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Chumming for Great White Sharks: Investigating how Shark Size Influences Interaction with Chumming Vessels This study was performed through field observation of the white shark population around a Cape Fur Seal colony in Mosselbaai, South Africa. Behavior between different sized great white sharks around a baited vessel was investigated during a two-month period during winter 2018. It was hypothesized that smaller white sharks would interact with a chumming vessel more frequently than larger sharks. Data was collected from a research vessel using bait heads and chum to attract sharks to the boat. Shark interaction was classified by how long the shark remained near the boat, number of baits consumed, and number of times the shark physically came in contact with the boat. Although the hypothesis could not be supported due to high variability in the data, smaller sharks generally interacted with the boat more often and larger sharks spent more time around the vessel. White sharks are pivotal in maintaining a healthy ecosystem and therefore understanding their behavior is crucial when interacting with humans. The growing ecotourism and research industries surrounding these apex predators is growing rapidly and in order to coexist, it is important to understand how human activity could alter the future population of great white sharks.

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The Influence of Great White Shark Size Behavior near a Chumming Vessel

Chumming for Great White Sharks: Investigating how Shark Size Influences Interaction with Chumming Vessels This study was performed through field observation of the white shark population around a Cape Fur Seal colony in Mosselbaai, South Africa. Behavior between different sized great white sharks around a baited vessel was investigated during a two-month period during winter 2018. It was hypothesized that smaller white sharks would interact with a chumming vessel more frequently than larger sharks. Data was collected from a research vessel using bait heads and chum to attract sharks to the boat. Shark interaction was classified by how long the shark remained near the boat, number of baits consumed, and number of times the shark physically came in contact with the boat. Although the hypothesis could not be supported due to high variability in the data, smaller sharks generally interacted with the boat more often and larger sharks spent more time around the vessel. White sharks are pivotal in maintaining a healthy ecosystem and therefore understanding their behavior is crucial when interacting with humans. The growing ecotourism and research industries surrounding these apex predators is growing rapidly and in order to coexist, it is important to understand how human activity could alter the future population of great white sharks.

 

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