Figure 10.27
Pelagic animal migrations. An understanding of the movement patterns of marine organisms is an important conservation tool for protecting their populations. (A) Great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) routinely travel between California and Hawai‘i and congregate in between at a location scientists call the shark café, probably to find mates. The yellow dots represent the locations of several dozen tagged sharks over a period of a few years. (B) Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), like many pelagic organisms, routinely cross ocean basins. The dots represent the locations of a single 15 kg (33 lb) bluefin that crossed the North Pacific between California and Japan three times in less than two years.(A. Courtesy of Salvador Jorgensen, Monterey Bay Aquarium; Photos: Michael Patrick O’Neill/Science Source)