T.I.M.F.S
THE WHITE SHARK
In Atlantic Canada, the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) has historically been considered a rare species, but sightings have increased markedly over the last century. Although the Atlantic Canada population of white sharks was designated as “endangered” by COSEWIC in 2006 and has been listed under SARA since 2011, the view of white sharks as a rare species in Canada has resulted in a lack of clear conservation objectives, and there currently exists no formal management plan.
To date, the white shark in Canada remains highly understudied, and there is much yet to understand about this population and its biology and ecology within Canadian waters.
To address important knowledge gaps about white sharks in Atlantic Canada, researchers at the Tancook Islands Marine Field Station are using a variety of telemetry-based tools to understand white sharks and their role within Atlantic Canada’s marine ecosystem.
BRUV
Baited remote underwater video (BRUV) is being used to assess white shark abundance through the development of a photo-ID database, as well as to assess broader species diversity, abundance, and biomass within the white shark’s habitat.
BAITED REMOTE UNDERWATER VIDEO
ACOUSTIC TELEMETRY
Acoustic telemetry is being used to detect white shark presence at receiver locations in Mahone Bay and throughout Atlantic Canada. These tags can remain active in a white shark for up to 10 years, providing invaluable data on their movements anywhere active receivers are located.
SATTELITE TELEMETRY
Satellite telemetry is being used to detect white shark movements anywhere a GPS signal can be obtained, without the constraints of fixed receiver array placement. SPOT (Smart Position and Temperature) tags, when at the surface of the water, communicate directly with satellites to determine location coordinates, whereas PSAT (Pop-up satellite archival tags) record collect and archive high-resolution light, depth, and temperature data which can then be used to estimate an animal’s position.
BIOLOGGING DEVICES
Biologging devices, equipped with numerous sensors to record data on three-dimensional position, acceleration, direction, depth, and temperature, as well as soundscape (hydrophone) and sonar imaging, are deployed for durations ranging from several hours to several months. Upon retrieval, the ultra-high-resolution data collected from these packages can be used to understand white shark movements and interactions with other animals in their environment, assess post-release/post-procedure behaviour and recovery times, and estimate activity levels and energetic parameters.
