Projects : Hawaiʻi Tiger Shark Tracking

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shark 244397 244397
13.1 ft (4.0 m) female
shark 244399 244399
12.4 ft (3.8 m) female
shark 244400 244400
9.7 ft (3.0 m) female

DISCLAIMER: This is not a warning system and does not provide real-time monitoring.

Tagged Tiger Sharks to Collect Behavioral and Oceanographic Data
2016 – present

This map shows the movements of Hawaiʻi tiger sharks fitted with the latest generation of satellite tags. These tags are attached to the shark’s dorsal fin and send a signal every time the fin breaks the surface. Pick a shark from the slider to watch tracks from recently tagged sharks. Placing your cursor over a location spot gives you the date and time of the event. The square pink symbol indicates the original tagging location and the bright yellow dot shows the last reported detection. Note that the accuracy of these “fixes” varies from within several yards to up to a mile from the shark’s actual location.

The goal of this project is two-fold. First, the Shark Research Group from the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology expects to gain valuable insights about shark behavior and habitat selection. Second, the project is testing two new technologies; a new type of satellite tag and a new way of detecting transmissions from those tags.

Tagged Tiger Shark

A tiger shark in the Hawaiian Islands with the latest generation of satellite tags. Photo Credit: Mark Royer.

In addition to the sharks’ locations, this new generation of tags records important oceanographic data, such as ocean temperature and oxygen profiles, and sea surface temperature. The tags are also capable of acquiring GPS–quality positional “fixes” associated with these profiles. Data will be made available in near-real time to databases that inform models to predict ocean circulation patterns (e.g., to improve weather forecasting). This is the first example of using “sharks as oceanographers.”

In the past, data from tagged sharks were solely transmitted through the orbiting satellites system whenever the animal surfaced. However, since Argos satellite availability averages only 6-12 minutes per hour in Hawaiʻi, land-based receivers were installed at high elevations around Maui and Oʻahu to augment the satellite array and increase data throughput from fin-mounted tags. Land-based receivers can significantly increase data recovery and are able to detect signals in a range of 80-90 km. Analysis of performance so far indicates that when a shark surfaces within range of a land-based receiver, 100% of transmitted messages are successfully received.

Temperature profiles will be made available through the Animal Telemetry Network Data Assembly Center.

Project Partners

Data are collected by Principal Investigators Kim Holland, Ph.D. and Carl Meyer, Ph.D. along with other members of the Shark Research Team of the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH). PacIOOS provides ongoing support for the Shark Research Team and the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is currently supporting efforts as part of the Ocean Technology Transition (OTT) Project.

University of Hawaii at Manoa logo SOEST logo HIMB logo IOOS logo PacIOOS logo
University of Hawaii at Manoa logo SOEST logo
HIMB logo IOOS logo
PacIOOS logo

Distribution Maps at a Glance

Below are the latest maps for each shark track. Click on a thumbnail for a larger image.

Recent:

tiger shark 244397

244397

tiger shark 244399

244399

tiger shark 244400

244400

February 2021 – October 2022:

tiger shark 171406

171406

tiger shark 171409

171409

tiger shark 176025

176025

tiger shark 176027

176027

tiger shark 176028

176028

tiger shark 176029

176029

September 2016 – January 2019:

tiger shark 122988

122988

tiger shark 132060

132060

tiger shark 132064

132064

tiger shark 132069

132069

tiger shark 137075

137075

tiger shark 160375

160375

tiger shark 160376

160376

tiger shark 160378

160378

tiger shark 160379

160379 (“Kathy”)

tiger shark 160382

160382

tiger shark 160383

160383

Studying Movement Patterns of Tiger Sharks off Maui
December 2013 – September 2015

Maui witnessed a higher number of unprovoked shark bites in 2012 and 2013. In order to better understand tiger shark movement patterns, the Shark Research Group from the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology equipped 41 tiger sharks with satellite and/or acoustic tags off Maui and Oʻahu and tracked their movements for up to two years.

Shark Tag Deployment

Experts tag a tiger shark with a tracking device in the waters off Maui. The satellite tag gets attached to the shark’s dorsal fin and sends a signal every time the fin surfaces the water. Photo Credit: HIMB

The study revealed that tiger sharks prefer to spend time on insular shelf habitat, which is a gently-sloping area between the shoreline and the shelf break at a depth of around 600 ft. This type of shelf habitat is home to a wide variety of shark prey, and Maui Nui has more of this shelf habitat than all of the other main Hawaiian Islands combined. The habitat around Maui can support fairly resident tiger sharks, and it also attracts tiger sharks from other parts of Hawaiʻi.

Areas that are most frequently visited by tiger sharks around Maui include waters adjacent to popular ocean recreation sites. However, despite the routine presence of large tiger sharks close to popular beaches, the risk of being bitten remains very low, suggesting tiger sharks normally avoid interactions with people. The research findings will help officials from the State of Hawaiʻi to raise public awareness of the natural presence of large sharks in Hawaiʻi coastal waters.

All tiger shark tracks from this study are available in the map viewer above. Sharks that were tagged near Maui and Oʻahu between 2013 and 2015 can be found in the dropdown menu within the viewer under the “historic” category.

Download the peer-reviewed publication in Nature Scientific Reports: Habitat geography around Hawaii’s oceanic islands influences tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) spatial behaviour and shark bite risk at ocean recreation sites.

Download the final report: Spatial dynamics of tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) around Maui and Oʻahu.

Shark study helps explain higher incidence of encounters off Maui. Source: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Project Partners

With funding from the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), data were collected by Principal Investigators Carl Meyer, Ph.D. and Kim Holland, Ph.D. along with other members of the Shark Research Team of the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH). PacIOOS makes tiger shark tracks available online and provides funding to support tagging efforts.

State of Hawaii logo Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) logo Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) logo University of Hawaii at Manoa logo SOEST logo HIMB logo PacIOOS logo
State of Hawaii logo Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) logo
Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) logo University of Hawaii at Manoa logo
SOEST logo HIMB logo
PacIOOS logo

Distribution Maps at a Glance

Below are the final distribution maps for each historic shark track. Click on a thumbnail for a larger image.

tiger shark 81182

81182

tiger shark 122984

122984

tiger shark 122985

122985

tiger shark 132062

132062

tiger shark 132063

132063

tiger shark 133361

133361

tiger shark 133362

133362

tiger shark 133363

133363

tiger shark 133365

133365

tiger shark 133366

133366

tiger shark 133367

133367

tiger shark 133368

133368

tiger shark 133369

133369

tiger shark 133370

133370

tiger shark 133371

133371

tiger shark 133372

133372

tiger shark 133373

133373

tiger shark 134780

134780

tiger shark 137070

137070

tiger shark 137073

137073

tiger shark 137074

137074

tiger shark 137077

137077

tiger shark 137078

137078

tiger shark 137079

137079

tiger shark 144554

144554

tiger shark 144555

144555

tiger shark 144556

144556

tiger shark 145989

145989

More Information

Tiger Shark

Tiger shark with a tag attached to its dorsal fin. Photo Credit: Mark Royer