Whale Shark Tracking in the Equatorial Mid-Atlantic
A project of Mote Marine Laboratory in conjunction with the partners and sponsors detailed below.
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| Name | Species | Life Stage | Release Date | Last Location | Days Transmitted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bella | Whale Shark | Adult (possibly pregnant) | 2014-01-04 | 2014-02-10 | 37 |
Click on an animal's name for maps and more information.
Introduction
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the worldâs largest fish, yet many mysteries about this animalâs habits remain. In particular, little is known about this sharkâs reproductive biology, especially its mating and pupping â critical information for protecting and conserving this species. In a recent study headed by Mote Marine Laboratory scientists, a female whale shark satellite-tagged off Mexicoâs Yucatan Peninsula traveled through the northern Caribbean Sea and across the equator to the South Atlantic Ocean, a distance of more than 7,200 km in 150 days. We hypothesize this journey to the open waters of the mid-Atlantic was to give birth to her young, for she appeared to be pregnant when tagged off Mexico. In support of this hypothesis, direct observations of large, pregnant-looking female whale sharks have recently been reported in the waters off St. Helena, a small island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean.
To find out more about these whale sharks in the middle of the South Atlantic, environmental biologists from the St. Helena government reached out to Mote Marine Laboratory and the Georgia Aquarium to form a new collaboration in 2014. An experimental tracking study was initiated to follow the movements of whale sharks from this remote mid-Atlantic region using satellite tracking technology. This project began with the attachment of a SPOT5 tag near the first dorsal fin of a large female shark. This type of tag has the ability to communicate with Argos satellites whenever the shark is at the surface (and the tag is exposed to air), providing precise location and movement information. The primary goal of the project is to test the pupping/mating hypothesis and gain a better understanding of whale shark migration dynamics and connectivity among different regions of the Atlantic Ocean.
Project Partners
This tracking work is a component of the research conducted by the Environmental Management Directorate (EMD) of the St. Helena Government.
It is supported by a collaboration with Mote Marine Laboratory's Center for Shark Research and the Georgia Aquarium.
Project Sponsors
This project has been funded in part by the St. Helena EMD, Mote Marine Laboratory and the Georgia Aquarium.
