{"id":38703,"date":"2024-10-28T08:00:13","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T12:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/?p=38703"},"modified":"2025-11-26T09:30:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T13:30:41","slug":"using-data-buoys-to-track-sharks-in-cape-cod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/using-data-buoys-to-track-sharks-in-cape-cod.htm","title":{"rendered":"Using Data Buoys to Track Sharks in Cape Cod"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Despite the bad rap sharks often get in the media, they are incredibly important to marine ecosystems. Still, sharks residing in coastal, high-traffic areas can pose a risk to public safety\u2014as a result, shark tracking and monitoring projects are often conducted in these waters.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the bad press, biologists like Gregory Skomal, a Senior Fisheries Scientist with the MA Division of Marine Fisheries, have always been interested in learning more about shark behavior for the sake of informing conservation efforts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was passionate about sharks as a child. I wanted to be a marine biologist, and pursued it through my education and ended up where I am today,\u201d recalls Skomal.<\/p>\n<p>Starting out in a federal laboratory in Narragansett, Rhode Island, Skomal has been studying sharks and other fish species on the East Coast since his early career. Focusing on shark research in his master\u2019s program, Skomal took a position with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries after completing his studies.<\/p>\n<p>The position was particularly attractive to him as it offered Skomal the freedom to design his own research. In pursuit of his long-term fascination with sharks, Skomal started the shark research program for the agency.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_38777\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38777\" class=\"wp-image-38777 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2019_Tagging_Vessel4_W_Davis.jpg\" alt=\"The tagging vessel, Aleutian Dream, prepares to tag a white shark off Cape Cod.\" width=\"940\" height=\"649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2019_Tagging_Vessel4_W_Davis.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2019_Tagging_Vessel4_W_Davis-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2019_Tagging_Vessel4_W_Davis-600x414.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2019_Tagging_Vessel4_W_Davis-768x530.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-38777\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">The tagging vessel, Aleutian Dream, prepares to tag a white shark off Cape Cod. (Credit: Wayne Davis, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Great White Shark Monitoring in Cape Cod<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Starting in 1987, Skomal conducted shark research off the coast of Martha\u2019s Vineyard before moving off-island 14 years ago. Now, Skomal is stationed in New Bedford, Massachusetts and studies great white sharks, among other species, in Cape Cod. Data collected by the project helps inform public safety protocols and shark conservation efforts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a fishery scientist, the goal we\u2019re always trying to achieve is producing information that will enhance sustainable fisheries management\u2014I work specifically on sharks, and our ultimate goal is to produce information that will go into establishing conservation-based regulations,\u201d explains Skomal.<\/p>\n<p>He continues, \u201cMost of our research is on natural history and movement ecology\u2014it\u2019s producing information that I think will be helpful, and I find it very fulfilling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sharks typically represent apex predators in the food chain, making them critical components of marine ecosystems, as the loss of these species could result in a loss of equilibrium in the ocean. Beyond the environmental and ethical reasons to monitor sharks, federal and state laws require states to manage their natural resources sustainably.<\/p>\n<p>While these efforts support conservation, real-time tracking of sharks produces alerts to enhance public safety for marine recreational activities.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_38776\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38776\" class=\"wp-image-38776 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2020_Large_WS_Davis.jpg\" alt=\"A 17-foot female white shark is observed by the tagging crew off Cape Cod. \" width=\"940\" height=\"627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2020_Large_WS_Davis.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2020_Large_WS_Davis-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2020_Large_WS_Davis-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2020_Large_WS_Davis-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-38776\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">A 17-foot female white shark is observed by the tagging crew off Cape Cod. (Credit: Wayne Davis, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Tracking Great White Sharks<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Sharks are tracked by tagging specimens with acoustic transmitters, which are detected by an array of acoustic receivers. These receivers are located throughout Massachusetts\u2019 coastal waters on surface buoys and, in some cases, navigational aids. When tagged sharks swim near one of these receivers, the identification number of that shark is recorded, time-stamped, and stored internally.<\/p>\n<p>Tagging efforts began in 2009, and although great white sharks can be elusive, Cape Cod is one of the few places where the species can be encountered fairly predictably, providing the team with a plethora of data points. In addition to the movement data from the tags, the scientists make every effort to record the sharks on underwater video cameras and collect genetic material for analysis.<\/p>\n<p>He elaborates, \u201cIt gives us direct access to this species, really for the first time in history in this part of the world. So, our goals, of course, are to learn about the biology and ecology of this animal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the same time, because of the presence of this shark in close proximity to some of the most popular swimming beaches in Massachusetts, we\u2019ve suffered from a number of shark attacks, and so we\u2019re also trying to produce information that will enhance public safety,\u201d adds Skomal.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_38780\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38780\" class=\"wp-image-38780 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2019_C_Sanders.jpg\" alt=\"Greg Skomal on the pulpit of the shark tagging vessel Aleutian Dream.\" width=\"940\" height=\"633\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2019_C_Sanders.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2019_C_Sanders-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2019_C_Sanders-600x404.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2019_C_Sanders-768x517.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-38780\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Greg Skomal on the pulpit of the tagging vessel Aleutian Dream. (Credit: Christine Sanders).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Traditional passive acoustic tracking methods can give valuable information on shark behavior, but the need to go out and collect the data from each receiver can slow the flow of information. The receivers are deployed each year around May or June and then retrieved the following January or February.<\/p>\n<p>So, while the data can help researchers better understand sharks, an additional solution had to be developed in order to fulfill the public safety side of the research goals.