Annual Reports – Shark Research & Conservation Program (SRC)

2024

In 2024 we tagged 534 sharks, brought more than 1000 students out for hands on experiencing tagging sharks, attended dozens of in-person outreach events to spread the word on shark research and marine conservation, began the development of new curricula in Spanish, and launched a new project on the understudied Atlantic Guitarfish,

2023

In 2023, SRC welcomed our new director Dr. Catherine Macdonald! We published several papers, captured more than 200 sharks, and continued our work establishing Biscayne Bay as an important nursery habitat for several shark species.

2021

SRC was excited to get back into the swing of things in 2021. They ended the year on a high note with 45 research trips tagging 263 sharks from 14 different species. SRC published a record 22 scientific publications, which you can read about by clicking the cover to the left! SRC dedicated themselves to diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating the EmpowerU program to provide research experiences for students from historically marginalized communities. This year was filled with many amazing moments from research to outreach. Check it out by clicking the cover to the left!

2020

2020 was a year like no other by bringing a host of questions, challenges, and stories of perseverance as the world faced a global pandemic. Despite it all, SRC had another fantastic year. SRC started the year by bringing out hundreds of citizen scientists, and sampling and tagging over 200 sharks. SRC worked to develop new and innovative ways of advancing research and engaging the public from online, as well as launching initiatives for diversity, equity, and inclusion within our lab and the community. We are proud of the challenges we overcame for the year, and we look forward to continuing science, outreach, and conservation.

2019

As we look back on 2019, we know that it was another great year. SRC broke several records with 250 days of field research conducted, 1,600 citizen scientists contributed 10,000+ hours of volunteer services, 575 sharks of 19 species sampled, published 13 research papers and over 600 million people worldwide saw and interacted with news and social media about SRC. In addition, SRC also expanded outreach and education to citizen scientists and school children like never before. For more information, click on the photograph to the left to view our annual report.

2018

This past year was incredible. Our team spent more than 100 days on the water in research sites that spanned the globe. We conducted work in the Galapagos, South Africa, the Bahamas, in the waters near our home base of Miami, FL, and, for the first time in years, Florida Bay and the Dry Tortugas. We sampled, tagged and released over 400 sharks of 11 different species. Data generated during these trips helped advance our understanding of the biological drivers, processes, and lives of these important marine predators. Once again, our research made it onto local, national, and international media outlets. Highlights include three original programs on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, which reached tens of millions of viewers globally. Last year we brought more than 1,200 Citizen Scientists out shark tagging, the majority of which were students. For more information, click on the photograph to the left to view our annual report.

2017

This year for SRC was another one for the record books, with almost 100 days of sampling, over 1,100 participants brought on our research trips, and over 450 sharks caught, tagged, and released. Additionally, SRC held a new program, our Summer Research Program, where students from around the country helped us with our research in an intensive field and lab setting. We also had two major media appearances, one with Discovery Family’s Shark Days of Summer, and Discovery Shark Week’s Shark vs. Phelps. Overall, it was a fantastic year full of research and conservation. For more information, click on the photograph to the left to view our annual report.

2016

2016 was another incredible one for SRC. We conducted 80 days of shark surveys at sites across Miami, Palm Beach, Rhode Island and the Bahamas. We tagged 358 sharks over 87 research trips. 27 sharks received satellite tags, where we found some sharks traveled over 10,000 miles! In addition, we launched a new program called FINS (Females in the Natural Sciences), collaborated with Hook & Tackle to recreate our field shirts, and our team was featured on media such as Discovery Channel, NBC, and National Geographic. Take a look at the annual report to see what else is new! For best viewing, save the PDF file to your computer.

2015

This past year was one of our most successful to date. We continued our shark research surveys in Miami, Palm Beach, South Africa and the Bahamas. During 61 days of sampling in Miami, we captured, sampled, and tagged 323 sharks of 12 different species! We also started new shark research projects in Japan, the Galapagos, and Brazil. Our Rescue A Reef program also achieved great things – 8 expeditions, in which 77 citizen scientists out-planted 421 corals, creating 147 meters of new coral reef off Miami. For best viewing, save the PDF file to your computer. If you have Adobe Reader, download the interactive version here with buttons and hyperlinks.

2014

In 2014, the SRC team reached new heights, with a total of 331 sharks tagged and released. We brought over 1,200 citizen scientists, 1000 of who were students, out on research vessels with us to participate in our science, and learn about local conservation issues. They ranged in age from 10 to 73, came from 46 states, 40 countries, and included representatives from 33 schools, community organizations and public corporations. For best viewing, save the PDF file to your computer.

2013

2013 was another exciting year of growth for SRC — 71 research trips catching 363 fish, 38 satellite tags deployed, 1622 shark tagging participants from 51 countries and 45 US states, 4 influential peer-reviewed scientific publications, a video abstract with over 14,200 views, Musingo: a mobile game to benefit oceans, high profile media covered shark conservation stories with SRC, and a new Rescue a Reef coral restoration initiative launched, partnering with Dr. Diego Lirman. Browse through the 2013 Annual Report to learn more! For best viewing, save the PDF file to your computer. If you have Adobe Reader, download the interactive version here with buttons and hyperlinks.

2012

In 2012, the SRC team reached new heights — 10 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 293 sharks tagged, 1443 shark tagging participants representing 57 countries, 15 high school outreach partners, and 8 partnering universities. Innovative Citizen Science™ partnerships began with companies like Oracle, World President’s Organization, Aimia, and Divebar. TOMS Shoes launched a special edition shark shoe to benefit SRC. And Dr. Neil Hammerschlag presented at TED x Miami. Explore this year’s Annual Report for the full scoop.

For best viewing, save the PDF file to your computer. If you have Adobe Reader, download the interactive version here with buttons and hyperlinks.

2011

In 2011, SRC continued its success — 11 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 316 sharks tagged, 913 shark tagging participants representing 40 countries, 7 high school outreach partners, participation in Summit Series at Sea, incredible new sponsors like Wells Fargo and Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund, and worldwide media coverage including Oprah’s O Magazine, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Washington Post, LA Times, Forbes, and many more.

2010

In 2010, SRC emerged onto the world stage, showcasing its unique and impactful marine conservation program. Combining cutting-edge marine research with experiential learning for thousands of high school students proved to be a successful combination. The SRC website provided tens of thousands with virtual learning resources such as a Virtual Expedition for shark tagging, interactive tracking of satellite-tagged sharks, and an accredited high school curriculum in marine conservation science and policy. During the year, SRC conducted 90 total research and educational activities in the field and lab, including 59 shark tagging trips to the Florida Keys.