Movement and Habitat Use of Sand Tiger Sharks (Carcharias Taurus) in North Carolina Coastal Waters PDF Download

Author: Madeline Marens
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic dissertations
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Author: Mark Meekan
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2832511783
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Author: Danielle E. Haulsee
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780355255652
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Quantifying the biogeography of coastal marine species is difficult and requires innovative study designs. These challenges are the motivation behind this dissertation. The Sand Tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) is an important apex predator in the coastal oceans along the Eastern Coast of the United States. I conducted a study in the Delaware Bay and Mid-Atlantic coastal Ocean, which used historical species location records from acoustic telemetry matched to static and satellite-measured dynamic environmental predictor variables, to create a near-real time predictive species distribution model. Notably we found Sand Tigers were predicted by water temperature, water depth, day length and ocean color absorption in the near-infrared, which likely relates to turbidity in the coastal ocean. In this study I identified the timing and location of migratory corridors used by Sand Tigers, as well as how the timing and location of migration differed between juvenile, mature male and mature female Sand Tigers. ☐ In my second study, I investigated the timing and migration of Sand Tigers along the Delmarva Peninsula on much smaller spatiotemporal scales during their fall migration south, a time during which Sand Tigers are susceptible to anthropogenic threats. For the first time, I used an autonomous underwater vehicle to concurrently detect Sand Tigers carrying acoustic tags, and measure fine scale environmental properties of the sub-surface ocean to determine habitat selectivity. I found that Sand Tigers migrated rapidly and en masse through the coastal ocean off the Delmarva Peninsula and were selecting for waters near-shore, lower in salinity, and higher in color dissolved organic matter. These results support the larger scale patterns in environmental predictors I found in my first study, as well as prove that using autonomous underwater vehicles is an effective method for extending our capabilities of detecting acoustically tagged marine species. ☐ Finally, I developed a novel tagging method that implanted an archival acoustic receiver into the body cavity of Sand Tigers, which were released alive and continued to conduct their annual migration before they were recaptured and the tags were removed. This tagging method allowed me to record associations between Sand Tigers and other acoustically tagged species for one year of the Sand Tigers life. Analysis of that dataset revealed potential fission-fusion behavior, or the change in size and composition of groups, in the Sand Tiger population depending on where the Sand Tigers were along the East Coast, and what they were likely doing during that time (i.e. feeding, searching for mates, migrating, etc.). I observed Sand Tiger aggregations change from mixed groups of male and female juveniles and adults, to groups of only adult males, to solitary phases where Sand Tigers were completely dispersed for weeks at a time. This study is important because it suggests the potential for social behavior in a shark species, but also identifies the possibility of anthropogenic impacts disproportionally impacting one sector of the Sand Tiger population as the composition of their aggregations changes in time and space. This dissertation uses advances in remote sensing and animal tagging methods to provide insights into the species distribution, habitat selection, and the migratory and grouping behavior of a coastal shark species under threat of population decline due to anthropogenic impacts along the East Coast of the United States and provides insights into the ecology and biogeography of this species that will assist managers and researchers in future conservation efforts for this and other imperiled species.

Author: Jeffrey C. Carrier
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421422956
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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They will continue to grace our coastlines only if we care enough to understand them.

Author: Hans Walters
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Sand tiger shark
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Author:
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0080878857
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 4604

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The study of estuaries and coasts has seen enormous growth in recent years, since changes in these areas have a large effect on the food chain, as well as on the physics and chemistry of the ocean. As the coasts and river banks around the world become more densely populated, the pressure on these ecosystems intensifies, putting a new focus on environmental, socio-economic and policy issues. Written by a team of international expert scientists, under the guidance of Chief Editors Eric Wolanski and Donald McClusky, the Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science, Ten Volume Set examines topics in depth, and aims to provide a comprehensive scientific resource for all professionals and students in the area of estuarine and coastal science Most up-to-date reference for system-based coastal and estuarine science and management, from the inland watershed to the ocean shelf Chief editors have assembled a world-class team of volume editors and contributing authors Approach focuses on the physical, biological, chemistry, ecosystem, human, ecological and economics processes, to show how to best use multidisciplinary science to ensure earth's sustainability Provides a comprehensive scientific resource for all professionals and students in the area of estuarine and coastal science Features up-to-date chapters covering a full range of topics

Author: Charles W Bangley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 330

