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Shark Ecology Research

Monitoring White Shark Movements in Cape
Cod Waters

The CCS Shark Ecology Research Program undertook the third and final
year of a National Park Service-funded investigation of the fine-scale
movements of white sharks on Cape Cod. This project, initiated in 2019,
used acoustic receiver arrays and bathymetric data to better understand
how white sharks use shallow water habitats. Since the inception of this
project, preliminary analysis has tracked more than 230 individuals in the
nearshore waters of Cape Cod, with data on at least 63 animals obtained
in 2024.

Acoustic receivers ready to be deployed aboard
the R/V Marindin. The receivers interact with
tagged sharks. The resulting information helps re-
searchers better understand why, when, and how
sharks utilize their nearshore environments.

CCS Shark Research Expands in the British Virgin Islands

In a new partnership with the Caribbean-based non-profit Beyond the Reef, the Shark Ecology Research Program has expanded
shark research in the British Virgin Islands. During two expeditions in May and July, a group of researchers led by CCS’s Bryan
Legare tagged 98 individual sharks with a diverse array of technologies, including traditional external tags, acoustic tags, pop-up
satellite tags, and SPOT tags.

In all, seven different shark species were sampled, including tiger, lemon, blacknose, Caribbean reef, Caribbean sharpnose,
nurse, and a great hammerhead. The information garnered from shark studies in southern latitudes assists in understanding shark
occurrence and habitat use around Cape Cod.

Shark Ecology Research Program Manager Bryan Legare (left)
tags a hammerhead shark in the Virgin Islands.

A 9.5-foot female tiger shark was sampled
and tagged as part of CCS research in the
British Virgin Islands aimed at increasing
understanding of the behavior and
migrations of various shark species.
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