“It can show exact swimming patterns, changes in direction, the tail beats of the shark as well as temperature and depth of the water,” Metzger said, adding that it has a high definition camera. Picture a shark with a GoPro. This summer promises to be an exciting one for the shark research team. They’ve added two more boats and two captains to the fleet, meaning they can tag an even greater number of sharks. New grant funding from the University of Delaware and several private donations have helped bolster the program as well. Sharks might not elicit the same response from the general public when it comes to conservation efforts as other, perhaps cuter and cuddlier species might, but Metzger said learning about them and informing the public is key for many reasons. “Sharks have their role in the environment for balance,” he said, adding that the data they collect can help inform decision makers when it comes to policy related to the health of shark populations. For more information, visit www.sofo.org.
East End marine scientists, including Greg Metzger—a marine biology teacher in the Southampton school district—began tagging and releasing great white sharks off the south shore of Long Island in 2015. In 2018, Metzger and his colleagues partnered with the South Fork Natural History Museum, coining the effort as the South Fork Natural History Museum’s Shark Research and Education Program. Data collected from the tags has proven the long-held theory that baby great white sharks spend the first year or two of their lives in these waters. “Baby white sharks are born at about four feet long, with a full set of teeth and a digestive system that’s ready to go,” Greg Metzger said. “They’re able to eat anything they want. What do you want for your baby? A safe environment with lots of food. That’s what they have here.” Metzger said that while questions still remain about where great whites breed and give birth to their young, the information they’ve collected about the early stage of their lives has been illuminating. “We know they typically show up here in mid-May and stay until October, and then swim down to the Carolinas to over-winter there,” he said. While some return to local waters for a second year, as they grow, tagging data shows their migration pattern includes the entire east coast, and by year four, they travel the same distance as
adults, from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of Mexico. Greg and his team tag mako sharks and threshers as well, and are eager to gather even more data about those other shark populations to create a fuller picture of local shark life. But it is clear that he has a special affinity for the great whites. “When you tag them, they kind of give you this look,” he said, with a laugh. “They’re definitely not happy about it; they’re kind of like, ‘How dare you?’ All the other species, as soon as we release them, they book it. But the baby whites, when you let them go, they roll over on their side and you can see they’re looking at you, kind of giving you the stink eye before they swim off.” The team mainly use two different tags. There is a satellite pop-off tag, which is affixed, like an earring, under the skin at the base of the dorsal fin. It records temperatures and depth every five seconds for 28 days, after which it releases and floats to the surface, then turns on and emits a signal. If and when it washes up, Metzger and his team do their best to recover the tags—he’s been known to drive to New Jersey to retrieve one. They’ve also started using an even more sophisticated, super high-resolution tag, called a CATS-cam (Customized Animal Tracking Solution), with a $12,000 price point. They are currently only sending those tags on 24-hour deployments, Metzger said, until they get more practice at getting them back. The tags record every movement of the sharks in 3D.
Greg Metzger measures a Great White shark pup. Photo by Chris Paparo/ @fishguyphotos.
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Fine Metal Craftsmanship
58 • AFLOAT USA Hamptons Summer 2021
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