How OCEARCH Gives Our Oceans a Lifeline

Alexios, a whale shark weighing in at a whopping 1325 kg, can be found swimming right next to the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia at the moment. Junonia, a 3 ft. 7 in. loggerhead sea turtle, can probably be seen getting ready for nesting season along the coast of Cape Coral, Florida. And Hali, a 697 lbs. white shark named after Halifax, Nova Scotia, is in the process of migrating North along the Georgia coast.

We know this information about these unique animals because of an organization’s deep commitment to advancing scientific inquiry and problem-solving techniques to help some of the planet’s most vulnerable sea life. That organization, OCEARCH, built an interactive, accessible, and open-sourced TRACKER, a program designed to pinpoint the specific locations of the sea creatures tagged by the org. 

And while it’s fun and engaging for those of us with practically no scientific background what and where these creatures are, the tool ultimately provides researchers in the field with vital behavioral and migratory information. This information matters when considering how different marine life are moving, what adjustments different creatures are making to their migration habits, and, probably most importantly, how different sea life are adapting to the consequences of climate change.

Founded by Kentuckian Chris Fischer, OCEARCH has developed and adopted cutting-edge strategies that focus on pragmatic, forward-thinking sea conservation. And through his leadership, he has been able to disrupt the field of oceanic research by presenting data-backed solutions to real-world problems.

From Catching Frogs to Collecting Data

Chris Fischer’s future was always going to have something to do with marine life. Born in Louisville, Fischer would foster a deep-seeded curiosity and passion for learning about fish, frogs, and waterways all around the state. After moving away to complete an undergraduate degree from Indiana University, he blended his talents in leadership, scientific research, sea exploration, and entertainment to create the Emmy Award-winning show “Offshore Adventures.”  From 2001 to 2009, Fischer garnered accolades for his program as he shined a light on the increasing vulnerabilities of different sea life and their ecosystems. 

In 2007, he founded the organization that would define his leadership in ocean conservation: OCEARCH. While it remains dedicated to understanding the increasing endangerment and vulnerability of great white sharks, the organization has shaped scientific research endeavors across a number of other channels. 

Centrally, “OCEARCH is a data-centric organization built to help scientists collect previously unattainable data in the ocean while open sourcing our research and explorations. Open sourcing and inclusion at every level, and in real-time, allows the world to participate in our projects while being aware of the developing science.” By integrating methods used by commercial fishermen and academic marine life researchers, OCEARCH is uniquely equipped to dive into many of the problems that sharks – and by extension our oceans – face today.

Courtesy of OCEARCH

OCEARCH teams collect and analyze information that focuses on shark migration patterns, their diets, how they are reproducing and at what rate, their genetic makeup, and how ocean pollutants are affecting them. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the organization has been able to bring in more than 200 researchers, tag and monitor over 400 marine life, and publish 54 peer-reviewed articles.

Just recently, USA Today reported that one of OCEARCH’s tracked great white sharks, Ironside, had been located off the shore of one of New Jersey’s beaches. Because of innovative data collection, biological sample testing, and tracking technology, Ocearch is able to understand better how the ocean’s apex predators are adapting to a constantly changing world. The testing, the results, and the ongoing monitoring of these creatures influences the ways that scientists are able to approach their research from new perspectives. As a result, the open-source information that OCEARCH’s TRACKER presents will ultimately affect ongoing research methods in the field.

Studying a Changing Climate, Serving a Changing World

Courtesy of OCEARCH

It’s no secret now that ocean ecosystems are undergoing massive and deeply consequential changes. From rising ocean temperatures linked to increasing greenhouse gasses that humans continue to generate to the billions of pounds of garbage that get dumped into bodies of water across the planet, marine life and ocean ecosystems are experiencing unprecedented levels of devastation. And as this ecological destruction begins to affect all aspects of marine life and vegetation, food cycles, climate currents, and rising sea levels are all affecting our earth in different ways. OCEARCH isn’t really focused on solving all of these problems. But its central mission – “to accelerate our oceans’ return to balance and abundance” – promotes a deeper understanding of how ocean wildlife is adapting or, more often, failing to adapt to these human-caused problems. 

As a conservation-focused organization, OCEARCH is dedicated to both scientific research that observes and predicts the changes on our ocean environments. It also supports educational initiatives, namely in its STEM lesson plans, that aim to prepare the next generation of student leaders with exploratory, creative, and practical problem-solving skills. For grades K-8, students are able to engage in topics that cover ocean physics, biodiversity, shark anatomy, marine life, food webs, and ocean pollution. These subjects can be used by teachers as standalone lesson plans or supplemental to existing class instruction.

On May 16, Chris Fischer will join Peter Schikler at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in a conversation that will focus on how OCEARCH continues to offer innovative solutions to our oceans’ most important problems. Shickler, a fellow Kentuckian who serves as Senior Counsel for New York City Law Department’s Environmental Law Division, represents New York in areas that include sustainability, land and sea use regulations, and compliance with environmental review. Join us as Chris Fischer and Peter Schikler discuss the ways that we can save our oceans.