Habitat use and movement patterns of bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas determined using pop-up satellite archival tags

Habitat use, movement and residency of bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas were determined using satellite pop-up archival transmitting (PAT) tags throughout coastal areas in the U.S., Gulf of Mexico and waters off the south-east U.S. From 2005 to 2007, 18 fish (mean size = 164 cm fork length, LF) were tagged over all seasons. Fish retained tags for up to 85 days (median = 30 days). Based on geolocation data from initial tagging location to pop-off location, C. leucas generally travelled c. 5–6 km day−1 and travelled an average of 143·6 km. Overall, mean proportions of time at depth revealed C. leucas spent the majority of their time in waters