Olowalu, Maui tiger sharks reveal seasonal mating hotspot during whale season
UH Mānoa’s Shark Lab, after six years of acoustic tracking, identifies Olowalu on Maui as the first documented tiger shark mating hub, where mature males and females repeatedly converge in a seasonal pattern that overlaps with humpback whale calving. The researchers suggest that mating and foraging opportunities, not just random encounters, shape tiger shark movements, and plan to deploy camera-accelerometer tags to document behaviors and shark–whale interactions.