“Major Milestone” - RI’s Atlantic Shark Institute Tags 50th Great White Shark

“Major Milestone” - RI’s Atlantic Shark Institute Tags 50th Great White Shark

The Atlantic Shark Institute (ASI) has announced it has achieved a "major milestone" in its study of white sharks in Rhode Island and Southern New England. 

According to ASI, last week it tagged its 50th white shark since the study began, and says it "hopes to shed additional light on how these sharks are using local waters in the Ocean State and beyond."

“If someone had said that we’d tag 50 white sharks at this point in the study, I wouldn't have believed it,” said ASI Executive Director Jon Dodd. 

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"When we started this project, we had a lot of unanswered questions about white sharks in Rhode Island waters based on how few had been confirmed here over the last 80 years," Dodd continued. "That is changing monthly. We really hope this project, and the publications that will follow, will assist other researchers and policymakers on this vulnerable species."

 

Milestone in Focus

ASI says that a "unique element" of their study is the fact that every shark that they have tagged has been either a juvenile or a young-of-the-year white shark. 

“With litters that range from 2-12 pups, and females needing 30 years or more to reach sexual maturity, these young sharks are critical to the long-term health of the species,” said Dodd. 

“Using acoustic telemetry and satellite tags to track where these young sharks are spending their time, and for how long, this study can be a valuable addition to science and their long-term health," he added.