Porbeagle Shark Satellite Telemetry Data from Atlantic Canada

2005 to 2021 deployments of Pop-up Satellite Archival Tags (PSATs) on porbeagle sharks collected depth, temperature, and light-level data. 57 tags were deployed, with 51 reporting data from sharks ranging from 76 cm to 249 cm in fork length. The dataset includes maximum likelihood position estimates and depth-temperature profiles processed using Wildlife Computers software.

Use Cases

• Analyze depth and temperature profiles to model porbeagle shark habitat preferences and vertical migration patterns.
• Use ambient light level data for geolocation estimation to track shark movement across the Atlantic Canadian and Faroe Islands regions.
• Correlate shark size (fork length from 76 cm to 249 cm) and sex (42 female, 15 male) with recorded depth and temperature behaviors.
• Investigate time at liberty (4 to 356 days) in relation to deployment season (summer, fall, winter) and tag model (PAT 4, Mk10, MiniPAT).

Strengths

• Data collection spans 17 years (2005-2021), providing long-term behavioral records.
• Includes 57 tag deployments across multiple models, with 51 tags successfully reporting data.
• Contains detailed metadata on shark size (fork length) and sex for 57 individuals.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to 57 tagged sharks, which may not represent the full population.
• Position estimates are derived from light-level geolocation, which has inherent accuracy limitations compared to GPS.
• Deployments were concentrated in summer and fall, with fewer in winter, potentially creating seasonal bias.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Data collected via Pop-up Satellite Archival Tags (PSATs) from Wildlife Computers, processed through GPE3 software with NOAA OI SST V2 and ETOPO1-Bedrock references.

Time Range

2005 to 2021

Freshness

Data last updated in March 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Geography

Atlantic Canadian waters and the Faroe Islands