Long-Term Acoustic Monitoring Reveals Site Fidelity, Reproductive Migrations, and Sex Specific Differences in Habitat Use and Migratory Timing in a Large Coastal Shark (Negaprion acutidens)

A long-term acoustic monitoring study of lemon sharks (Negaprion acutidens) along the Ningaloo Coast, Australia, revealed significant site fidelity and complex migratory patterns. Approximately 50% of tagged adults remained within 10 km of their tagging location for over a year, with an average core home range of 1.7 km²—contrasting with juvenile behavior in this known nursery area. Adults displayed strong habitat preferences, moving into shallow nearshore areas at high tide and night, while females shifted their home range further offshore during winter, likely for thermoregulation. Sexual segregation was observed within core areas, and both resident and non-resident sharks were detected up to 140 km away, with rapid, directional migrations linked to reproductive periods. Males departed 1–2 months earlier than females, with variable periodicity in female migrations—annual or biannual. These findings highlight the species' susceptibility to overfishing and underscore the need for spatio-temporal fisheries data to inform conservation strategies.

Pillans, R. D., Rochester, W., Babcock, R. C., Thomson, D. P., Haywood, M. D. E., & Vanderklift, M. A. (2021). Long-Term Acoustic Monitoring Reveals Site Fidelity, Reproductive Migrations, and Sex Specific Differences in Habitat Use and Migratory Timing in a Large Coastal Shark (Negaprion acutidens). Frontiers in Marine Science, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.616633