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Knowledge of shark habitat preferences and use patterns is important to effectively manage shark fisheries and account for interactions between sharks and species targeted by other fishery management or conservation efforts. To gain baseline knowledge of the availability and spatial extent of shark habitat in North Carolina waters, habitat was assessed at three spatial scales: coastal nearshore, whole estuarine, and estuarine microhabitat. The local ecological knowledge of North Carolina fishermen was also incorporated and compared with data collected using fishery-independent means. Catch data and acoustic telemetry were used to assess shark habitat at the coastal nearshore scale. Sharks captured near Cape Hatteras could be grouped into warm water and cold water assemblages. Juvenile Dusky (Carcharhinus obscurus) and Sandbar (Carcharhinus plumbeus) Sharks were tracked using acoustic telemetry, and 12 of 15 tagged Sandbar Sharks were detected over an area from New York City to Savannah, Georgia. The spatial extent of potential juvenile Sandbar Shark habitat was influenced by a combination of sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentrations, with habitat restricted to an area in the northern portion of Raleigh Bay near the Hatteras Bight during winter. At the estuarine scale, boosted regression tree modeling of shark catch and environmental data from North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) gillnet and longline surveys were used to spatially delineate potential habitat for six species within Pamlico Sound. Inlet distance and temperature were among the most influential environmental factors associated with species presence, while salinity was the most influential factor on abundance. Potential habitat for most species was located on the east side of the sound near the inlets with the exception of the Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas), which showed hot spots of potential habitat near sources of freshwater input. At the estuarine microhabitat scale, catch and environmental data from a fishery-independent survey conducted in Back and Core Sounds and a small-scale acoustic array deployed around Middle Marsh in Back Sound were used to identify associations between species and with specific habitat types. Spatial overlap between species was generally low and species assemblages separated based on water temperature. Smooth Dogfish (Mustelus canis), and Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias) occurred primarily during mid-afternoon and Blacknose Sharks (Carcharhinus acronotus) occurring most often at night. A large Bull Shark tagged in another study accounting for the majority of tag detections and occurred within the array primarily during nighttime hours, most often on receivers deployed at two oyster reef sites and one sand flat site. Local ecological knowledge (LEK) of shark distributions and habitat preferences was gathered using structured interviews with North Carolina fishermen and their observations were compared with data from fishery-independent surveys and primary literature to assess their accuracy. All hypotheses generated from LEK were classified as either supported or plausible. Overall, water temperature was identified as an important influence on shark species presence and assemblage composition, with factors such as salinity and potential interspecific interactions more important at finer habitat scales. The locations and spatial extents of shark habitats in North Carolina are influenced by dynamic environmental factors and may be affected by large-scale perturbations such as climate change.

Author: Robert M. Edman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Stable isotopes in ecological research
Languages : en
Pages :

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Tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) occupy tropical and temperate waters around the globe, yet the majority of studies on this species’ movement and diet have been focused in the Pacific and Indian oceans. We utilized satellite and acoustic telemetry to track the movement patterns of tiger sharks caught in the western North Atlantic Ocean and stable isotope analysis to study the trophic ecology of these animals. Tiger sharks tagged in this study exhibited individual variation in movement patterns, however overall results indicate sharks primarily utilized and were philopatric to coastal waters of the southeast coast of the United States as opposed to more pelagic waters used by tiger sharks caught in other areas of the western North Atlantic Ocean. Tiger sharks moved primarily in inshore, coastal, and shelf waters along the east coast of the United States during the spring and summer, while some movements farther offshore and south to the Bahamas occurred during the winter. Movements to and from the coastal waters of the United States are likely driven by a combination of water temperature, reproduction, and prey availability. Stable isotope analysis revealed that large mature tiger sharks caught in coastal waters feed primarily on coastal species including rays and small coastal foraging species. The differences observed between tiger sharks caught in South Carolina compared to others in the western North Atlantic Ocean highlights the importance of utilizing multiple tagging locations to fully understand the basin-wide movement patterns of this wide-ranging species.

Author: John Keith Carlson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Endangered species
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Author: Hannah Calich
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Aquatic highly migratory species (HMS) are economically and ecologically important, however, their highly migratory nature makes them difficult to study and thus there are knowledge gaps relating to their movement and habitat use patterns. Highly migratory sharks are likely to interact with commercial longline fishing gear and be caught as target or bycatch, which can threaten their populations. Understanding the environmental factors that influence and drive the movements of highly migratory sharks may help researchers better predict their presence and subsequently identify areas where they are vulnerability to fisheries. Here I evaluated the overlap between habitat suitability and gear restricted zones for three co-occurring apex predatory sharks in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico (great hammerhead Sphyrna mokarran, tiger Galeocerdo cuvier, and bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas) to identify areas in this region where these species are vulnerable to and protected from commercial longline fishing. This research was accomplished in three integrated steps. First, I reviewed and summarized what is known about the environmental drivers of great hammerhead, tiger, and bull shark habitat use and movement patterns. Second, I used the results of this review to parameterize and subsequently generate habitat suitability models for these three species. Third, I used these models to spatially compare where each species' highly suitable habitat overlaps with longline gear restricted areas within the Southwest Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, to identify regions where these species were both vulnerable to and protected from longline fishing gear. The results of this thesis have implications to the management of these species as well as for the conservation of other highly migratory aquatic species.