With Each Year’s Research Comes A Better Understanding Of White Sharks

 NORTH CHATHAM – When it comes to understanding great white sharks — how many there are, where they’re located, how they behave — researchers admit that big knowledge gaps remain. But scientists with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy say the data collected in each year’s season of research is slowly, steadily, narrowing those gaps.

 Working with state fisheries biologist Greg Skomal, Conservancy researchers carried out a successful research season last year, identifying and collecting details on dozens of individual white sharks, including 25 that were tagged this year. They deployed 25 acoustic transmitters and 11 camera tags on white sharks off east-facing beaches in 2024, finding sharks that ranged in size from seven to 15 feet in length. In those 25 research trips, researchers collected more than 200 underwater video clips, helping to identify a total of 76 individual white sharks. That effort added 22 newly-identified white sharks to the Conservancy’s photo database of more than 700 individuals.

 “It’s important to note that while we don’t have specific results to share just yet, the data we’ve collected this season are a crucial piece of the larger picture,” said Conservancy Senior Scientist Megan Winton. “Every bit of information contributes to our ongoing, long-term monitoring efforts, helping us build a more comprehensive understanding of white sharks and their behavior,” she said.

Last year marked the 11th anniversary of the conservancy’s partnership with the state, local public safety and beach managers and others to build the white shark knowledge base, with the goal of protecting their numbers and informing management decisions that reduce the chances of shark attacks on people.

 “This work is essential for conservation and public safety initiatives, and we’re excited to continue building on these findings in the years to come,” Winton said.

 The 2024 research season wasn’t all about tagging trips east of Cape Cod, however. In April, the Conservancy partnered with a charter fishing captain to affix a camera tag on a white shark off South Carolina, only the second such camera tag to ever be deployed there. In July, researchers spent four days working on Cape Cod Bay, monitoring white sharks that were feeding on the carcass of a humpback whale. And in October, the Conservancy supported Skomal as he conducted a necropsy on “Koala,” a mature male white shark that had washed up on Nauset Beach. A cause of death was not identified, and test results are still pending.

 Conservancy officials say 2024 was also a successful year for shark education efforts, with more than 21,000 people visiting the shark centers in North Chatham and Provincetown. The nonprofit also provided educational programs and outreach to more than 7,000 students and provided charter boat shark-watching trips for nearly 300 people. Thanks to its partnership with the nonprofit group Heroes in Transition, the Conservancy provided free shark cruises to 23 veterans last year, Conservancy Executive Director Cynthia Wigen reported.

 “This season has been successful in advancing both our research and education efforts to foster a deeper understanding of white sharks and the possibilities for peaceful coexistence between sharks and humans,” Wigren said. “These achievements are a direct result of our dedicated team, invaluable partnerships, and the unwavering support of our donors, whose contributions make it all possible.”