From the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) and Nova Souteastern University’s Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI)

The story of Milo and Lucho, 2 whale sharks tagged last summer by biologist Rafael de la Parranear Isla Mujeres, Mexico, that have made nomadic journeys of a combined nearly 10,000 miles.  

The catch? After their long journeys (one of them passing by the Cayman Islands) they both returned and are now swimming in the same place where they were originally tagged nearly eight months ago. Both sharks were tagged with fin mounted satellite SPOT tags in an unprecedented feat – while de la Parra swam with them underwater!

As you’re probably aware of, whale sharks are currently on the endangered species list, so revealing  their migration behavior allows us to better understand, conserve, monitor and effectively manage shark populations.

Shark track video: https://bit.ly/2YK0JZD

Whale shark b-roll: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xk6tu1jdzs10s8i/WS_Broll.mp4?dl=0

There’s
No Place Like Home Even for Whale Sharks

• “Milo”
  and “Lucho” have travelled nearly 10,000 miles combined since
  the summer
  
  
• Both
  sharks were tagged in the same area and have returned there after
  long voyages
  

FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE,
Fla. – Whale sharks are known to be
nomadic, but the recent travels of two tagged whale sharks raises
questions about the lifestyle of the world’s largest shark species.

Male whale sharks “Milo”
and “Lucho,” tagged last summer near Isla Mujeres, Mexico by
marine biologist Rafael
de la Parra, director of the Ch'ooj Ajauil AC, have made nomadic
journeys of a combined nearly 10,000 miles. But unlike nomads, they
have both found that there is no place like home, now swimming in the
same place where they were originally tagged nearly eight months ago.
Both sharks were tagged with fin mounted satellite SPOT tags in an
unprecedented feat – while de
la Parra swam with them underwater!

This study of whale shark
migrations is being undertaken in collaboration with Nova
Southeastern University’s (NSU) Guy
Harvey Research Institute (GHRI). The
ongoing journeys of these and other whale sharks can be followed
online in near real-time at
www.GHRItracking.org
(see Project 18).

Milo’s journey is the
longer of the two, first swimming east deep into the Atlantic Ocean
past Bermuda and returning near the tagging site in February, 2019.
Then Milo took a month-long excursion into the Gulf of Mexico,
returning close to the tagging site once again, logging more than
7,000 miles.

Lucho, on the other hand,
has had a shorter voyage. He left in late August on a 2,713-mile swim
through the waters surrounding the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica,
Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands before turning around and
travelling to the coast of Honduras. From there, he made his way home
to the tagging site by Isla Mujeres in late December. Three months
later, he’s still there.

“Tagging these whale
sharks on their fins with SPOT tags was a scientific coup,” said
Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D., the director of NSU’s GHRI and a professor
in the university’s Halmos
College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography.
“Rafael did an incredible job getting this done. The direct
satellite communicating technology of these SPOT tags provide much
more accurate tracks of the shark migrations compared to the
traditionally used, data archival satellite tags, which have a lot
more positional error associated with them.”

A whale shark study by the
GHRI and collaborators from the Maldives Whale Shark Research
Programme made news
in 2018 when the data showed that whale
sharks can live as long as 130 years and may grow as large as 61.7
feet on average (nearly 17 feet longer
than a school bus and three times the length of a Great White Shark).

More than 150 sharks,
including whale sharks, tigers, makos and oceanic whitetips, have
been tagged by GHRI in the last decade in order to study the
migration patterns of these incredible creatures.

“Unfortunately, whale
sharks are currently on the endangered
species list, so revealing their migration behavior allows us to
better understand, conserve, monitor and effectively manage shark
populations,” said Greg Jacoski, executive
director of the Guy
Harvey Ocean Foundation, which is helping
fund this research.

A new documentary
chronicling whale sharks will be released this month by world
renowned artist, conservationist and biologist Dr. Guy Harvey.
Available on Amazon.com, "This is Their Ocean: Sea of Life"
is hosted by Dr. Harvey’s daughter Jessica and follows the
thrilling adventures of two students as they swim with whale sharks
off the coast of Mexico.

###

About the Guy Harvey Ocean
Foundation: The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) conducts
scientific research and hosts educational programs aimed at
conserving the marine environment. The GHOF also funds affiliated
researchers working to better understand our ocean ecosystem and
educators helping to foster the next era of marine conservationists.
The GHOF will help ensure that future generations can enjoy and
benefit from a properly balanced ocean ecosystem. www.GHOF.org

About NSU’s Guy Harvey Research
Institute: Established in 1999, the Guy Harvey Research
Institute (GHRI) is a collaboration between the renowned marine
artist, scientist and explorer, Dr. Guy Harvey, and Nova Southeastern
University. The mission of NSU’s GHRI is to provide the scientific
information necessary to understand, conserve, and effectively manage
the world’s marine fishes and their ecosystems. The institute is
one of only a handful of private organizations dedicated exclusively
to the science-based conservation of marine fish populations and
biodiversity. The research, education and outreach activities of
NSU’s GHRI are supported by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, AFTCO
Inc., extramural research grants, philanthropic donations by private
businesses and individuals, and NSU. Please visit
http://cnso.nova.edu/ghri
for more information.