Ultrasonic tracking of Greenland sharks, Somniosus microcephalus, under Arctic ice

Skomal, Gregory B.; Benz, George W.

doi:10.1007/s00227-004-1332-8

Cited by 79 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Such variation in depth of swimming by Greenland shark has been noted in other studies (Skomal & Benz 2004, Watanabe et al 2012). Movement through the water column could be influenced by a variety of factors, such as prey availability, bathymetry or oceanographic variables.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…The water temperatures recorded from Svalbard were similar to the temperature range reported for Greenland sharks in the St Lawrence Estuary (−1.1 to 8.6°C) (Stokesbury et al 2005). Greenland sharks can deal with temperatures < 0°C (Skomal & Benz 2004). Tolerating such cold temperatures makes the Greenland shark unique among ectothermic sharks (see also Stokesbury et al 2005, Watanabe et al 2012; the Pacific sleeper shark in the north-east Pacific Ocean has not been reported to experience temperatures < 4.4°C (Hulbert et al 2006).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Sims et al 2008, Nasby-Lucas et al 2009). Watanabe et al (2012) reports oscillatory dive patterns for a number of Greenland sharks that carried accelerometer tags for 24 h. This swimming pattern has also been observed in Greenland sharks from the Canadian Arctic (Skomal & Benz 2004) and the St. Lawrence Estuary (Stokesbury et al 2005) as well as being documented in the closely related (Murray et al 2008) Pacific sleeper shark Somniosus pacificus (Hulbert et al 2006). This species is very similar to the Greenland shark in size and body shape (Yano et al 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…LeClerc et al (2011) noted surface feedings in Greenland sharks which consumed floating blubber from harvested minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata. Skomal & Benz (2004) suggested that Greenland sharks search for marine mammals in surface waters under sea ice, based on acoustic telemetry studies that showed sharks making numerous trips up into shallow water near or under sea ice. In our study, many of the PATs released close to ice edges, a hot spot for seals and marine mammals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Archival pop-off tag tracking of Greenland sharks Somniosus microcephalus in the High Arctic waters of Svalbard, Norway

Fisk

Lydersen²,

Kovacs³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus is the largest fish in Arctic waters and a significant predator that is likely numerous, but little is known about its movement patterns or habitat preferences. In June 2008 and 2009, 20 archival pop-off tags were deployed on Greenland sharks in coastal waters in Svalbard, Norway (~80°N), to address this knowledge gap. Over the period June to December, 14 of the tags reported data. The swimming depth of the sharks was 111 ± 74 m (mean ± SD), but they occupied waters from the surface down to a depth of at least 1560 m (the depth limit of the tags), which is the deepest confirmed record for this species. The sharks displayed a wide range of depths within each 6 h time bin collected by the tags, with no obvious diel movement pattern. They experienced temperatures from −1.5 to 7.4°C (mean ± SD = 3.8 ± 1.4°C). The average depth of swimming increased and temperatures experienced by the sharks decreased from June through December. Most individuals moved north from the tagging area, and travelled a range of distances during their variable deployment times, but most tags popped off < 500 km from the tagging site. The average distance travelled varied from 0.6 to 16.6 km d −1. Two sharks travelled 725 and 980 km, respectively, representing the most northerly (82.4°N) and easterly (40.8°E) locations documented for this species. The movements of the tagged sharks suggest that this species likely ranges broadly in northern waters and likely hunts throughout the water column in Arctic seas.KEY WORDS: Distribution · Elasmobranch · Polar · Pop-up archival tags · Swimming depth · Water temperature Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 468: [255][256][257][258][259][260][261][262][263][264][265] 2012 European coast in the Northeast Atlantic (MacNeil et al. 2012). There have also been observations of Somniosus sp. in deep waters (> 2000 m) off the coast of Georgia, USA (Herdendorf & Berra 1995), and in the Gulf of Mexico, but these individuals have not been confirmed to be S. microcephalus (Benz et al. 2007).The movements and habitat preferences of Greenland sharks across the species' vast geographic range are largely unknown. Traditional fish marking studies on the west coast of Greenland in the late 1940s documented that 1 shark travelled ~1500 km, but most tags were recovered in the general tagging area (Hansen 1963), although the overall tag recovery rate was low and coastally biased. Three pop-off archival tags were deployed on Greenland sharks in the St Lawrence Estuary, Quebec, Canada, for periods up to 66 d. These sharks generally inhabited deep (325 to 352 m), cold (−1.1 to 8.6°C) water, but they did spend time near shore in shallower water (< 60 m), and they displayed some diel patterns in their vertical movements (Stokesbury et al. 2005).Greenland sharks are commonly observed in the North Atlantic by researchers, fishermen and sealers (Dunbar & Hildebrand 1952, Templeman 1963, but no actual abundance estima...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Archival pop-off tag tracking of Greenland sharks Somniosus microcephalus in the High Arctic waters of Svalbard, Norway

