World has only a handful of confirmed great white shark nurseries
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Just off one of New York’s famed Hamptons beaches, shark researcher Greg Metzger reeled in one of the day’s prize catches: a young but powerful sand tiger shark. He and another marine researcher quickly lassoed the tail of the sharp-toothed female to the side of the boat and held it steady as they drew tissue samples and worked to attach a small data-collection device.
The procedure offered a small demonstration of the animal’s resilience. Metzger said the shark’s thick, rugged skin snapped a surgical-grade scalpel during the work. “It’s no surprise that they’ve been around since prehistoric times and they’re still going strong,” Metzger said as he stitched up the incision and sent the animal along its way.
The sand tiger was one of a wide range of sharks Metzger and other researchers are catching, tagging and releasing in the waters off Southampton. The broader goal, Metzger said, is to understand the local shark population and shed more light on one of the world’s few confirmed great white shark nurseries — stretches of coast where masses of young great whites spend their first vulnerable years feeding and growing.
The Hamptons site is not the only confirmed nursery. Other white shark nurseries recognized globally are in the coastal waters off California, Mexico and Australia.
Beyond the science, Metzger said the tagging days serve an educational mission. He also teaches marine science at Southampton High School. “It’s that initial fear of sharks that captures people’s imagination,” Metzger said. “Hopefully, through educational opportunities like today, we’ll be able to show that these sharks are far from mindless eating machines.”
The fieldwork itself is straightforward but demanding. After capturing each shark, the team holds it alongside the boat, draws tissue samples and fits the animal with a small data-collection device. The sharks are then released.