Tiger sharks are migrating farther north because of climate change, according to new research.
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
Hammerschlag and the research team discovered these climate-driven changes
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.
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.
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.”
So, my question is simple: Do they have idea why the sharks are coming north? [/s]
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.