Guadalupe Island Conservation Fund :: Great white shark science in action at Isla Guadalupe

There are very few places on the planet where great white sharks can be studied with relative ease by scientists and also be observed and appreciated by the public. The seasonal population of 140 sharks at Isla Guadalupe is generally recognized as the best place in the world to see and study these magnificent animals. Although white sharks are a protected species, they are still caught and sold commercially. The value of one white shark carcass on the black market can reach over $20,000, an amount that provides an enormous incentive for illegal fishing. Our goal is to assist the Government of Mexico as much as possible to help protect this rare and unique population of sharks. With the daily catch of sharks worldwide estimated at 273,000 animals, the threat to this remote and unique population is real and ominous.

In 2005 one shark was deliberately hooked by private sport fishers right in front of a group of astonished divers. Fortunately, a local film crew was on board one of the dive boats who raced over and managed to scare off the sport fishermen. Though this shark got lucky, there are others that don’t because resources are needed to protect the waters around Isla Guadalupe.

In addition to helping protect Isla Guadalupe from illegal shark fishing, the Guadalupe Island Conservation Fund also provides support to the ongoing CICIMAR-U.C Davis shark research tagging program. Recent tagging data is revealing a previously unknown predator/prey relationship between white sharks and the endemic Guadalupe fur seal population. Since predation by white sharks occur underwater this relationship was unknown until recently. Research such as this will not only help us learn more about white sharks, it will also help protect them.

Read more about this research:
http://biotelemetry.ucdavis.edu/pages/whiteshark_behavior.htm

Grupo Ecología y Conservación de Islas, A.C. and CONANP, the Mexican National Park Service, are collaborating on terrestrial and marine conservation projects to protect the resident great white shark population, as well as the sea birds, marine mammals, and endemic plant species that make Guadalupe Island such a special place.





Shark Science 2000-2007 Research with Marine CSI Research Co-op with CICIMAR and U.C. Davis GICF science in action video Predator Is Prey: Sharks Killed for Fins	Shark science 2000-2007 There are very few places on the planet where great white sharks can be studied with relative ease by scientists and also be observed and appreciated by the public. The seasonal population of 140 sharks at Isla Guadalupe is generally recognized as the best place in the world to see and study these magnificent animals. Although white sharks are a protected species, they are still caught and sold commercially. The value of one white shark carcass on the black market can reach over $20,000, an amount that provides an enormous incentive for illegal fishing. Our goal is to assist the Government of Mexico as much as possible to help protect this rare and unique population of sharks. With the daily catch of sharks worldwide estimated at 273,000 animals, the threat to this remote and unique population is real and ominous. In 2005 one shark was deliberately hooked by private sport fishers right in front of a group of astonished divers. Fortunately, a local film crew was on board one of the dive boats who raced over and managed to scare off the sport fishermen. Though this shark got lucky, there are others that don’t because resources are needed to protect the waters around Isla Guadalupe. In addition to helping protect Isla Guadalupe from illegal shark fishing, the Guadalupe Island Conservation Fund also provides support to the ongoing CICIMAR-U.C Davis shark research tagging program. Recent tagging data is revealing a previously unknown predator/prey relationship between white sharks and the endemic Guadalupe fur seal population. Since predation by white sharks occur underwater this relationship was unknown until recently. Research such as this will not only help us learn more about white sharks, it will also help protect them. Read more about this research: http://biotelemetry.ucdavis.edu/pages/whiteshark_behavior.htm Grupo Ecología y Conservación de Islas, A.C. and CONANP, the Mexican National Park Service, are collaborating on terrestrial and marine conservation projects to protect the resident great white shark population, as well as the sea birds, marine mammals, and endemic plant species that make Guadalupe Island such a special place.	Donate to ongoing White Shark Research Donations will help fund valuable white shark research efforts at Isla Guadalupe. Since 2000, privately funded efforts have supported the collection of critical white shark data.
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Shark science 2000-2007