperatures, busy roads, and crowded beaches filled with visitors escaping cold climates. But humans are not the only species journeying to Florida’s coasts during the winter! Every winter thousands of dark silhouettes can be seen gliding through the water just offshore, creating an impressive display as Blacktip sharks migrate along our warm southern waters. While the sheer sight of these massive aggregations may be intimidating to some, it presents an exciting research opportunity for local marine scientists.
Florida Atlantic University’s Dr. Stephen Kajiura and his team of research students in the Elasmobranch Research Laboratory have been studying and tracking these incredible annual migrations since 2011. Along the coastline from Jupiter to Miami, the research team takes to the air for a bird’s-eye view to survey and record the number of sharks (within 200-meters of the beach) and their behaviors. They’ll complete these aerial surveys weekly in the winter months (December - April) and monthly the rest of the year. Over 10,000 sharks visit each year with the greatest numbers during the months of February and March. For a “shark’s-eye view”, FAU researchers attach or “tag” the sharks with small devices called satellite tags and data loggers to collect information about where they travel, what conditions they experience, and their behaviors.
Their research has revealed that while Blacktip sharks were known to travel northward to spend the summer off the Carolina coasts, many of them are traveling as far north as New York! The sharks spend the summertime mating, the female sharks give birth in the late fall and remain in northern waters, while only male sharks will make their way back south for the winter. Unfortunately, as ocean waters continue to warm, Southeastern Florida may see less and less of these fascinating migrations. As winter approaches, Dr. Kajiura and his students anxiously await their return.
To find out more about Blacktip shark migration research check out FAU's SharkLab!
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