We’re excited to share that OCEARCH has been awarded the SeaWorld Conservation Fund Grant, which will directly support our ongoing field research in the western North Atlantic. This partnership marks an incredible boost to our mission of collecting critical scientific data to help return balance and abundance to our ocean.

For more than a decade, OCEARCH has been leading collaborative, multi-institutional expeditions to study large apex predators like white sharks. These expeditions provide open-sourced data to researchers and the public through our Global Shark Tracker app. Between 2012 and 2024, OCEARCH has facilitated research on 95 white sharks as part of the Western North Atlantic white shark project in an effort to better understand the population status, life history, essential habitats and health of white sharks in the North Atlantic Ocean to inform and impact conservation efforts for this species and other North Atlantic shark species.

The study grew to a total of 24 projects supporting the work of 41 primary investigators from 28 different institutions. Successes included:

• Confirmation of the Mid-Atlantic Bight as the Western North Atlantic (WNA) primary nursery for the white shark.
• Documentation of the timing and movement patterns of WNA white sharks, from young-of-year to adult verifying the timing of migration, a coastal range from Atlantic Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and no movements of animals between the Western (North America) and Eastern (Europe, North Africa) North Atlantic
• Substantiation of the tendency of white sharks to preferentially use specific summer feeding areas (either Cape Cod or Atlantic Canada) each year, a behavior known as philopatry.
• Evidence of white sharks near popular swimming beaches from Nova Scotia to Florida, yet few incidents between white sharks and humans.

But as is common in science additional questions emerged or remained unanswered particularly with regard to the white shark diet during their overwintering period in the southeastern US, their reproductive cycle, timing of mating, exposure to toxins and variation in health biomarkers between regions and seasons. This generous grant from the SeaWorld Conservation Fund will help us continue this essential work with a finer focus toward understanding the white shark and other large shark species during this winter residency period, December 1 through May 15 in the Southeastern US.

“A number of large shark species overwinter in the waters from North Carolina to Southern Florida and Cuba, and the Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico) to the Bahamas. ,” says OCEARCH Chief Scientist and Veterinarian, Dr. Harley Newton. “Support from partners like SeaWorld and Busch Gardens allows us to focus on questions specific to this overwintering period from our future home in Jacksonville, Florida.” – Dr. Harley Newton, OCEARCH Chief Scientist and Veterinarian
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As part of our most recent trip in March, we had the honor of tagging and sampling a male white shark, and naming him Dold in recognition of Christopher Dold, Chief Zoological Officer, SeaWorld. Dold has been a long-standing advocate for marine conservation, and this shark now carries his name across the open ocean — a symbol of his commitment to science and ocean health. You can track Dold on the OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker here.

As we continue to deepen our understanding of these apex predators, we’re reminded of the importance of partnerships in ocean conservation. We’re proud to stand alongside SeaWorld as organizations dedicated to preserving marine life through science, education, and public engagement.

With their support, we’re one step closer to a healthier, more balanced ocean — for sharks, for ecosystems, and for future generations. Follow our journey, support the mission, and track the sharks at ocearch.org.