As Shark Week highlights ocean predators, researchers report that blacktip sharks are spending more time farther north along the East Coast, reaching areas where beachgoers seldom saw them. According to researchers at Florida Atlantic University, the warming ocean temperatures influence the sharks’ annual migration, enabling them to venture farther north before heading south for the winter.
Researchers have tracked blacktip sharks on the East Coast for over a decade using aerial surveys and satellite tags. Data reveals that each spring, the sharks travel north, with many reaching as far as Long Island, New York, by late summer.
Dr. Stephen Kajiura, a professor at Florida Atlantic University, explained that blacktip sharks prefer cooler waters and are extending their northern range along the East Coast. Most notably, blacktip sharks are increasingly found off Long Island.
As these sharks swim close to shore, beachgoers are likely to see them. “These are the ones near the surfers and swimmers,” Kajiura stated. Researchers anticipate that the sharks will continue to move north as waters warm.
A recent study from Florida Atlantic University, published in the Journal of Coastal Research, explores how beach nourishment projects may impact blacktip sharks’ winter migration. The sharks generally stay within 50 meters of the shoreline, but murky waters from nourishment projects could hinder their hunting and alter behavior.
“What’s striking is how closely the distribution of blacktip sharks overlaps with areas impacted by turbidity events,” Kajiura commented in a Florida Atlantic University news release.
While beach nourishment is vital for protecting coastlines, these findings underscore the necessity to understand its effects on marine life.
Despite changing migration patterns, Kajiura emphasized that shark encounters are rare and encouraged people to enjoy Florida’s beaches.