Sand Tiger Sharks: Nursery Found In Long Island's Great South Bay

The Widlife Conservation Society-owned New York Aquarium has a team of scientists and veterinarians that recently discovered an interesting patch of area in the waters of Long Island's Great South Bay: a sand tiger shark nursery ground. The find was made by a group of researchers who have been tracking sharks in the local water over the years via acoustics tags, which allow scientists to track movements of marine life remotely.

The sand tiger shark, although fearsome looking, is a rather non-aggresive fish found all over the world, also known as the grey nurse shark. They're generally nocturnal bottom dwellers that hunt for food on the sea floor, and can grow from six to 10 feet in length and weigh 200-350 pounds.

The finding confirmed the nursery's existence in the rich estuary that is the Great South Bay, one that the team believed existed but could not find before. The team has identified a handful of shark nursery grounds, one of which is located in Massachusetts's waters. The team first saw signs of the nursery in 2011, after receiving a photograph depicting a dead juvenile sand tiger shark from a local marina. Fisherman in the area confirmed that they had been catching these juvenile sharks for several years, so the team began tagging and monitoring the local shark population of juveniles. 

The team has identified 15 total juveniles, 10 of which were tagged in 2015. Five of the tagged sharks exhibited "site fidelity" behaviors, where they would return to the same section of the bay.

"The discovery of a shark nursery is fantastic news for local conservationists seeking to learn more about sharks and other species in the New York Bight," said Jon Dohlin, Vice President and Director of WCS's New York Aquarium, according to a press release. "Through field projects and outreach efforts by the New York Aquarium and other organizations, we hope to raise awareness about our local marine environment and the need to manage our natural wonders."

Data that's been gathered from the tracking has helped the scientists dive deeper into the migratory patterns of the sharks, as well as their habitat needs. In 1997, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service declare them a "Species of Concern" and banned fishing for them since. Part of the concern is the low birth rate for the species - females only give birth to one or two pups every two years.

"Sand tiger shark pups are not born here but migrate from down south to spend the summers as juveniles in New York's coastal waters," said Dr. Merry Camhi, Director of the N.Y. Seascape program, WCS's local marine conservation program. "The acoustically tagged animals in our study will help us better understand where the sharks go, their habitat needs, and how we can better protect them."

In the Great South Bay, the nursery ground allows these juvenile sharks a chance to eat and grow without being so open to danger, like attacks from other sharks. This will allow for growth in the population during the summer months, before they return south during the fall months.

The team is still unaware about much involving the grounds, though. They do not know the size of the nursery grounds, how many sharks occupy it or how many are born there, nor do they know what the sharks are consuming. The trouble faced by the sharks, although it is illegal to fish for them, is that the Great South Bay sees heavy amounts of boat traffic, as well as fishing, dredging, and other human activity. The team hopes public outreach will allow for as much species growth as possible.

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