Help us to understand shark movements and behaviour!

Local eco-tour operators can contribute to important scientific research for long-term population monitoring of elasmobranchs in Irish waters. 

Recreational catch & release angling and recreational diving can have many scientific benefits, if 'Best Practices' are followed as un-regulated eco-tourism has been shown to have negative impacts on sharks.  Catch & release, albeit non-lethal, raises concerns for animal welfare. Sharks that are badly mis-handled while being caught by sea anglers may suffer injuries that can impair their foraging efficiency and leave them vulnerable to disease and predation by larger sharks.

Research on the impacts of catch & release angling has highlighted the need for "Best Practice" and to collect data to address specific questions in a methodological manner, where research questions, rather than the pressure to please anglers, determine which sharks are landed on-board for measurement and tagging. Long fights using weak lines can lead to sharks becoming exhausted and needing longer to physically recover from being removed from the water. 

Sea angling and diving charters vessels collectively spend more time at sea, with greater frequency than any research vessel could hope to cover in a particular season. With special training, and suitable recording equipment, divers, guides and anglers on charter vessels can contribute important data to help with the long-term monitoring of shark populations.

SHARE YOUR RECORDS TODAY!

- Reporting to the Observers App: Citizen scientists can log marine megafauna through the OBSERVERS APP or send records with images to us via email to observersapp@gmail.com.

- Reporting to our website: You can also log marine megafauna observations, strandings and entanglements directly via our website.

- Hosting Researchers: Eco-tour operators and skippers who host ORCA IRELAND Observers on-board usually find that the extra place taken up on the vessel is more than compensated for by the knowledge they can share with guests about the ecology species encountered while at sea. This model has worked well in the Gulf of Maine, U.S.A. and the Antarctic, among other places where data collected on board whale watching vessels has contributed to peer-reviewed studies that aid conservation efforts. 

ETHICS IN SCIENCE:

ORCA Ireland's core task is to ensure a high standard of ethics in science within the association at all times. This includes considering the welfare of individual cetaceans and sharks, and of their populations as a whole. Therefore, any research conducted by ORCA Ireland is critically monitored for its non-invasive and non-lethal character with application of a carefully designed precautionary approach. We use non-invasive methodologies to monitor cetaceans with highly original and innovative research studies such as the Observers App, Flukes Follow Project and Smart Whale Sounds, to which we hold intellectual property rights under Irish Law. Sharks are studied on a strictly non-lethal catch & release basis and all precautions are taken to ensure limited time is spent with the animal on-board to reduce stress and ensure welfare best practices are adhered to.