New research into great white sharks could provide advance warning for swimmers in the Bay of Plenty this summer.
It comes after the coroner made recommendations for more research into the local shark population following the death of Kaelah Marlow, who was killed by a great white shark last January.
"It hits home for me and I'm pretty sure it hits home for most people who recreate in this area," marine biologist Riley Elliott said.
A tagging programme involving 20 sharks is now underway by the Great White Project.
It will allow data on their location to be plotted by satellite and tracked live through an app which can be viewed by the public.
"It's been a really long road and a frustrating road with human and shark fatalities each summer," Elliott said.
"A mum with kids would agree that if there are hotspots where these sharks are hanging out, you're going to want to know about it."
It will also provide greater insight into the effects of climate change as the region records the country's longest ever marine heatwave.
"Ocean productivity declines, like it has been doing, in the North Island through the last decade or so and we end up seeing fewer sharks around," Department of Conservation marine scientist Clinton Duffy said.
Duffy said some sharks may head south to colder water and other species of fish, such as kahawai, may become harder to catch.
Scientists say snapper and kingfish may also move to deeper water, and kelp forests could also be affected.
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