Threatened shark swimming off the coast of St. Helena Island
An endangered shark has made an appearance near St. Helena, likely stopped for a quick snack, and continued moving north along the coast.
The research non-profit OCEARCH tagged the female dusky shark this spring in Jacksonville, Fl. The group named the adult female dusky shark Mira, attacked a tracking tag and released her. Scientists still don’t understand the full migration patterns for this rare species of shark, so Mira will help researchers better understand the range of dusky sharks in the region and where they overlap with other fisheries.
The species used to be abundant off the coast of the Southeastern United States, but their numbers declined significantly due to fishing pressure and bycatch.
“We don’t often encounter adult dusty sharks, so it was kind of exciting to have the opportunity to encounter her and the decision to tag her,” Harley Newton, OCEARCH chief scientist, said.
Tracking Mira
After attaching the tracker in mid-May, Mira’s tracker pinged for the first time in early June near St. Helena. The tag the researchers attached to the shark typically lasts about a year, and it only records a location when she comes to the surface. Given that dusky sharks are known to spend long periods of time underwater, the scientists weren’t sure how much information they would receive from Mira’s tracker, Newton said.
Now that she’s come to the surface, Mira’s tracker has given the researchers a small hint about her species’ migration patterns. Scientists know that some sharks move between foraging areas over the course of the year, while others remain around Florida and the Bahamas, Newton said. Because there are so few dusky sharks, it’s been difficult to understand where the species spends their time.
The species is globally endangered, Newton said. Historically, they’ve been hit hard by the fishing industry, which sometimes catches the sharks unintentionally in their nets. But the species has also been targeted for its larger than average fins, which people would often eat. The species has been federally protected since 1999, though their numbers have been slow to recover in the region in part because the species takes a long time to reach reproductive age.
During this time of year, a number of shark species stop over near South Carolina, likely due to the abundance of food in the area, Newton said. It appears from the tracker that Mira has spent a few days in the area, likely due to the abundance of food. Only time, and her tracker, will tell if she continues moving north or takes a less structured approach to her schedule.
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 12:58 PM.
