The technology has revealed that the sand tiger sharks like to remain close to shore and in the fall, they travel in low salinity waters, particularly the freshwater plume from the Delaware Bay. They also prefer habitats containing lots of dissolved plant and animal material.

“That’s the stuff that makes the coastal waters a little yellowish, it makes the water a little dirty,” described Haulsee.

Haulsee said it’s likely the sand tiger sharks go to these areas in search for food, or they could also be simply drawn by the scent of these materials.

As Haulsee and her fellow researchers continue to analyze the shark’s migration patterns, she hopes to eventually develop a probability map based on data collected by the drone. The map, she says, would ideally show a fishermen where sand tiger sharks are most likely to show up on any given day.