MSNBC is reporting that the results of the first successful satellite tracking of great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran) followed a single shark over a 62-days journey. The great hammerhead was tagged in the waters of southern Florida as part of an effort by Neil Hammerschlag and colleagues who are tracking tropical sharks in an attempt document migration patterns.

Over the course of the great hammerhead shark’s 62-day journey, Hammerschlag told MSNBC that the shark had traveled 745 miles (as the crow flies). The shark swam from the waters of southern Florida to the coastal waters of New Jersey.

Scientific data about the great hammerhead is scarce, but this latest study will hopefully provide more insight into the migratory behavior of the species and help researchers to identify key geographic locations where the sharks migrate for feeding, mating, and giving birth.

The evidence that great hammerhead sharks are capable of traveling such large distances in a relatively short time also indicates that the species could potentially be migrating into international waters making to susceptible to illegal fishing. Hammerschlag hopes that this research will help provide information that can be used to assist with conservation efforts aimed at protecting and managing great hammerhead sharks.

Last October, the story of the rescue of Strappy the great white shark was one of the more positive shark-related news stories I’d seen in a while. Strappy had become bound by a piece of packing tape that was cutting into his flesh in front of his pectoral fins and around his gill slits. Andrew Fox of the Fox Shark Research Foundation was able to cut and remove the tape in a risky rescue attempt outside of a submersible shark diving cage.

Yesterday, Australia’s 7 News released the above video feature on Strappy’s rescue, which also focuses on the impacts of trash in the oceans.

Kudos again to Andrew Fox for his efforts to save Strappy!