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THREE-DIMENSIONAL MOVEMENT AND HABITAT USE OF YOUNG WHITE SHARKS (CARCHARODON CARCHARIAS) IN THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC OCEAN

Recent research confirmed white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) nursery habitat off Long Island, New York; however, additional research is required to determine the habitat use and fine-scale movements of young-of-the-year and juvenile white sharks within this nursery. Between 2016 and 2019, twenty-five white sharks were fitted with satellite and acoustic tags to better define habitat use. Individuals exhibited horizontal movements parallel to Long Island’s southern shoreline and coastal New Jersey. Log-likelihood chi-square analyses determined preference for water column depth, SSTs, sea surface salinities, and chlorophyll a concentration. Vertical analysis of diving behavior revealed swimming behavior primarily in the upper 20 m of the water column, in temperatures between 18°C and 20°C. Generalized additive mixed modeling suggested SSTs above 20.5°C affected dive depth. These results can help improve characterization of essential fish habitat for young white sharks and provide data to determine the species’ susceptibility to anthropogenic activities. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_42648
ContributorsShaw, Rachel Lynn (author), Ajemian, Matthew (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree grantor), Department of Biological Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
PublisherFlorida Atlantic University
Source SetsFlorida Atlantic University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation, Text
Format134 p., application/pdf
RightsCopyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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