Summer is the time to plan beach getaways in Texas. Whether you’re doing a day trip in Galveston, or spending a weekend at one of Texas’s other amazing coastal towns, at one point or another you’re going to get in the water.
While shark attacks are extremely rare, there have been a number in Texas – not to mention shark sightings in the area including that of a great white shark off the coast of Brownsville earlier this year. While 99% of the time, you’re sure to be fine swimming at the beach, it wouldn’t hurt to first check this shark tracker just to be sure you’re not wading into a Jaws scenario.
The shark tracker is a project from Ocearch. The international non-profit organization dedicates itself to the collection of previously-unattainable data and conduction of research for the benefit of science and understanding. Its ultimate goal is to re-attain a balanced oceanic ecosystem.
As a part of its research, Ocearch studies the migratory patterns, habitat use, and reproductive biology of sharks. Following all of the established protocols of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC), the organization records the morphometrics, adds SPOT, accelerometer, and acoustic tags, and samples blood and tissue of sharks before returning them to the sea.
Ocearch has created a shark tracker following 371 sharks around the globe. At the time of this article’s publication, the tracker reveals 19 of its tracked sharks swimming around Gulf waters. These sharks included hammerheads, makos, tiger, and a great white shark.
Of course, the organization doesn’t have a tracker on every shark in the sea. So even if you’ve checked the tracker beforehand, it doesn’t hurt to be vigilant when swimming in the ocean.
Since its inception, Ocearch has conducted 46 exhibitions with its team of 200 scientists, tagging 437 animals.