Welcome to the Chapple Big Fish Lab
In the Chapple Big Fish Lab, we study sharks and other large marine predators around the world focusing on their movements, behaviors and population dynamics. From South Africa to Australia to California, using state-of-the-art technology and techniques, we sample and electronically tag animals to gain insights into their lives when we aren’t there to observe them. In Oregon, we leverage partnerships with industry, management, science and local communities to study the sharks off our coasts to better understand the roles these animals play in our marine ecosystems and economies. Relatively little is known about how sharks affect our coastal ecosystems and communities in the Pacific Northwest, but here in the Chapple Big Fish Lab, we are changing that.
Did you know?
The Pacific Northwest is home to at least 15 species of sharks?! They range in size from the Brown Catshark (~2.2 ft or 65cm) to the Basking shark (>30 ft or 10m), with lots of sharks in between. To learn more about the sharks of the PNW visit our Sharks of Oregon page and explore the different species off our coast.
Shark Sighting in Oregon or Washington?
Tell us all about it on our Shark Sighting page to help us better understand when and where sharks are along the PNW coasts.
Chapple Big Fish Lab DEI Statement
In the Chapple Big Fish Lab we acknowledge there are systemic barriers and inequality in STEM fields- especially in shark science- and are committed to increasing representation of historically underrepresented groups in science. We are committed to inclusivity and strive to make access to research, opportunity and experience more equitable. We value diverse thought, experience, preferences and skills and feel we are stronger and more powerful as an inclusive community. We also acknowledge that we still do not fully understand the impact of historic and systematic inequality and as a lab we continue to actively evolve and work to fully represent the diversity of the broader global community.
As a largely field-based lab, we appreciate that field work can be intimidating and unwelcoming and we strive to create safe and accessible work space for all. We also participate in the FieldSafe program at OSU, to ensure that field work is safe to people of all identities.
Our Specific Actions
- We acknowledge the diverse cultural context of our work and integrate various types of knowledge and value in our interpretations and presentations
- We strive to offer opportunities to recruit and mentor students from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
- We use science communication to make science and research more accessible to people of all abilities Learn more about our ORSEA and OCEANTRACKS curriculum.
Who are we?
You can also see our team of scientists and students on our People page.
What do we do?
Want to know more about the research that we do in the BFL? If so, check out our Research page or follow us on Social Media.
In the News
“As a community, we’re trying to step away from the sensationalized side of it, so we try to call them white sharks as opposed to great whites,” said Taylor Chapple, associate professor at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science...
Oregon State University shark researcher Jess Schulte grabs a fishing hook about as big as her palm. She calls out to undergraduate intern Deven Guerrero, who’s elbow deep in the bait bucket at the back of the boat. “Can I trade you for a...
The director of the lab, Dr. Taylor Chapple, said they are tracking the movements and physiology of large predators in our oceans. What they want to find out is why these sharks are in the bay.
The Big Fish Fest shark dissection event returns Sept. 5 at the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts. “This year’s event will be occurring on the 50th anniversary of Jaws, and our goal is to shed light on the importance of sharks...
The summer wind picks up on the beach along Hammersley Inlet. Graduate students from Oregon State University’s Big Fish Lab and undergraduate students from Seattle University tie herring, cod and squid onto hooks and cast the lines. Then, they...
Did you know...
Despite a marked sexual segregation between populations tagging data has indicated that the Salmon sharks (Lamna ditropis) migrate between subartic and subtropical regions in the Pacific and have dramatic vertical movements within the water column as well
(Weng et al., 2005)
The Dwarf Lantern shark (Etmopterus perryi) earns its name by its ability to "glow" using photophores, organs that can emit light, along the bottom of its body. Their light up belly serves dual purposes, when in deeper waters with low light their belly will attract prey but in shallower, lighter waters the belly acts as camoflauge to hide them from the predators beneath them
(Smithosian Institute )
Not all sharks need to "just keep swimming"! Some sharks use buccal pumping to pass water over their gills to ensure that they continue to recieve oxygen while lying on the ocean floor.
(Butler and Metcalfe, 1988)
Some of our partners
- University of California, Santa Cruz
- NOAA, NWFSC
- NOAA, SWFSC
- Virginia Tech
- Ireland Basking Shark Groups
- Arizona State University