Research set to begin into great white sharks in Bay of Plenty

There has been a notable increase in the frequency of interactions between humans and great white sharks in the area during the past few years. Photo / NZME

A project has been launched to research great white sharks in the Tauranga Harbour and wider Bay of Plenty in the summer after a rise in interactions.

There has been a notable increase in the frequency of interactions between humans and great whites in the area during the past few years, including the death of 19-year-old Kaelah Marlow at Bowentown in 2021.

With each new interaction, fear and anxiety had appeared to increase and there had been calls for something to be done to better understand the situation and manage the risks to humans entering the ocean, a University of Waikato statement said today.

University of Waikato marine ecologist Phil Ross. Photo / Supplied

The new research will be a collaboration between local iwi, marine ecologists, fisheries scientists and shark experts.

Project lead and University of Waikato marine ecologist Phil Ross said the research team was now working with hāpu from the northern harbour, Te Whanau a Tauwhao and Ngāti Te Wai, to refine plans for the summer's research activities and to develop long-term goals for the research.

"We plan to have the research up and running before summer arrives so we can begin the process of learning about the size and makeup of the white shark population in the Bay, and gaining a better understanding of the behaviours and movements of individual sharks in the area.

"We're also working to create opportunities for the public and citizen scientists to be involved in this important work," Ross said.

Te Whānau a Tauwhao ki Otawhiwhi Marae chairman Reon Tuanau. Photo / Supplied

"We know there have been a lot of encounters between white sharks and spearfishers, surfers and swimmers. We want to capture that information and use it to better understand these awesome creatures."

The research aimed to understand the observed changes in white shark abundance and behaviour and inform any future white shark management in the Bay of Plenty.

Reon Tuanau, of Otawhiwhi Marae, said he was grateful to be part of a project that would combine science with Māori tikanga.

The new research will be a collaboration between local iwi, marine ecologists, fisheries scientists and shark experts. Photo / NZME

"We are very keen to learn more about the increased presence and activity of the great white shark in our moana.

"We have a long-standing relationship with the team of experts that have been brought together to partner with our hapū in gaining a greater understanding of the changes that are occurring in the moana."