Posted on 01/20/2022 12:21:06 PM PST by Capt. Tom
LOCAL NEWS Great white sharks have been a major focus along Cape Cod. More tiger sharks could be coming soon because of climate change Tiger sharks moving north ‘could have ramifications for human safety’
Tiger sharks are migrating farther north because of climate change, according to new research.
Move over, great white sharks. A new apex predator could be patrolling the Cape soon, as tiger sharks migrate farther north each year because of climate change and warmer oceans.
While waters off the Northeast have historically been too cold for tiger sharks, temps have warmed significantly in recent years and are now suitable for tiger sharks, according to researchers.
The shark scientists from the University of Miami warn that tiger sharks moving north could lead to more interactions between sharks and humans.
“Changes to where these predators go could have ramifications for human safety,” said Neil Hammerschlag, director of the Shark Research and Conservation Program at the University of Miami.
“So by moving into new locations, this could potentially increase encounter rates between tiger sharks and humans using the ocean,” he said, adding the results of the study are “alarming.”
The study from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science revealed that the locations and timing of tiger shark movement in the western North Atlantic Ocean have changed from rising ocean temperatures.
The movements of tiger sharks, the largest cold-blooded apex predator in tropical and warm-temperate seas, are constrained by the need to stay in warm waters. As the waters continue to warm in the western North Atlantic Ocean, the researchers wanted to know what that means for tiger sharks.
“Over the past 40 years, tiger shark distributions have extended further poleward along with warming waters,” Hammerschlag said. “In fact, off the northeast United States, where it was historically way too cold for tiger sharks, these waters have now warmed to suitable levels for tiger sharks and they’ve moved into those areas.”
Hammerschlag and the research team discovered these climate-driven changes by analyzing nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with nearly 40 years of conventional tag and recapture information supplied by the NOAA Cooperative Shark Tagging Program and satellite derived sea-surface temperature data.
During the last decade — when ocean temperatures were the warmest on record — for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temps above average, tiger shark migrations extended farther poleward by roughly 250 miles. Sharks also migrated about 14 days earlier to waters off the U.S. northeastern coast.
The scientists found that ocean warming has caused tiger sharks to shift their movements outside of areas that were previously protecting them from commercial fishing.
“As a result, they have become more vulnerable to commercial fishing,” Hammerschlag said.
The climate-driven changes to tiger shark movements could disrupt natural predator-prey interactions, he added, which could “lead to ecological imbalances in the ocean.”
Bingo. It could be a 0.1F degree and that statement (”rising temperatures) is true. It would also be irrelevant in the short term.
I don’t suppose that it has anything to do with the proliferation of all-you-can-eat sand bars stocked with seals? I grew up in Chatham on Cape Cod. From 1950 on, seals were unheard of except maybe in Provincetown (harbor seals). Sharks or various types were present in some abundance. Now, you can drive a boat the length of Pleasant Bay and see hundreds if not thousands of seals. And seals are a sharks favorite entree. Ergo, its not the water temperature that’s attracting sharks of all kinds. It’s what’s on the menu.
Remember Sharknado? It was meant to be a serious warning of the consequences of unchecked man made climate change. How climate change will trigger more frequent tornadoes, along with sharks reproducing at unprecedented rates, a “perfect storm” that will wreak havock on us. Instead it was seen as, at best mediocre comedic satire that ended up being an episode of MST3K.😃😃
“Tiger sharks are migrating farther north because of climate change, according to new research.”
Ocean currents constantly change...for millions of years.
How many apex predators can one environment have? Great white sharks are already there and IIRC tiger sharks make themselves scarce when great white sharks make an appearance. Besides, the apex predator in those waters is the orca. A single adult orca totally overmatches any shark, let alone the fact that orca travel in pods.
Thank you for that wisdom. Then again, sharks can be tasty. So I have not problem dragging them into “our” world.
Worse, all the cosmologists, astronomers, astro physicists just discovered a blind spot in monitoring incoming asteroids. After all these years with their technology and white boards they couldn't figure out the Earth's rotation along with the matching trajectory of asteroids we may not see a hit coming?
I have lost faith in scientists. I firmly believe it's about their grants now adays. They create their hypothesis (theories) and the idiots in DC say on no, we're all gonna die. Here is more grant money.
I wonder what percentage of seals who die do so as a result of shark predation.
I’ve dragged a few myself. Sharks are tasty under certain conditions................
Tiger sharks are delicious.
Especially with a side of Chianti
I have always preferred the idea of them feeding me over me feeding them.
They never mention the seals. Kill the seals and the sharks disappear.
I live in NE OK. it's freaking 10 degree's here today...A couple days from now it will be supposedly 60....
Now THAT is climate change.
Paging Mr. Knife. “Mr. Mack D.Knife” to the house white phone please.....
Not all sharks are bad characters..........................
I am pleasantly surprised at the interest in this thread; so to answer more questions I suggest you read the Smithsonian article that mirrors this thread ,it is at:
Yup. The next thing you know, only sharks will be in every TV advert and sitcom!
We’re gonna need a bigger boat.
(And a smaller Sun???)
Sharks feeding off of liberals in the NE? Sounds like a good start...
I was just about to reply “Send in some orcas to clean up the sharks.”
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