Welcome!


Through the ongoing efforts of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), acoustic detection data for tagged white sharks off the coast of Massachusetts and a catalog of over 700 tagged and untagged individual Northwest Atlantic white sharks, identified by AWSC, can be explored through the White Shark Logbook.

Using the left navigation panel, you can access detection data under White Shark Detections and images of individual white sharks under White Shark Catalog.

Please be aware that the White Shark Logbook provides users with historic acoustic detection data from 2010 to 2023. For real-time sighting and detection data, download our Sharktivity app.

You can also help us continue to build and enhance the White Shark Catalog by submitting white shark sightings through our Sharktivity app.


Disclaimer This app does not contain or constitute, and should not be interpreted as advice as to what beaches or parts of water are safe. The only way to completely prevent a close encounter with a shark is to stay on shore.
App maintenance The White Shark Logbook may be taken offline temporarily between the hours of 8:00PM and 11:59PM EDT/EST for routine maintenance. Please be sure to clear your cookies to experience any recent changes. Thank you for your patience during this time.

Walkthrough

Using the (≡) and left navigation panel, you can access tables, charts, and maps concerning the whereabouts of white sharks tagged and detected by our continuing collaboration.

Please view the video below for a quick tutorial of how to interact and use our app.

Dashboard

Check out our tagging and detection progress from 2010 to 2023.

What am I looking at? The information below describes summary statistics for some key aspects of our tagging program, including the number of receivers deployed to “listen” for tagged sharks, sharks tagged and detected, and total detections recorded, as well as information on tagged sharks such as average total length and overall sex ratio.

Top detections

Tagging list

Our current list of tagged white sharks. Using information from this table, you can go to the “By shark” panel to generate individual detection reports of your favorite shark.

What am I looking at? The following list defines what each column means in the table below.
  • Name: The name of the shark
  • Sex: Whether the shark is a male or female
  • Total length: The shark's total length (in feet)
  • Tag date: The date the shark was tagged (as mm/dd/yyyy)
  • Detections: The total number of detections recorded for the shark

Download this list

All detections

Take a look at the overall movements of tagged white sharks detected on our receivers by sex, year, and total length range (in feet).

What am I looking at? By default, you are viewing detections for all tagged sharks in 2023 between 6 and 17 feet in length. Bubble sizes and colors relate to the number of detections at that point compared to all detections recorded from 2010 to 2023.

Using the filters below, you can view detection data for males and/or female sharks over a range of lengths for a specific year that receivers were deployed. These detection data are represented in a variety of interactive formats, including:
  • Overall: All shark detections for the selected year viewed at once
  • Animation: An animation of all shark detections from the Overall tab between the first and last detection of the selected year. Colors on the map relate to slider bar's position between the dates.
  • By month: A bar graph displaying all shark detections by month for the selected year

Detection data

*Note: Based on the filters you selected, some animations may be short or not work properly due to a lack of detection data.

Detections by shark

Interested in a specific shark? You can view individual maps, animations, and graphs for any tagged white shark with detection data for a single year that receivers were deployed.

What am I looking at? By default, you are viewing detections for Ben in 2022, the last year he was detected on our receivers. Bubble sizes and colors relate to the number of detections at that point compared to all detections for the selected shark. For instance, of the years that Ben was detected (2015, 2016, 2018-2020, and 2022), Ben had the most detections in 2016 off the coast of Orleans, MA, which is identified with a large, red bubble.

Using the filters below, you can view detection data for any other shark and year. These detection data are represented in the following interactive formats:
  • Overall: All of the shark's detections for the selected year viewed at once
  • By month: A interactive bar graph displaying the shark's detections by month for the selected year

*Please note that sharks with no detections are not able to be viewed in this format.

Can I sponsor a shark? Yes, you can sponsor a shark! Please visit our website (click here) to learn more.


Shark statistics

Detections by receiver

Rather than a specific shark, you can also learn about detections in a certain area of Massachusetts. Using the slider bar and the map, see what receivers are “listening” to tagged white sharks for a single deployment year.

What am I looking at? By default, you are viewing all receivers deployed off the coast of Massachusetts during 2023. Icon colors refer to if a receiver is being sponsored (green) or is available for sponsoring (blue). By clicking on a receiver icon on the map, you will learn how long the receiver was monitoring the area as well as a summary of detections for that deployment year.

Please note, either due to weather, boat traffic, or bad luck, receivers are lost in the waters off Massachusetts and so too are the detections they recorded. Therefore, just because detections are not shown for a specific year and place does not mean sharks are absent.

Can I sponsor a receiver? Yes, you can sponsor a receiver! Please visit our website (click here) to learn more.


Receiver statistics

Sharks detected

Identifying white sharks

White sharks can be distinguished based on their countershading and fin pigment patterns as well as the dorsal fin profile, which is unique to each individual. Researchers at AWSC use the criteria developed for white sharks at Guadalupe Island, Mexico, to classify pigment pattern types for the gill flaps, the dorsal fin, the pelvic fin region, and the caudal fin. The presence of tags, scars, and evidence of major injuries (e.g. propeller wounds, damaged fins, scoliosis) are also used to help match sharks to previously identified individuals. Since monitoring of the population began in 2014, AWSC researchers have identified over 700 individuals.

Click on the infographics below to learn how we identify individual white sharks.

About

Our mission

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC), established in 2012, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support scientific research, improve public safety, and educate the community to inspire the conservation of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), both around and outside of Cape Cod.

Why white sharks?

White sharks are apex predators that play a critical role in maintaining a healthy and balanced marine ecosystem. They are also considered a keystone species, meaning they are integral to the ecology they inhabit.

Your support

Our mission relies on funds raised by generous individual and corporate donors. While we frequently partner with public organizations, we do not receive any public funding for our efforts.

We are 100% funded by general donations and private grants, as well as through earned revenue from our Shark Center admission, merchandise sales, events, and license plates.


This online application was developed
with support from the Woods Hole Sea Grant.

Code

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

With respect to the code that creates this interactive app (i.e., not acoustic data), you are free to:

  • share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
  • adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material

Packages

This Shiny app requires several packages, including:

Credit

Thank you to the following developers for sharing their code, templates, and insight:

Questions

Please contact us at info@atlanticwhiteshark.org with any questions about our app.

Developer

Connor Capizzano, Ph.D.