#shark study

The study suggests that declining world shark populations may be more precarious than previously thought; but also that restoring populations may be obtainable

A combination of factors may explain why Maui has had more shark bites than other Main Hawaiian Islands.

The study was commissioned after a spike in the number of shark bite incidents on Maui in 2012 and 2013, which tapered off somewhat in 2014.

So far, the website features tracking of seven sharks–one male and six female–ranging in size from 9.3 feet to 14.2 feet. The tracking dates back to the period starting between Oct. 17 and 20, 2013, when the sharks were first tagged with the satellite devices.

Researchers say a quarter of the mature female tiger sharks in the remote coral atolls of the northwestern chain migrate toward the main islands, swimming as far as 1,500 miles.

The $186,000, two-year study will focus on tiger shark movements around Maui, and compare their behavior to that of known movement patterns around the other main Hawaiian islands.