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Researchers To Launch Two-Week Shark Expedition Off Montauk Point

MONTAUK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Researchers are planning a nearly two-week expedition off eastern Long Island to learn more about sharks.

The Wildlife Conservation Society's New York Aquarium and an internationally known group called OCEARCH are conducting the study. It begins Saturday off Montauk.

More: Guide To NYC's Zoos And Aquariums

This is a multi-species shark expedition with a special focus on young Great Whites and their behavior, WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs reported.

"We don't know where our fish go," expedition leader Chris Fisher said. "How in the world are we gonna make sure our grandchildren can eat fish if we don't know where our fish go." 

The future of our oceans depends on this critical information and getting people to understand, respect and stop fearing sharks, Fisher said.

"We're undoing everything that "Jaws" did from a disposition standpoint," Fisher said.

Earlier this year, the WCS's New York Aquarium discovered that Long Island's Great South Bay is a nursery for the sand tiger shark. Scientists suspect the waters off Long Island also may serve as a nursery area for the great white shark.

The Great South Bay nursery ground allows for sharks ranging from several months to five years old to feed and grow, and also gives them protection from predators – including other sharks, the aquarium said.

The plan is to tag juvenile white sharks and study their migratory patterns.

This is the first time the M/V OCEARCH vessel will be used in New York.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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