Photographs From the Field
Updates
Dr. O'Connell Travels to India to Participate in Tiger Conservation - May 2018
Dr. Craig O'Connell is honored to participate in Bengal tiger conservation at Ranthambhore National Park. This is an exciting expedition that may lead to many opportunities in the near future, so stay tuned!
The Greg Norman Company Provides Another Shark Camp Scholarship for 2018! - May 2018
We are beyond proud to announce that Thayden Randazzo is the recipient of the 2018 Greg Norman Company Shark Camp Scholarship! We are so thankful to the Greg Norman Company (www.shark.com) for providing youth with this opportunity and we are so excited to have Thayden participate in our Montauk-based Shark Camp!
SharkProject - Switzerland and Austria Provide Funding to O'Seas for 2018! - March/April 2018
We are honored to once again be supported by the outstanding shark conservation organization, Shark Project (Austria and Switzerland). They will be supporting our white shark nursery work and helping us amp up our activities by funding some pretty incredible research gear! Stay tuned and THANKS SHARK PROJECT!
Baby O'C Has Arrived - February 2018
Dr. Craig O'Connell and Dr. Nikki O'Connell are beyond excited to announce the arrival of their beautiful baby daughter - Charlotte 'Charlie' Bailee O'Connell!!!
Dr. O'Connell is Tikehau Bound to Aid in Shark Conservation - January 2018
Dr. O'Connell is teaming up with CRIOBE to deploy various technologies to assess their effectiveness as shark deterrents in various forms of fishing gear in French Polynesia. If successful, the results may help save 1000's of sharks in this area.
Happy New Year from the O'Seas Team!
We wish everyone the Happiest of Holidays and bright, happy, and productive 2018!
Battie O II Comes Out of the Water - November 2017
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Our team has an exceptional and productive year on the water. We've captured everything from baby dogfish to white sharks and even deployed our first satellite tag. We are so excited to see where our little baby shark "Charlotte" swims to over the next few months!
The O'Seas Team is in Cape Cod for Shark Week 2018 - October 2017
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The team makes it to Cape Cod to work alongside Dr. Greg Skomal and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. It is only day 2 and we have already spotted 11 white sharks! We have 5 more days here and cannot wait to see what happens!
Shark Project Switzerland Collaboration - September 2017
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We are beyond excited to announce that we received a grant from SharkProject Switzerland that will be used to aid in our efforts to study, characterize and conserve the white shark nursery region off of Southern Long Island!
The O'Seas Team is on Location Filming for Shark Week 2018 - September 2017
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We are honored to be participating in Shark Week 2018 with Joe Romeiro and Paul de Gelder. Our mission is pretty intense but with this team, I think we can do just about anything!
Week 4 of Shark Camp - Four Sharks Tagged - August 2017
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Another great week of Shark Camp. We were lucky enough to catch 2 dusky and 2 sandbar sharks, all of which we tagged! So proud of our Shark Campers and we cannot wait for next year!
Week 3 of Shark Camp - New Camp Record - August 2017
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The weeks just keep getting better! This was the girl's week and I have to say, they did quite an amazing job (and may have just shown up the boys!). Not only did they catch a 4ft white shark on a fluke rig, but they also caught an 11ft common thresher shark - a first for Shark Camp and by far the largest shark captured since O'Seas's inception! Congrats girls!
Make-A-Wish - A Week We Will Never Forget - August 2017
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This week we had the honor and privilege to host the most incredible family we've ever met. Beyond being surrounded by bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales, we were lucky enough to capture a juvenile white shark at the end of our week. We were honored to work with Make-A-Wish and thankful for such an enriching expererience.
Week 1 of Shark Camp is a Huge Success - July 2017
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Our goal for this Shark Camp was to see a white shark. It didn't matter if we caught it, saw it on our camera traps, or just saw it swimming by. On our VERY LAST day, we successfully filmed a 6ft white shark on our camera traps and it couldn't have been a better ending to our week-long expedition. Beyond this, we got to see a 10ft smooth hammerhead, catch a blue shark, and swim with sharks at the Long Island Aquarium!
The Shark Week Lineup is Announced - June 2017
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Dr. O'Connell and his team have worked extensively with the Discovery Channell This hard work has translated to three amazing episodes, including Alien Sharks: Stranger Fins, Sharks and the City: New York, and African Shark Safari. By participating in these episodes, the O'Seas Team has successfully invented new shark conservation technologies that may forever change the way we view sharks. Tune in, give us your feedback, and follow your dreams.
