A sand tiger shark offers a clue to how these animals use Japan’s Ogasawara Islands: an individual tagged near Chichijima was detected by a receiver near Yomejima, roughly 50 kilometres away. The Yomiuri Shimbun reported the finding in a feature published on 13 September 2026.
A seabed receiver provides the evidence
Researchers from universities and aquariums, together with local supporters, visited the islands in June. On 7 June, divers observed three sand tiger sharks at the “Maguro-ana” dive site near Yomejima. They also retrieved a receiver installed on the seabed a year earlier.
Analysis on board showed that the device had detected a shark fitted with a transmitter near Chichijima in 2023. The record thus connects two locations visited by the same animal. The report does not establish its exact route or how long the journey took.
Divers help identify individual sharks
The work forms part of a longer collaboration. On its project page, the Ogasawara Sand Tiger Shark Research Group describes how aquariums, scientists and dive operators collect data together. The organisation was founded in February 2024; research had already begun before then.
Alongside transmitters, photographs support the research: the spots along the flanks differ between animals, allowing individual sand tiger sharks to be recognised. The group also asks divers to contribute their images.
Understanding habitats to support conservation
The project aims to establish where the sharks spend time and how they move. This information should strengthen the basis for their protection. The newly reported signal detection adds a specific movement between locations to that picture. It does not yet establish an exact migration route or a population estimate.
