US and Canadian Researchers Join Forces To Research Great Whites
Each summer, the number of great white sharks in the Northeast's water are growing.
Aiming to discover why, researchers from the US and Canada are making up a group of over 12 organisations to learn more about their migration, reproduction and predatory behaviour around coastal communities.
Groups taking in the exciting and important project include Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Maine Department of Marine Resources; New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; the University of Massachusetts; the New England Aquarium; Arizona State University; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Atlantic Shark Institute, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and the Center for Coastal Studies.
The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is the species featured in the feature film Jaws (1975)
The consortium is hoping this unique project will enable all of us to have a greater understanding of these magnificent creatures, an understanding that won't just allow us to discover more but could also potentially help save lives of those sharing the water with sharks in the future.
In a joint statement they said: “With growing sightings of white sharks from Rhode Island to Canada, this is the perfect time to create a unique consortium to increase understanding of white shark life history, including their migration, residency, habitat use, reproduction, and predatory behaviour, factors that drive human-white shark interactions, and broader perceptions of white sharks by coastal communities."