Dr. O'Connell Gets Invited to Participate in Shark After Dark
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Dr. O'Connell has agreed to participate in the Shark Week talk show - Shark After Dark! His episode will air at 11pm on Tuesday 7/25 where he will be talking all things shark with Regina Hall, Eli Roth, and Chris Hardwick. Dr. O'Connell is honored to part of this opportunity!
Brady Dolan Wins the Dayan Family Scholarship!
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The Dayan Family has been a long time sponsor of our shark research and youth education initiatives. We are very grateful for their support and beyond happy that this donation could be used to partially support the participation of another 2017 Shark Camp member! Brady Dolan wrote an essay that was wise beyond his years and was a perfect illustration of the bright future that lies ahead of him!
Lamar Kingwood Wins the 2017 Greg Norman Shark Camp Scholarship!
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We released an essay competition as a way to select an excellent candidate to receive our 2017 Greg Norman Shark Camp Scholarship! Lamar sent an essay that just blew our team away and therefore, we were beyond excited to select him for this prestigious scholarship! Congrats Lamar and see you in August!
Greg Norman Sponsors Shark Camp! - April 2017
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Greg Norman is a legend and is also now a sponsor for our Shark Camp! We are beyond grateful for his contribution and will be now opening up a Greg Norman Shark Camp Scholarship for 2017!
Shark Camp is Full! - March 2017
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Our dream is to teach as many youth as possible about sharks! We have moved Shark Camp to Montauk and have successfully filled up the roster for the 2017 season! Please stay tuned to see what we catch this year and also when we open registration for 2018!
Mr Dane Larsen Becomes Part of the O'Seas Team!
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For the past 5-7 years, Dane Larsen has been lending a hand to the O'Seas Team. In addition, Dane has been beyond willing to host Dr. Craig O'Connell on a research expedition in the Bahamas. With all of his expertise, the O'Seas team has added Dane as a Senior Board Advisor! We are beyond grateful to have Dane as part of our team!
O'Seas is Taking Strides Towards Conservation - February 2017
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Against all odds, Dr. O'Connell and his Tasmanian crew successfully deployed and retrieved all three of his new and innovative technologies. Although the search to find each technology took (keeping it a secret - you'll see it on "Alien Shark") nearly 4 hours, we found them nonetheless and the results are better than we could've imagined!
O'Seas is back in Tasmania for Shark Week - January 2017
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After an unbelievable chain of events - Dr. O'Connell traveled back to a new location in Tasmania to conduct further research for "Alien Shark" for Shark Week! This trip was incredible and not only has he invented a new type of scientific technology, but using his baited camera traps - he filmed an incredible and unexpected shark species! Stay Tuned!
O'Seas is in Tasmania for Shark Week - December 2016
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Dr. Craig O'Connell went on an exciting expedition to Tasmania in search of a new Alien Shark species! Stay tuned to Shark Week 2017 to see if we were successful!!
The Battie O II is Winterized - November 2016
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2016 was a long and productive year for our team. We purchased and fell in love with our new research vessel, but unfortunately, it is that time of the year where we have pack it up and winterize it. Regular maintanence work will be done so it is ship-shape and ready to go for 2017!
Shark Camp 2016 is a Wrap - August/September 2016
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Shark Camp took place over two weeks this year and it was an extraordinary success! The boys camp took the prize though as they captured 70 fish in one day! We are very excited by the continued success of this program and therefore, will be doing it in 2017. Stay tuned!
Tim and Craig Take on New York - August/September 2016
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It was an unbelievable couple of weeks! Craig got to film with his older brother Tim for Shark Week 2017! The expedition started in NYC and slowly transitioned to Montauk, NY and the team made some unbelievable scientific breakthroughs. Not only will these breakthroughs be appearing on Shark Week but will also lead to many long and adventurous summers conducting shark research in Montauk, NY!
O'Seas Travels Back to South Africa and Madagascar - July 2016/August 2016
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It has been a summer full of traveling and filming! Craig traveled with Andy Brandy Casagrande to both South Africa and Madagascar and did some groundbreaking work! Stay turned to Shark Week 2017! (Photos Copyright Andy Brandy Casagrande)
Shark Week Shoot in South Africa - June 2016
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Craig got the privilege of working with legendary cinematographer Andy Brandy Casagrande in South Africa! This expedition was absolutely insane and the team accomplished some very novel things for Shark Week 2017! Stay tuned for Jaws in the City (New York Edition)!
