Tiger Shark Berani swims from Indonesia to Esperance

The tiger shark Berani, a 2.2 metre female, was fitted with a satellite tracking tag in August 2008 at Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia (WA), by Dr Rory McAulay of WA Fisheries in research for the Western Australian Marine Science Institution. Ningaloo Marine Park is used for tourism, fishing, shipping and oil exploration. Information about marine animals in the region is needed to ensure the marine park zoning is effective, and to address the potential impact of regional development. Tiger sharks are top predators known to prey on turtles and dugongs in the park, so the scientists wanted to know more about their movements and habitat use. Berani provided an excellent track that lasted more than a year and yielded 225 locations. She moved north from Ningaloo travelling via the Kimberley to south of Sumba Island, Indonesia. She then returned south, rounding Cape Naturaliste and reaching east as far as Esperance in May 2009 before retracing her path to Ningaloo. Berani’s travels indicate that the population of tiger sharks that visits Ningaloo mixes across a wide region. The scientists concluded current sanctuary zones could offer tiger sharks only temporary protection from the activities of humans.