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An assessment of juvenile sand tiger (Carcharias taurus) activity patterns in a seasonal nursery using accelerometer transmitters

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Abstract

Telemetry transmitters incorporating accelerometers have recently emerged as powerful tools for investigating the activity patterns of individuals and groups of individuals in nearshore environments. Data obtained from these devices provide not only a time series of animal occurrence at acoustic receivers, but also a direct measure of animal activity, which can be used to quantify trends in activity states over time and in relation to exogenous factors. Here we used passive acoustic accelerometry to examine trends in the activity and swimming depth of eight juvenile sand tigers (Carcharias taurus) in Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury (PKD) Bay, Massachusetts, USA, a recently identified nursery area. We applied a novel geostatistical modeling approach that accounts for both latent spatial and individual variation to assess the effects of time of day, tidal stage, water temperature, and lunar phase on activity patterns at both a population- and individual-level. The best-fitting model indicated that juvenile sand tigers were more active and more likely to be detected at the surface at night and during the new moon; water temperature was also a predictor of surface activity. Collectively, our results confirm conventional wisdom that sand tigers are slow-moving fish that are more active at night and provide evidence that high activity in PKD Bay may be indicative of foraging activity.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge Pine duBois and Alex Mansfield of the Jones River Environmental Heritage Center for providing the infrastructure for our holding tank and their logistical support, Barbara Bailey and Holly Bourbon for their assistance with the holding tank construction, Jay Hilliard and Dave Lindamood for enabling the initial documentation of sharks in PKD Bay, Donald Beers and the Duxbury Harbormaster’s Office for providing dockage, and Heather Hollema for her assistance with tagging and receiver maintenance. This research was funded by awards from the NOAA Proactive Conservation Program, the Sea World Conservation Society, and the Massachusetts Environmental Trust as well as support from the Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration Act. This is Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Contribution No. 99.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston, MA, 02110, USA

    Jeff Kneebone

  2. Department of Fisheries Oceanography, School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 836 South Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford, MA, 02744, USA

    Megan Winton

  3. Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 160 Holdsworth Way, Room 311, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Andy Danylchuk

  4. Massachusetts Marine Fisheries, 836 South Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford, MA, 02744, USA

    John Chisholm & Gregory B. Skomal

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  1. Jeff Kneebone
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  2. Megan Winton
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  4. John Chisholm
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  5. Gregory B. Skomal
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Correspondence to Jeff Kneebone.

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Kneebone, J., Winton, M., Danylchuk, A. et al. An assessment of juvenile sand tiger (Carcharias taurus) activity patterns in a seasonal nursery using accelerometer transmitters. Environ Biol Fish 101, 1739–1756 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-018-0821-4

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