Success story

Individual-based modelling of short-term movement of juvenile bull sharks

Studying fish, sharks, and other marine mammals can be a challenge due to lack of accurate
information that provides a realistic portrait of their living conditions, movements, and the elements
that affect their behaviour. At Griffith University in Queensland in Australia, a recent study has
successfully employed an individual-based modelling technique to investigate the habitat and
movement patterns of juvenile bull sharks in the Tallebudgera Creek estuary in Australia.

In close collaboration with DHI, the research project

investigated the future potential of a coupled Eulerian-
Lagrangian agent-based modelling approach as an
alternative method of investigating the movement and
habitat use of juvenile bull sharks, Carcharhinus leucas, in
small peri-urban estuaries.

The Tallebudgera Creek estuary in Australia, a well-

known bull shark nursery, was chosen as a case study for
this investigation. Through the implementation and
validation of a MIKE 21FM model it was possible to
accurately capture the hydrodynamics of the estuary and
thus creating a spatially heterogeneous virtual habitat for
the use in a MIKE-integrated, agent-based model (ABM).

Analysis of observed short-term C. leucas movement in

relation to model outputs revealed a high site preference
for the middle reach of the system, even during periods
when salinity levels were outside reported affinity
ranges. Significant movement of the animal in a
downriver direction only occurred after a period of
increased flow velocities and turbidity, suggesting that
these parameters may play an important role in directing
juvenile bull shark movement.

For more information about the MIKE by DHI software products, please visit www.mikebydhi.com. For
more information on this project, please contact Jonas Brandi Mortensen at
jonas@brandimortensen.dk