###### Abstract  
Understanding space use and movement behavior can benefit conservation and management of species by identifying areas of high importance. However, this can be challenging for highly mobile species, especially those which use a wide range of habitats across ontogeny. The Bahamas is hypothesized to be an important area for tiger sharks, but the utility of the area for this species within the broader western North Atlantic is not fully understood. Therefore, we assessed (1) whether the area near Bimini serves as an important pumping location for tiger sharks, (2) their level of residency and site fidelity to the area, and (3) regional dispersal across ontogeny. Frequent captures of young-of-year tiger sharks, as well as ultrasonography showing near-term and recently postpartum females supports the hypothesis that pumping occurs in the area. However, small juveniles had low overall recapture rates and sparse acoustic detections near Bimini, indicating they do not reside in the area for long or may suffer high natural mortality. Large juvenile and sexually mature tiger sharks had higher overall local residency, which increased during cooler water winter months. The probability of dispersal from Bimini increased for larger individuals. Repeated, long-term site fidelity was displayed by some mature females, with several returning to Bimini across multiple years. Satellite tracking showed that tiger sharks extensively used areas outside of The Bahamas, including traveling more than 12,000 km. Together, these results show that Bimini is an important area for tiger sharks, serving as a pupping ground, rather than a nursery ground, a finding which could be incorporated into future conservation and management efforts. s 2022  
upon greatest potential conservation benefit [8]. For example, areas used for reproduction can be especially important, as these areas have a disproportionately large influence on the early life history of elasmobranch species [9]. Some species use well-delineated pumping and nursery grounds for the first few years of their life, such as lemon sharks, _Negaprion breiviostris_[10], and sandbar sharks, _Carcharinus plumbens_[11]. However, oceanic species, such as blue sharks, _Prionace glauca_, may use large spatial areas during the juvenile stage, making the delineation of pumping or nursery grounds challenging [12]. In addition, habitat selection, space use, and movement behavior can change with ontogeny [11]. Therefore, studying movement patterns across extended periods of time and age classes can be used to more accurately ascertain the extent to which important areas, such as pumping and nursery grounds, are used by highly mobile species. Monitoring pumping and nursery grounds and understanding dispersal from them can improve stock assessments, inform abundance surveys, and help maximize area-specific conservation efforts [3]. [PERSON] et al. [13] proposed guidelines for characterizing elasmobranch nursery grounds as areas in which three criteria are documented for newborn and young-of-year individuals; (1) there is higher relative abundance than elsewhere; (2) individuals remain in the area over extended periods of time; and (3) the area is used across multiple years or cohorts. In comparison, pumping grounds are differentiated from nursery grounds in that these areas meet criteria 1 and 3, but individuals disperse soon after birth and do not remain in the area for long [9]. These metrics have been used to improve the designation of pumping and nursery grounds for several species of elasmobranchs [14; 15; 16]. Tiger sharks, _Galeocardo cavier_ ([PERSON], 1822), are large-bodied sharks, commonly found in tropical and temperate marine systems, with a circumglobal distribution [17]. Given their wide distribution, previous research has focused on their role as high-level predators in marine systems [18; 19; 20] and their movement ecology [21; 22]. While traditionally considered nearshore species, data show they also frequently use oceanic areas [23].