O'Seas Travels to Madagascar - May 2016
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This was an expedition of a lifetime. Besides getting intestinal parasites and a huge leg infection, I got to explore three different regions of Madagascar on behalf of Discovery Channel. What exactly we were exploring...I cannot tell you, but it may or may not appear on Shark Week 2017!
Marcella Uchoa Joins the Team! - April 2016
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Marcella has been working with O'Seas for over a year. Due to her unbelievably hard work ethic and love for the marine ecosystem, we had no choice but to add Marcella to our team. We are super excited to have her and cannot wait to see what she accomplishes!
Dr. O'Connell is Sponored by Cressi - March 2016
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Dr. O'Connell has been working on shark conservation projects around the world. To assist with his diving, Cressi USA has sponsored Dr. O'Connell for the 2016/2017 diving season. What an honor, thanks Cressi!
O'Seas is Back in Durban, South Africa - March 2016
Dr. Craig O'Connell had the honor to work alongside Geremy Cliff. This was an exciting opportunity and our team is looking forward to seeing if this results in future collaboration.
Shark Camp 2016 Registration is Open!
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Registration for our exciting Shark Camp is now open! Check out our Shark Camp tab for more information!
Dr. Craig O'Connell is Hosting a Second Shark Week 2016 Episode! - February 2016
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O'Seas staff, Ms. Marcella Uchoa and Mr. Ryan "Caribbean" Reed headed to Bimini to do an exciting film shoot for Discovery Channel Shark Week 2016! We had a very successful shoot filled with sharks - so this is bound to be a great episode! Stay tuned for Shark Week 2016!
O'Seas Buys a New Boat!!! - January 2016
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The Battie O served us well, but we needed a bigger boat for our research. Therefore, we purchased the Battie O II! This is an amazing 26' Glacier Bay Catamaran that is equipped with twin Honda 150hp's! We look forward to seeing what this boat can do!
O'Seas is off to Bimini to Study Great Hammerhead Sharks! - January 2016
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It's that time of the year again - Hammertime! The team is back to Bimini to study the endangered great hammerhead shark!
Dr. Craig O'Connell Heads to Costa Rica for Shark Week 2016! - December 2015
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Dr. O'Connell is hosting another episode for Shark Week! This was an exciting adventure filled with wildlife and discovery! Stay tuned for Jungle Shark 2016 on Shark Week!
O'Seas Preps for a Last Minute Trip to Guadalupe Island - October 2015
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Our team has been asked to go on a last minute trip to Guadalupe Island, an location where Dr. Craig O'Connell's shark research career started to take shape. In just a few weeks, we will be on a massive research expedition on this beautiful island and will have a lot of news to post here so stay tuned.
O'Seas Makes it to Costa Rica! - September 2015
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Our team will be hosting an exciting Shark Week 2016 episode. This episode is going to be an immense challenge, but the beauty of Costa Rica makes it seem as though everything will go smoothly...
More to come in 2016!
Sharksafe Barrier Experimentation Is Complete as Sharks Move Back Inshore - August 2015
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Dr. Sara Andreotti and Mr. Michael Rutzen conducting the field work for the 2015 year, collecting well over 200 hours of footage. The O'Seas team will spend the next few weeks analzying the footage to assess White Shark behavior around kelp forests and the Sharksafe Barrier!
Shark Camp 2015 is a Huge Success - July 2015
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We had an incredible group of kids this year! We did everything from catching fluke to catching and tagging a 4ft Dusky Shark! Beyond this, we made a day trip to the Long Island Aquarium where we got to interact with African Penguins and snorkel with a 3 ft Leopard Shark!
Sharksafe Barrier Experimentation Has Commenced! - June 2015
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Dr. O'Connell is back in the states, but the rest of the Sharksafe Barrier team is conducting the remaining trials on the exclusion capabilities of the Sharksafe barrier on white sharks! This work should be completed in the coming months so stay tuned!
O'Seas had the privilege of going to Reunion Island for Shark Week - May 2015
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O'Seas traveled to Reunion Island to visit and investigate the current shark issue. It was a breathtaking experience and we are very thankful for Discovery Channel and Beyond Productions for inviting us along. Tune into Shark Week (July 12) and watch "Shark Island" - it is going to be an incredible documentary and a whole new look!
