A team of University of Miami researchers, including shark researcher Neil Hammerschlag, have conducted a study using satellite telemetry on tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) in an attempt to learn what kind of impact ecotourism (in this case, baited shark dives) has on the shark’s long-range migration and habitat utilization.

Sample groups were taken from Florida (where baited shark dives are illegal) and the Bahamas (where baited shark dives are abundant). Analysis of the data from each sample group did not produce a significant difference in the measures of movement and behavior evaluated by the study. Additionally, the data revealed information about long-range migration behavior among both sample groups that was previously unknown.

An overview of the research is available at Functional Ecology.