NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) Great Shark Race, involving the satellite tracking of three shortfin mako sharks and five whale sharks, began Jan. 1 and continues until July 14, which is International Shark Awareness Day. This race marks the fourth shark tagging race hosted by GHRI, with the prior races focused on presidential and state elections.
According to Mahmood Shivi, director of GHRI and Save our Seas Foundation (SOSF) Shark Research Center and professor at NSU, this race involves the use of mounted SPOT tags onto the dorsal fins of both the mako and whale sharks.
The function of these tags is to report when the tag breaks the surface of the water. So, when the dorsal fin reaches the surface, the tag can transmit its location to the satellite and be tracked virtually on the GHRI website. This tracking data provides two major functions: to provide researchers the ability to collect data on the behavior of these sharks and the ability for the public to engage with the research.
“The race concept gives students and the general public a fun reason to regularly visit the GHRI Shark Tracking website to follow where and how far these animals travel. This information is fundamental to learning about the migration patterns of these ecologically and economically valuable animals. This race is not only an exciting way to involve the public in scientific ocean research, but it also provides an opportunity to raise funds to support future research,” said Greg Jacoski, executive director of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation.
Currently, the tracking data from participating sharks are separate from the data being collected from the other current tagging projects they are working on. Once the race is complete, the data will be added and compiled alongside the current projects, which can be accessed from the main GHRI tracking website.
What makes the Great Shark Race different from the previous race events is the support of private companies who sponsored the satellite tags, named the sharks being tracked and provided financial support for the race.
According to Jacoski, the public interest that the race has generated gives businesses an opportunity to sponsor a shark and promote their company and philanthropy to customers in a unique way.
“The biggest surprise with this race is the sponsorship. I was amazed and very pleased with how much private companies have stepped up to support our research. Having race presenting sponsors such as the Moss Foundation and FishAngler has been great,” said Shivji.
According to Shivji, a paper was recently published that focused on a quantitative analysis of the populations of pelagic, or open ocean, sharks and rays like makos. The paper found that, over the last 50 years, there has been an average of a 71% decrease in population in these species.
“People forget that, as academic researchers, our goal is not just to do the kind of research that has some relation to humans, but we really are trying to understand how nature works. All this research that we are doing certainly has applications in terms of conservation, but it is also illuminating to study how these animals behave in the wild, that is what keeps our interest. It’s not all about getting an applied outcome, it’s also about understanding just how nature works,” said Shivji.