O'Seas is Working on the Sharksafe Barrier - April/May 2015
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We are excited to be working on our Sharksafe Barrier research in Gansbaai, South Africa. We are making substantial progress and hope to be completed by the end of July!
O'Seas is Back in South Africa - April 2015
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We were fortunate enough to receive support from Shark Project - Austria to conduct a research expedition to South Africa to help complete our Sharksafe Barrier exclusion research. On our way, we made a stop to the KZN Sharks Board and had to opportunity to meet and work some of the local scientists. What a great opportunity.
O'Seas Travels to Guatemala - March 2015
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O'Seas co-founder, Nikki, has volunteered her time to work in a pediatric clinic in Guatemala for 3 weeks. Thus far, her experiences have been incredible. We look forward for her to return home safe and sound with an abundance of stories and pictures!
O'Seas Says Goodbye to Bimini for 2015 - March 2015
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What an unbelievable 7 weeks! We couldn't have been more fortunate. We were able to complete all of our research objectives and are already looking forward to our Bimini shark expedition in 2016. Thank you to all who participated and assisted!
O'Seas Hosts its First Full Film Shoot in Bimini - March 2015
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O'Seas hosted an international film crew from Earth Touch SA. This was an ubelievable film shoot as I think we accomplished the impossible! Luckily we had weather and the sharks on our side for the entire 17-day film shoot. What an incredible experience. Stay tuned as this episode "Hunting the Hammerheads" will be airing on the Smithsonian Channel in the near future.
Shark Project - Austria Sponsors O'Seas - February 2015
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O'Seas was fortunate enough to meet an incredible group of passionate shark enthusiasts and conservationists from Shark Project - Austria! Due to their passion for shark conservation, they raised funds to help us reach our research-related goals in 2015, such as complete our Sharksafe Barrier research in South Africa. Thank you Shark Project and it was an honor to meet your team! The sharks are lucky to have you!
O'Seas Makes it to Bimini - February 2015
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O'Seas has arrived in Bimini and already has had some incredible days on the water with great friends and great hammerheads!
O'Seas is Prepping for a Bimini Field Expedition - January 2015
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Craig is soon to leave for Bimini with an international team of researchers to study hammerhead foraging behavior and growth rates, and to understand the behavior of certain shark species to strong electric fields.
OCF Is Super Excited to Announce That We Have Been Funded by National Geographic - December 2014
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Dr. Craig O'Connell is leading an expedition to Bimini, Bahamas in February and March where he will be conducted a novel experiment on the endangered great hammerhead shark. We are beyond excited to announce that National Geographic will be sponsoring this research!
OCF Has Established a Collaboration with Shark Project - Austria! - December 2014
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Shark Project - Austria is a comprised of a team of dedicated shark advocates who spend a substantial amount of time educating the planet about shark conservation. Luckly, OCF had the privilege of being introducted to these passionate individuals and they will be funding some of our 2015 activities. We couldn't be any more excited about this collaboration!
OCF Publishes Bull Shark Research in Global Ecology and Conservation – November 2014
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Dr. Craig O’Connell completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in May 2014. This publication is the result of this fellowship and demonstrates how the Sharksafe Barrier can effectively exclude bull sharks from bait. Further, the use of an ARIS camera illustrated how the barrier can also exclude bull sharks from live prey.
The Sun Sets on the 2014 Summer Sampling Season – October 2014
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Our crew had an unbelievable research season and we are looking forward to 2015. Besides capturing eleven different species of elasmobranch, we took a substantial number of 6th-12th grade students on our vessel to participate in the research. Therefore, we would like to thank everybody that helped to make this NPO a reality. We will not only have a substantial impact on shark conservation, but will also inspire the minds of our environmentally conscious youth towards successful futures.
OCF Tags a 7 ft White Shark! - September 2014
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An unbelievable day on the water. It started out a bit on the rough side but myself and project assistant, Caroline Collatos decided to stick it out and set some longlines. Upon pulling up our first longline, a massive white shark was on the other end. We successfully brought the shark to the side of the boat, tagged it, completely removed the hook and safely released the animal. Although we have seen several white sharks this summer, this is the first we've successfully sampled and hopefully the start of a very successful shark research program!
