OCEARCH enables the brightest scientists in the world by giving them approximately 15 minutes of access to live, mature great white sharks (and other species) to conduct up to 12-14 different studies including tagging and sampling. OCEARCH captures mature sharks that can range between 2,000 and 5,000 pounds on average, maneuvers them onto a 75,000 lb. custom lift, then releases the shark after researchers have completed their 15 minutes of work. The shark is guided by hand in the water on and off the lift. See an example from start to finish: great white shark Lydia. OCEARCH is a leader in collaborative open source research, sharing scientific data and dynamic education content in near-real time for free to the public through the Global Shark Tracker, enabling students and the public to learn alongside PhDs.

Global conservation and public safety requires data that does not currently exist.

There are approximately 40 research papers currently in preparation or completed based on OCEARCH expeditions and resulting studies. The studies, upon publishing, become a basis for enabling informed policy and management decisions.

A STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) Curriculum has been developed for OCEARCH by Landry’s, using the Global Shark Tracker as a learning tool for teaching an extensive range of lesson plans ranging from Geography to Physics. See an example of OCEARCH visiting a school here: Kids Sharks and OCEARCH

30 lesson plans for grade 6-8 are rolling out in the fall of 2013. The curriculum will eventually expand to K-12 and then pre-K.

Through a multi-year partnership, Caterpillar enables the MV OCEARCH to execute expeditions anywhere in the world that scientists have a need for access to mature marine apex predators to fill knowledge gaps. The M/V OCEARCH vessel is powered by 5 Caterpillar engines including two Cat 3412 mains and three Cat (4.4, 6.6) generators.

An Apex Predator is a top predator in the food web. As top predators, great white sharks are the lions of the sea. They help maintain ecosystem balance. To remove top predators would result in disrupting the delicate balance of the food web.

Scientific data from blood obtained from sharks on the lift show that they are minimally stressed compared to other shark species caught using other methods. Data from the accelerometers show that the animals regularly recover and start swimming strongly within 2-4 hours after release. Data from the Global Shark Tracker provides strong evidence that the animals tagged using this method show long-term survival and long-distance migrations indicative of normal function and reproductive cycles.

While this tagging method, which has been used on sharks and other species for over a half century may cause some level of brief discomfort, there is no evidence that it impacts their behavior or survival post-release.

There is no evidence that tags impact behavior or survival post-release. White sharks commonly endure substantial injuries in their day-to-day lives from interacting with large prey and other sharks. Many sharks we encounter have misshapen fins and body scars indicating serious injuries from other animals in the wild.

Data from the accelerometers show that the animals recover and start swimming strongly within 2-4 hours after release. Data from the Global Shark Tracker provides strong evidence that the animals tagged using this method show long-term survival and long-distance migrations indicative of normal function and reproductive cycles.

There is no way to study the movements of an untagged shark. Some sharks leave the area but other sharks stay nearby for extended periods after tagging. Data from the Global Shark Tracker shows that these animals will frequently switch from a pattern of relatively restricted movement to long-distance migrations repeatedly, even without a tagging event….

Two to 10, possibly up to fourteen.

Total length: 135-151 cm or 4.4-5.0 ft.

The tagging, handling and sampling procedures employed during the expedition follow the standards of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC.org) of each institution, which are made up of scientists and veterinarians.

No, the technologies and methods used represent the least invasive means of obtaining the data necessary to fill knowledge gaps regarding mature (large) sharks. The majority of studies conducted on each shark could not be conducted on a free-swimming shark.

Sharks each have their own habits in terms of how much time they spend at the surface. For example, depth data from Mary Lee's accelerometer showed she spent about 8.62 minutes per hour near the surface in the first few hours after release. Genie spent 0.45 min/hr near the surface, and Lydia spent 4.85 min/hr near the surface. That behavior held up over time, if you look at the Tracker you can see Mary Lee’s significant surface time (where satellites could pick up her transmitter) versus Genie who spends far less time on the surface.

New evidence indicates that white sharks live more than 70 years in the North Atlantic.

The data is shared in an open source environment with collaborating institutions who utilize it to conduct studies that are eventually published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The papers, which can take 2-5 years to publish, are utilized to assist in policy decisions. The data is also shared with all PhD candidates who request it.

No we have no current plans for series TV. We are instead sharing with the world in near-real time.

The SPOT tag wet/dry switch needs to be dry for a minimum of 90 seconds during which 3 consecutive pings must occur to get an accurate geo-position.

Mid to late 20’s.

The diet of white sharks up until 3 meters in length is dominated by fish, after which they go through a dietary shift to larger prey including marine mammals such as seals, sea lions and whale carcasses.

'Class Z' indicates that the shark reported in, but did not surface long enough to obtain a location.