New Project Tracks Increased Shark Sightings in Nunatsiavut

Brynn Devine, Sid Pain, and Ruth Teichroeb | November 28, 2024

Over the past several years, there has been a significant increase in the number of sightings and interactions with sharks in Nunatsiavut waters. In particular, people have shared reports of sharks chasing and biting cod that are jigged, getting accidently caught in char nets, chasing char in the shallows, cruising on the surface, and randomly visiting stationary boats.

Recently, Oceans North has been working with the Nunatsiavut Government and community members on a new project called Nunatsiavut IKalutsuanik kamannik, or Shark Watch Nunatsiavut, to learn more about what these sharks are doing here and why. The work is mainly focused on two species: the Arctic-resident Greenland shark, and porbeagle sharks, the latter of which seem to be arriving to the region in greater numbers.

“There was a gap in shark research in Nunatsiavut waters,” says Sid Pain, Arctic Projects Director for Oceans North. “People are reporting more and more sharks in the area, so there’s an opportunity for us to ask people what they’re seeing and to tag some so that we can learn more about their movements.” All this data will be integrated into Imappivut, the Nunatsiavut Marine Plan.

There are mainly porbeagles being observed at the surface, since Greenland sharks are more commonly found in deeper water. “Porbeagles look like miniature great white sharks, and are fast, twitchy, curious, and sometimes appear playful,” Pain says. These dark-grey or dark-blue sharks are warm-blooded, allowing them to maintain a higher body temperature than the surrounding water and thrive in colder seas than many sharks. They can also dive over 1800 metres down and migrate long distances to feed and reproduce.

Although it is believed there is little mixing between the northeast and northwest Atlantic populations, one porbeagle tagged off Ireland travelled 4200 kilometres all the way to Canada. In the northwest Atlantic, porbeagles are believed to make seasonal movements between the northeast US coast and up to Newfoundland and Labrador. However, it’s not well known just how far north this species goes or where they overwinter.

This species is slow to mature and has few offspring, making porbeagles vulnerable to the effects of overfishing and other threats. It is estimated the population in the North Atlantic declined between 50–79 percent since 1960. They are considered Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and were assessed by COSEWIC nationally as Endangered in 2014. Since then, they have been awaiting a federal decision on whether to list the species on the Species at Risk Act.

Image – An increased number of porbeagle sharks have been sighted off the coast of Nunatsiavut.

Credit – Sid Pain

Like porbeagles, Greenland sharks take a long time to mature—even longer, in fact. It’s estimated that these sharks may not reproduce until they are over 100 years old, and their lifespan stretches centuries. They too are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. “They’re really fascinating creatures, and there’s a lot we still don’t know about them,” says Brynn Devine, an Arctic fisheries scientist with Oceans North and Greenland shark expert.

Along with Pain, who is based in Nain, Devine travelled aboard the What’s Happening in August to tag Greenland sharks in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans in the Labrador Sea. Using short lines with hooks placed on the seafloor for a brief period, the sharks were caught at depth and slowly brought to the surface where they were quickly sampled, tagged, and released from a small boat. “It wasn’t an easy feat 140 miles offshore in a region notorious for bad weather, but we got lucky with a few good days,” Pain says.

A month later, Pain and Devine joined two guardians, Samantha Jacques and Joe Webb, on an expedition to tag porbeagles off the coast of Postville. These swift, mobile predators are a bit more challenging to capture, with many individuals observed circling the boat or just playing with the fishing gear before moving on. But in the end the team successfully caught, tagged, and safely released three sharks, all females measuring between 2.2 to 2.4 m in total length

Image – Researchers pull a Greenland shark towards their boat for tagging.

Credit – Leo Angnatok

Now that the sharks have been tagged, the team is waiting for data. In 6 to 12 months, the tags should pop off the sharks, float up to the surface, and begin transmitting information about what depths and temperatures they used and other data that can be used to estimate their movements.

Amanda Joynt, senior policy advisor for Oceans North, has been working directly with the Nunatsiavut Government’s Imappivut (Our Oceans) Initiative to interview community members about historical and more recent shark interactions. This piece of the research puzzle will put the increased sightings and shark tagging data in the context of local and Inuit knowledge about shark presence in Nunatsiavut.

Image – Joe Webb (far left), Brynn Devine (centre left), Sid Pain (centre right), and Samantha Jacques (far right) spent several days tagging porbeagle sharks near Postville, Nunatsiavut.

Credit – Sid Pain

The project is gathering information in other ways, too. On the Shark Watch Facebook page, fishers and community members have been uploading photos and videos of sightings, as well as other information such as the location and condition of the shark. When sharks are caught in fishing nets as bycatch and do not survive, fishers are encouraged to collect information on the size and sex of the individual and collect biological samples such as the stomach and a fin clip.

Combined with results from the tagging, this information should help answer questions such as: When do the sharks show up? How long do they stay? What depths and temperatures are they using? Are the same ones coming back? Why is there a greater presence than past years?

“There’s still a lot more to learn about these sharks,” Pain says. “But thanks to the communities sharing information and the Nunatsiavut Government, we’re getting closer to figuring it out.”

Sid Pain is Oceans North’s Arctic Projects Director. Brynn Devine is Oceans North’s Arctic Fisheries Scientist. Ruth Teichroeb is a regular contributor to Oceans North and former communications director.