OCF Interviewed By New Channel 12 - August 2014
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We are proud to announce that New Channel 12 Long Island interviewed us about our summer shark research and youth education program. This was a very excited experience for us and our Jr. Mate, Wayne DeRosa, Jr did such a great job! Thank you news Channel 12.
OCF Takes Four MAST Students Out On A Successful Shark Research Expedition - August 2014
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OCF gave MAST Academy students an essay competition and the students who wrote the four best essays were selected for a free shark research expedition. We stayed inshore and captured 11 clearnose skates, 2 smooth-hound dogfish, and a sea robin. We were even lucky enough to tag some fluke and black sea bass! What a great day!
OCF Spends The Day With Family - August 2014
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OCF had an unbelievable day out on the water with our family. We not only caught a few keeper fluke and bluefish, but set a few longlines and captured 15 smooth-hound dogfish, 1 clearnose skate, and 1 sea robin.
OCF Tags Their First Shark of 2014 - August 2014
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Our first tagged shark was a 4.5 ft sandbar shark. Over the past few weeks we have seen great white, shortfin makos, and hammerhead sharks in our study location. We are in hopes that we can commence tagging some of these animals, but the common thresher still remains elusive.
OCF is Back in South Africa Working on the Sharksafe Barrier - July 2014
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We are happy to be back in South Africa to build the remaining parts of the Sharksafe Barrier for our Phase III experiment. We are working extensively with Shark Diving Unlimited and Stellenbosch University and have made substantial progress so far.
OCF Launches The Battie O - June 2014
June 2014
Nikki and I are excited to announce that the Battie O has been serviced and launched to start our shark research and youth education platform for the summer of 2014. We envision many good times on the way! Thanks PADI Foundation, Wave Foundation, and our families for making this possible! O yeah, and thanks Nikki for letting me buy the boat!
OCF Makes it to South Africa
May 2014
OCF is back on site in Gansbaai, South Africa with Shark Diving Unlimited and Stellenbosch University where we are furthering our testing on the Sharksafe Barrier, as well as, conducting a novel and very interesting study... This work is funded by TIA Seed Funds! We will have more information up shortly.
OCF Teaches at MAST Academy-April 2014
April 2014
OCF guest lectured to freshman-junior high school students of MAST Academy. What an honor! It was a great sign to see how motivated and passionate these students were!
OCF Receives Grant from the WAVE Foundation-March 2014
March 2014
The WAVE Foundation has provided funding to OCF to conduct its shark research and youth education programs this summer.
OCF Receives Grant from PADI Foundation-March 2014
March 2014
The PADI Foundation has provided funding to OCF to conduct its NY/NJ shark research program this summer.
OCF Takes Part In Shark Week Shoot-February 2014
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Craig shared his shark electroreception experience with the Discovery Channel! This segment will air on Shark Week 2014.
OCF Conducts First Exclusion Study on the Sharksafe Barrier-February 2014
February 2014
Craig traveled to Bimini, Bahamas to conduct research on the Sharksafe Barrier. Bull sharks were the focal species and results are promising. We would like to thank Bimini Bull Run, the Bimini Biological Field Station, Bimini Big Game Club, and Bimini Sands Resort and Marina for assisting us with this work
OCF Was Recently Granted a Research Permit By the S. African Government-January 2014
January 2014
OCF team members have been working on a long-term conservation project in S. Africa and are delighted to find out that the S. African Government has granted a research permit to continue this exciting work.
OCF Gets First Manuscript Published: Bull Sharks-December 2013
October 2013
For the past few years, Craig has been assessing the effects of permanent magnets on on bull shark behavior. This work was published in the Journal of Ocean and Coastal Management. We would like to thank all that helped us with this project.
Snowy Owls Invade New York Coastline-November 2013
December 2013
A somewhat cyclical event, snowy owls head south where they can be found along the coastline of the northeast US. OCF went out to take advantage of this photographic opportunity and was lucky enough to spot at least 7 different owls in one day!
Spiny Dogfish Sampling in New Jersey-November 2013
March 15, 2013
The team went out on the 68ft MV "Steel Leader" and had a successful fishing ttrip. In the spand of 2 hours, 28 dogfish were captured.
The Bahamas Grants Us Permission to Continue Our Shark Research-October 2013
April 22, 2013
OCF has been granted permission to conduct scientific research in Bahamian waters from 2013-2014.
© 2013 by O'Seas Conservation Foundation.