WORKING TO ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR APEX PREDATORS
Our Mission
Our research focuses on the sustainability and conservation of sharks and their relatives in both the coastal and offshore environments. No matter where they are found, sharks are apex predators keeping prey populations balanced by regulating species abundance, distribution, and diversity. This impact resonates throughout ecosystems and human communities alike, affecting the health of marine habitats and the economies they support. Sharks even play a role in mitigating climate change. Despite their importance and 450 million years of evolutionary history, sharks are some of the most threatened animals on our planet, due to decades of overfishing, habitat loss, climate change, and pollution. The complex and interdependent nature of the current and emerging challenges facing the oceans requires an integrated approach to developing effective solutions. Using cutting-edge technologies, education, and action, we create innovative ways to help these apex predators.
But….we need your help! Your support plays an invaluable role in the future of healthy oceans and the marine life we humans depend on. Your tax-deductible donation to our research program will go directly to fund projects supporting the sustainability of the most vulnerable species. This is a great way to have a direct impact on conserving these beautiful and critical animals. In addition, these funds are used to help support undergraduate and graduate student research experiences, which helps to empower the next generation of marine scientists.
Here are some examples of what your donation can provide:
Sponsor a shark: $250
Every shark is unique. Shark sponsors will receive playing card with their shark’s information- length, weight, sex, picture, etc. Those data will also be available on our Shark Sponsor page, along with the sponsor’s name. Sponsors that want to additionally support an acoustic or satellite tag will receive updates about their shark’s movements and behaviors from the tagging data.
Acoustic Tags: $500
Deployment of acoustic tags are critical to our research. Radio signals can’t travel underwater, so it’s hard to know where a shark is when it’s not at the surface. Acoustic tags emit a uniquely coded sound signature that can be recorded and decoded by underwater listening stations (receivers). Whether externally attached to internally implanted in a shark, acoustic tags allow us to track their fine scale movements along our coastal waters. The tags can last up to 10 years and provide critical value as to when sharks visit certain areas, what species they are and how often.
Research expedition costs: $500-$50,000
In the BFL we have a dynamic toolbox of skills to innovate and adapt in response to emerging issues. Our expertise takes us from the local waters off the Oregon coast and across the globe- like the waters of Ireland, Mexico, Africa, the Caribbean and beyond. Depending on location and the project, project costs can range from only the fuel used to catch Soupfin sharks near Newport ($500) to a month-long expedition tracking 10m long Basking shark in Ireland - where flight, accommodations, food and vessel charters are required ($50,000).
Finmount Satellite Tags: $1,500
Finmount tags allow us to track or follow sharks in real-time as they navigate the world’s oceans. These tags are equipped with a wet dry sensor, which places the tag in stand-by mode when the shark is under water. When the dorsal fin breaks the water surface, the wet dry sensor turns the tag into transmit mode and a signal indicating the shark’s location is transmitted to passing satellites. These tags are detectable over broad geographic areas and allows these shark movements to be tracked by anyone at any time.
Acoustic Receiver: $2,500
Acoustic tags require an acoustic receiver, or network of receivers, to decode their acoustic signal. When a tagged shark comes within 1,000 meters of an acoustic receiver, the individual tag information (date and time) is stored on the receiver. We then download these data (typically four times a year) and analyze the data for tagged individuals. The data allow us to determine exactly which tagged animal was present and where and when it was detected. These receivers can also detect other acoustic tags (not just sharks!) to provide critical information for other research on salmon, rockfish, sturgeon, etc.
The Pop-up Satellite Archival Tag (or PSAT): $3,000
The Pop-up Satellite Archival Tag (or PSAT) are tags that are programmed to collect depth, water temperature, and geolocation data for up to a year when attached to a shark or other charismatic marine animal. After data collection is complete, these tags detach from the shark, float to the surface and transmit data to the Argos satellite system where we then collect the data. These tags help us to understand shark movements and overlap with human use, and to identify important habitats and how climate change may be influencing them.
Biologging Camera Tag: $10,000
Biologging tags are like Fitbits for sharks. Sharks spend most of their time underwater and inaccessible to direct observation. So, while we can’t necessarily go along with them, biologging tags can. Biologging tags collect 3-dimensional inertial data from the animals, recording their movements, behaviors, energetics and more for up to 2 weeks. Plus, these tags record up to 10hrs of HD video. So, not only can the data tell us about what the shark is doing, it can also tell us why it’s doing it, who it’s doing it with. Biologging tags have to be recovered but can be re-used over and over again, amplifying the impact of your donation.
Undergraduate and Graduate student scholarships
Undergraduate and graduate students are critical to our mission as we believe the involvement of students is not only essential in advancing our understanding of these charismatic species, but it also provides a foundation for the training of future marine scientists. We also believe opportunities in marine science should be equally accessible to all students. Student scholarships are critical for supporting student opportunities. Support of undergraduate students over the summer is approximately $7,500 per student, while graduate students are $58,000 per year.
Vessel Donations
We are always looking for partners to assist in our research by donating their vessel time (or charter fees), bait, chum, and operating as a research conduit. Here owners/captains get a front row seat by taking us out to specific research locations to catch, tag, and release sharks and other charismatic species. To learn more about this process, please contact Dr. Taylor Chapple.
