Welcome to OCEARCH's Global Shark Tracker where you can observe the navigational pattern of sharks that have been tagged with satellite tracking technology all for the purpose of shark conservation.
OCEARCH facilitates unprecedented research by supporting leading researchers and institutions seeking to attain groundbreaking data on the biology and health of sharks, in conjunction with basic research on shark life history and migration.
Sharks play a crucial role of maintaining balance in the delicate oceanic ecosystem as they have an effect on all levels in the food web below them. Unfortunately sharks are being slaughtered every day putting the shark at risk for survival. The navigational and migratory data being collected from OCEARCH will be used to support and devise successful conservation and management strategies which will affect policy for global change.
Help us track more sharks by making a tax deductible donation to OCEARCH today! Go to rally.org/OCEARCH to donate!
When the shark's fin breaks the surface, sometimes it is for a very short time which effects the accuracy of the ping. There is a classification system that rates the quality of the ping as follows:
For example, when you see a ping on land that is close to the shore, the shark is more than likely swimming along that shore.
The tracking system simply connects the last ping to the next ping and does not account for the fact the animal being tracked is a shark and clearly does not travel on land.
No. The lines connect between the pings as the shark has come up to the surface and are used to help determine the shark's path.
This occurs when the shark's fin (fitted with a SPOT) tag breaks the surface and a satellite is over head. The longer the shark's fin is above water, the more accurate the ping. It can detect the radius to within 250 meters.
Time span between points vary. We only get a position when the shark surfaces for a long enough period of time, thus it is totally dependent on the shark's behavior. Sometimes we get 4-5 per day, sometimes a week or two can go by without a ping. You can also check the date of each ping to see the time span of each individual shark.
A SPOT tag is what is attached to the dorsal fin of the shark. It stands for Smart Position and Temperature Tag. It can record various types of information such as temperature, salinity and depth. The tag has a high powered transmitter that sends data to satellites on a regular basis. The large battery used to power the tag has a switch that turns it on when it breaks the surface, and off when it is submerged to save the battery life.
It depends on the type of shark. Great Whites can reach speeds of anywhere from 20-35 mph when they are hunting, but typically cruise around the ocean at speeds of just 5mph.
The sharks are swimming around down below the surface where their SPOT tags are unable to communicate with the satellites.
Our OCEARCH team tagged Great Whites in Mossel Bay, Gansbaai, Struisbaai, Algoa Bay and False Bay.
A mature shark is considered sexually mature and able to reproduce, whereas an immature shark cannot.
All shark pings are reported in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
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