Atlantic White Shark Conservancy Expands Research Studies and Collaborations with Emphasis on Public Safety

The formation of the New England White Shark Research Consortium to facilitate white shark research and outreach throughout the New England region was recently announced. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) is excited about the expansion of collaborations in the region which build on the robust white shark research that has been conducted off of Cape Cod over the past decade.

In 2019, AWSC established new collaborations and began studies with an emphasis on public safety, led by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF), using minimally invasive methods to apply innovative technology. Collaborations between MA DMF, AWSC, University of New England, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium, and Arizona State University use state-of-the-art tags to document white shark behavior off Cape Cod. The tags measure the 3D movements of white sharks and record video footage that will be used to characterize the hunting tactics of the species in the region and better understand circumstances associated with predatory behavior. 

"The results of all of these projects are being used to identify areas and conditions during which white sharks are most likely to overlap with recreational water users and will provide science-based information to improve public safety practices," said Megan Winton, AWSC’s Chief Research Scientist. "For Cape Cod, data collected are also being used to develop and evaluate a dynamic outreach product that will use near real-time satellite-derived measures of environmental conditions to produce ‘shark forecast’ maps that can be used to alert beachgoers when conditions indicate a high probability of white shark presence."

“Human-wildlife conflict may pose the greatest threat to the long-term conservation of white sharks,” said Cynthia Wigren, CEO of AWSC. “These robust research studies will benefit both the public and the white shark species. By working collaboratively across Cape Cod and throughout the region, we can draw from the individual expertise while tapping into lessons learned from other white shark hotspots around the world."