Discovery of the world’s largest group of tiger sharks

Neiser Foundation

Over several years, the Neiser Foundation has provided funding to a Flinders University shark ecology research team, leading to the discovery of the world’s largest group of adult tiger sharks off Norfolk Island.

Tracking tiger sharks in the pristine Pacific waters off remote Norfolk Island has led to an extraordinary opportunity for a Flinders University team to lead crucial and ground-breaking shark ecology research.

‘We were astonished to find probably the largest aggregation of adult tiger sharks in the world,’ says Flinders University’s Professor Charlie Huveneers, Director of the Marine and Coastal Research Consortium and Research Leader of the Southern Shark Ecology Group.

This incredible tiger shark population has provided a wealth of research opportunities, made possible by ongoing funding from the Neiser Foundation and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, United States.

The third year of intensive research activity at Norfolk Island, which took place this February, was supported by a $40,000 grant – part of more than $250,000 that the Neiser Foundation has committed to the Flinders University research team.

Professor Charlie Huveneers

The support is the result of a long-term relationship with the Foundation, which began in 2009 when founder Jens Neiser was impressed by a public lecture Professor Huveneers delivered on shark ecology research.

The opportunity for this research to expand on the limited knowledge of tiger sharks resonated with Mr Neiser and won his support.

‘Our Foundation focuses on supporting research into the endangered apex predators of our world, like saltwater crocodiles, white sharks and tiger sharks,’ says Jens Neiser.

While it started small, the study has now grown into an international multi-university research endeavour, and financial support from grants and donations has enabled this work to flourish.

‘We first went to Norfolk Island to examine the impact of microplastics on the tiger shark population and expected minimal effects in an untouched part of the Pacific, but we found much more,’ says Professor Huveneers.

‘The island has its own waste disposal problems, including offal from culling old cattle from its extensive livestock population, which might explain the large population of enormous, well-fed sharks, as most of the sharks we’ve tagged are over four metres in length.’

Research trips to Norfolk Island have seen the Flinders researchers apply acoustic tags and satellite tags to monitor shark movement, and collect swabs, muscle and blood samples to study the shark’s diet and microbiome.

‘Our focus on tiger sharks now informs the wider knowledge of sharks, which are highly vulnerable to the impact of people,’ says Professor Charlie Huveneers.

Professor Huveneers is grateful for the financial support from the Neiser Foundation to further shark ecology research. He says, ‘Jens Neiser and his Foundation have supported us for many years now, and have been essential to the development of my research program and to the research projects of many Flinders students.’

Funded by the Foundation, the $40,000 Norfolk 2022 project involved six Flinders University researchers travelling to the island – including Professor Huveneers, project co-leader Dr Lauren Meyer, Professor Liz Dinsdale and Dr Mike Doane, with PhD candidates Chole Roberts and Tom Clarke. Several honours and PhD students will also use and analyse the data collected.

Understanding the importance of tiger shark research, Mr Neiser says, ‘We are delighted to have supported Charlie and his team over the years to shed more light on the biology and behavioural patterns of the diminishing populations of marine apex predators.’