A remarkable aerial video shows thousands of blacktip sharks migrating off the coast of Florida, creating an amazing scene beneath the clear tropical waters.
Each year towards the end of winter, thousands of blacktip sharks head north as the waters off the coast begin to warm up.
In a given year, as many as 15,000 sharks will make the annual journey. Swimmers in these waters will be on average just 60 feet from a shark at any point in time, according to a report by WFLA.
The sharks inhabit waters as far south as Miami and as far north as the waters off North Carolina.
However, despite the incredible scene, not all news with the sharks is necessarily good – scientists have observed that the number of sharks making the trip has been in decline in recent years, with overfishing a commonly cited problem.
Thousands of blacktip sharks were caught on camera migrating off the coast of Florida (above) in February 2018
The blacktip sharks migrate north each winter as the waters begin to warm up off the US coast
The sharks inhabit waters ranging from Miami in the south to North Carolina in the north
‘Last year, we saw a dramatic decline in the number of blacktip sharks that migrated south. In fact, it was so low that we estimated the population to be about one-third of what we have seen in previous years,’ said Stephen Kajiura, a professor of biology at Florida Atlantic University.
The migration of the sharks isn’t just kept track of for human safety – it’s also about the health of the ocean. The blacktip sharks work to weed out ill species of fish and keep coral reefs clean and healthy.
The sharks are significantly less in number this year (2011 migration with greater numbers shown above), sparking concerns for the welfare of the ocean ecology
Overfishing is a common problem for blacktip sharks, particularly in the United States
‘We want to make sure that these snowbirds come back to South Florida, because if they don’t, it will have a huge ecological impact in this region,’ Kaijura added.
Luckily, the crystal clear waters off of Florida make it easy for amazing videos of the sharks to become reality. Kaijura uses an arsenal of observational tools to capture images of the sharks as they migrate, including usage of drones and a fixed wing aircraft.
‘My research assistant has personally counted more than 100,000 sharks on the computer screen, which actually look like little black dots,’ said Kajiura.
The sharks serve an important role in the ocean ecosystem, feeding on sick fish and cleaning coral reefs
Scientists at Florida Atlantic University have captured the sharks on film using drones and aircraft
The sharks have a ‘huge ecological impact’ according to scientists at Florida Atlantic University