JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –
The most intense weather is no match for Andy the tiger shark. The longest tracked tiger shark on record has swam right through Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and even freezing temperatures and nor'easters- none of which stopped Andy.
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Now scientists are learning how weather and other environmental factors influence where tiger sharks migrate.
Andy is providing clues thanks to a satellite tag that reports position.
The shark which was tagged in Bermuda by scientists from Nova Southeastern University's and the Guy Harvey Research Institute in 2014 has traveled approximately 37,565 miles off the U.S. east coast between Bermuda and the Bahamas. Add up the miles and that's more than 1.5 times around the world!
Andy reported for more than 1,240 days with the last update on the NSU's shark tracking page December 28th.
Satellite tracked tiger sharks are revealing larger species are more influenced by environmental variables like sea surface temperature, weather fronts, and seafloor shape are compared to smaller individuals which typically travel less distance.
In a changing climate, predicting movements based on oceanic conditions could help shape better marine protection zones for these threatened species suffering from long line fishing declines.
An OCEARCH tagged White shark named Hilton is just 60 miles east of Jacksonville. The 12 foot shark pinged Thursday evening after reporting its location when it swam to the surface. In December it was tracked by the St. Marys jetties.
A new OCEARCH expedition begins on January 16, 2018 in Jacksonville and will continue until February 5, 2018. The goal is to see how the paths of white sharks around Florida and Georgia differ from Cape Cod white sharks.