Research

White Shark Projects

We are studying Great White Sharks in South Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. 

Great White Sharks off South Africa are being displaced by Killer Whales.

 Great White Sharks were once abundant off the South African coast and allowed for decades of successful shark cage operators to share these species with the world. Recently, this changed as Killer Whales moved into the area and started killing Great White Sharks and displacing their populations. We are tracking where these displaced animals are going.

We are using eDNA and baited cameras to find White Sharks in the Atlantic Ocean.

Video surveys can confirm species presence, individual ID, sex, and can also be used to estimate relative abundance. The objective of the White Shark Project is to confirm the presence of white sharks in the North Atlantic as compared to other techniques. We will be using BRUVs in combination with environmental DNA (eDNA) at sites of interest to confirm the presence of white sharks. This is done by collecting and analyzing DNA fragments in seawater.