Movement patterns, depth preferences, and stomach temperatures of free-swimming juvenile mako sharks, Isurus oxyrinchus, in the Southern California Bight

Abstract

Acoustic telemetry was used to track vertical and horizontal movement patterns and to monitor the stomach temperatures of seven juvenile shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque) in the Southern California Bight from July to November 2002. Makos (80–145 cm fork length, FL) were attracted to the tracking vessel, where they were fed a mackerel containing an acoustic transmitter that reported temperature and pressure. Tracks ranged from 6.8–45.4 h. Collectively, the mako sharks spent 80% of the track record at 0–12 m, 15% at 12–24 m, and 5% at depths >24 m. The average horizontal swimming speed was 2.3 km h−1 or 0.55 FLs s−1, and the greatest distance traveled was 145 km in 45.4 h. For the six tracks >21 h, there was a positive correlation between body size and maximum depth. Makos used more of the water column during daylight hours. Mean stomach temperature was 3.8±1.5°C above ambient, and body size was positively correlated with both maximum and average stomach temperature. Stomach content analyses of four makos captured at the end of tracking verified the occurrence of feeding events as indicated by changes in stomach temperature.