Fisk

Lydersen²,

Kovacs³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…In the St. Lawrence Estuary, Greenland Sharks undertake diel vertical movements into shallow depths (≤ 30 m) (Stokesbury et al 2005), but the reasons for these movements are unknown. although more recent studies indicate that Greenland Sharks show no temperature preference within the narrow range observed in the arctic ocean at Svalbard, norway (fisk et al 2012), and baffin Island, canada (Skomal and benz 2004), thermal preference may exist in the shallower waters of the St. Lawrence Estuary, where temperatures fluctuate by as much as 23°c (Stokesbury et al 2005;JG, unpublished data).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Influence of Environmental Variables on the Diel Movements of the Greenland Shark (<i>Somniosus microcephalus</i>) in the St. Lawrence Estuary

Gallant¹,

Rodríguez²,

Stokesbury³

et al. 2016

Can Field Nat

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Département des sciences de l'environnement, université du Québec à trois-rivières, 3351 boulevard des forges, trois-rivières, Quebec G9a 5h7 canada 3 Department of biology, acadia university, 33 university avenue, Wolfville, nova Scotia b4P 2r6 canada 4 university Department of animal care, Dalhousie university, halifax, nova Scotia b3h 4r2 canada 5 corresponding author: info@geerg.ca Gallant, Jeffrey J., Marco a. rodríguez, Michael J. W. Stokesbury, and chris harvey-clark. 2016. Influence of environmental variables on the diel movements of the Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus) in the St. Lawrence Estuary. canadian field-naturalist 130(1): 1-14.the geographic distribution of the Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus) extends from the arctic ocean to the north atlantic ocean. however, little is known about the habitat of this species, as it is generally found at great depths or in the high arctic. In the St. Lawrence Estuary, Greenland Sharks undertake diel vertical movements into shallow water (≤ 30 m), but the reasons for these movements are unknown. to test the hypothesis that environmental variables drive the movements of this shark in the St. Lawrence Estuary, eight Greenland Sharks were tagged with acoustic telemetry transmitters during the summer of 2005. three environmental factors, temperature, light, and tides, were associated with their movements. Movement patterns indicate a preference for deep, cold water during daylight hours and shallow, warmer water during the night. ascending into shallow water mostly coincided with darkness and high tide. this improved understanding of the spatio-temporal distribution of the Greenland Shark will allow for assessment of the risk to these sharks from commercial fisheries, as occurs in the Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) longline fishery. In addition, temperature-driven behavioural patterns may change as the thermal structure of the water column shifts due to global warming. the observed diel movements of the Greenland Shark are not unique for a shark of its size and northern distribution. a close relative, the Pacific Sleeper Shark (Somniosus pacificus), travels mainly below the photic zone during daylight hours and approaches the surface at night (hulbert et al. 2006). the Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus), another benthic species of comparable size found in cold water, has also been associated with nocturnal tides but at greater depths (andrews et al. 2009). It remains to be determined whether Greenland Sharks respond to the same environmental stimuli as these two boreal deepwater species.Several shark species follow circadian rhythms, remaining in deep water during the day and then ascending through the water column to shallower depths at night: Study AreaGreenland Sharks frequent four bays on the north shore of the St. Lawrence Estuary in the region of baiecomeau, Quebec, canada (figure 1). these boreal bays are characterized by a seasonally dynamic littoral environment offering a wide variety of known prey species of the Greenla...

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A Selection of Special Environments

Chapman

Bolen

2015

Ecology of North America

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Ultrasonic tracking of Greenland sharks, Somniosus microcephalus, under Arctic ice

Cited by 79 publications

References 37 publications

Archival pop-off tag tracking of Greenland sharks Somniosus microcephalus in the High Arctic waters of Svalbard, Norway

Archival pop-off tag tracking of Greenland sharks Somniosus microcephalus in the High Arctic waters of Svalbard, Norway

Influence of Environmental Variables on the Diel Movements of the Greenland Shark (<i>Somniosus microcephalus</i>) in the St. Lawrence Estuary

A Selection of Special Environments

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