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the over 70 standard receivers that archive tracking data, seven <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/products\/wireless-data\/data-buoys.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NexSens buoys<\/a> have been deployed for the past several years. These data buoys house Innovasea receivers compatible with the 69 KHz tags placed on the sharks and allow the receivers to conduct real-time monitoring.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast to the internal storage of the standard receivers, NexSens partnered with Innovasea to integrate their acoustic technology with NexSens CB-series buoys, enabling real-time data collection. The receivers document whenever a shark is within the 300 to 500 meter range of the system and then transmit the data to the cloud, which immediately alerts lifeguards on the beach via cellphone that a shark is in the area.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_38790\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38790\" class=\"size-full wp-image-38790\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/CapeCodSharkLab_SystemIllustration-1.jpg\" alt=\"The CB-150 NexSens data buoy equipped with an InnovaSea receiver that detects when tagged great white sharks are nearby. \" width=\"940\" height=\"608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/CapeCodSharkLab_SystemIllustration-1.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/CapeCodSharkLab_SystemIllustration-1-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/CapeCodSharkLab_SystemIllustration-1-600x388.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/CapeCodSharkLab_SystemIllustration-1-768x497.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-38790\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">A NexSens data buoy equipped with an InnovaSea receiver that detects when tagged great white sharks are nearby. (Credit: Emma Jones \/ Fondriest Environmental)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The combination of real-time alerts and long-term data collection allows researchers to study elusive species like sharks in a way that has never been done before\u2014simultaneously balancing data needs with public safety while protecting the species.<\/p>\n<p>The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries conducts several acoustic tagging projects on a number of marine species. The Innovasea receivers are capable of detecting all of these transmitters regardless of the species tagged.<\/p>\n<p>Skomal elaborates, \u201cWe have a network of researchers from Canada to throughout the US that share data. So, I might, for example, pick up a sturgeon that has been tagged by a researcher up in Maine. Those things happen and we get detections from this technology from all kinds of species.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of my personal fascination with these animals, it&#8217;s always very rewarding when I&#8217;m able to see them and work with them. And, if we&#8217;re able to achieve our goals, then that&#8217;s extremely rewarding as well. Learning new things about these animals, having new discoveries about their biology, their ecology, much of which can be very surprising. For me, those aspects are what really drive me,\u201d states Skomal.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">His quest to study the biology of this species in the Atlantic is chronicled in his latest book,\u00a0<em>Chasing Shadows,<\/em> published by Harper Collins.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_38783\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38783\" class=\"wp-image-38783 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2020_Tagged_Seals3_Davis-1-e1729871746780.jpg\" alt=\"A white shark bearing an orange camera tag hunts gray seals along the shoreline of Cape Cod.\" width=\"940\" height=\"972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2020_Tagged_Seals3_Davis-1-e1729871746780.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2020_Tagged_Seals3_Davis-1-e1729871746780-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2020_Tagged_Seals3_Davis-1-e1729871746780-600x620.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2020_Tagged_Seals3_Davis-1-e1729871746780-768x794.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-38783\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">A white shark bearing an orange camera tag hunts gray seals along the shoreline of Cape Cod. (Credit: Wayne Davis, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite the bad rap sharks often get in the media, they are incredibly important to marine ecosystems. Still, sharks residing in coastal, high-traffic areas can pose a risk to public safety\u2014as a result, shark tracking and monitoring projects are often conducted in these waters. Regardless of the bad press, biologists like Gregory Skomal, a Senior [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":38777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2371,461,2372,5,458,7,8,44],"tags":[968,2068,186,1607,1610,904,2541,2542],"class_list":["post-38703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buoy","category-conservation","category-data-buoy","category-featured-articles","category-fish-science","category-news","category-newsfeed","category-oceans-coasts","tag-acoustic-detection","tag-acoustic-tags","tag-acoustic-telemetry","tag-cape-cod","tag-cape-cod-bay","tag-great-white-sharks","tag-ma-division-of-marine-fisheries","tag-massachusetts-division-of-marine-fisheries"],"remote_post_permalink":false,"remote_post_featured_image":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Using Data Buoys to Track Sharks in Cape Cod<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MA DMF uses buoy tech and acoustic telemetry to track and report the movements of great white sharks in Cape Cod.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/using-data-buoys-to-track-sharks-in-cape-cod.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Using Data Buoys to Track Sharks in Cape Cod\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MA DMF uses buoy tech and acoustic telemetry to track and report the movements of great white sharks in Cape Cod.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/using-data-buoys-to-track-sharks-in-cape-cod.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Environmental Monitor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-28T12:00:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-26T13:30:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/435_Skomal_2019_Tagging_Vessel4_W_Davis.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"649\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Samantha Baxter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Samantha Baxter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/using-data-buoys-to-track-sharks-in-cape-cod.htm#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/using-data-buoys-to-track-sharks-in-cape-cod.htm\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Samantha Baxter\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/341002b379397e09112d3edcefc25a50\"},\"headline\":\"Using Data Buoys to Track Sharks in Cape Cod\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-28T12:00:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-26T13:30:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/using-data-buoys-to-track-sharks-in-cape-cod.htm\"},\"wordCount\":1167,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/using-data-buoys-to-track-sharks-in-cape-cod.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.fondriest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/435_Skomal_2019_Tagging_Vessel4_W_Davis.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"acoustic detection\",\"acoustic tags\",\"acoustic telemetry\",\"Cape Cod\",\"Cape Cod Bay\",\"Great White Sharks\",\"MA Division of Marine Fisheries\",\"Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Buoy\",\"Conservation\",\"Data Buoy\",\"Featured Articles\",\"Fish Science\",\"News\",\"Newsfeed\",\"Oceans &amp; 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