Shark Research Foundation

08/28/2026

New Research📑🚨and this is all about big whales, tiny prey, and a rare glimpse into feeding behavior. 🐋👀

Congrats to lead researcher ben.dantonio with first author and field and funding expedition support from oceanx

Go check out the full paper on our website!

🔗: https://sharkresearch.org/Research/

08/25/2026

Looking for a fun, engaging, and educational activity for kids? 🦈⚡️Check out the Ampullae of Lorenzini Box!

This hands-on activity helps kids explore how ocean animals interact with their environment and how different biological systems connect to one another.

And here’s the cool part: sharks don’t actually have magnets in their noses! 🧲 Their Ampullae of Lorenzini allow them to detect tiny electrical fields in the water—including the electrical fields produced by other animals. A magnet is simply a fun way to visualize the idea of detecting an “electrical pull”!

Want to see more fun ocean science activities like this? 🌊 Let us know in the comments what you’d love to learn about or turn into a hands-on activity!

08/16/2026

08/16/2026

SRF’s Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, in collaboration with the Atlantic Shark Expeditions ⏐ Nova Scotia team, has satellite-tagged a 10-foot male great white shark off the southwest coast of Nova Scotia!
This remarkable shark was adopted and named “Rocky” by Rock The Ocean 🌊 through a donation, although some may also know him as “Mystic.”

Rocky was first encountered and satellite-tagged by our team one year ago. The tag tracked his movements for six months, including his migration all the way to the coast of Florida, before detaching.

Now, nearly eight months after his tag stopped transmitting, Rocky has returned to Nova Scotia. He was resighted in healthy condition, allowing Dr. Neil to satellite-tag him for a second time.

Tracking Rocky across consecutive years will provide a rare opportunity to investigate whether he follows similar movement and migration patterns from one year to the next. Stay tuned to see where Rocky goes next!

Research authorized under Species at Risk Permit DFO-MAR-2026-08a

Photo: Magdeline Dunn

08/16/2026

SRF’s Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, in collaboration with the Atlantic Shark Expeditions team, has satellite-tagged a 10-foot male great white shark off the southwest coast of Nova Scotia!
This remarkable shark was adopted and named “Rocky” by Rock The Ocean through a donation, although some may also know him as “Mystic.”

Rocky was first encountered and satellite-tagged by our team one year ago. The tag tracked his movements for six months, including his migration all the way to the coast of Florida, before detaching.

Now, nearly eight months after his tag stopped transmitting, Rocky has returned to Nova Scotia. He was resighted in healthy condition, allowing Dr. Neil to satellite-tag him for a second time.

Tracking Rocky across consecutive years will provide a rare opportunity to investigate whether he follows similar movement and migration patterns from one year to the next. Stay tuned to see where Rocky goes next!

Research authorized under Species at Risk Permit: DFO-MAR-2026-08a

Photo: Magdeline Dunn

08/14/2026

What if we could learn more about sharks by disturbing them less? 🧐

Our founder drneilhammer has utilized technology previously used on whales to deploy satellite tags on free-swimming white sharks—without capturing or restraining them first! 🦈

💡Innovations like this helps scientists collect valuable movement data while placing greater emphasis on animal welfare. It’s an exciting example of how technology continues to improve the way we study and conserve sharks.

🎬This research was also highlighted during sharkweek, giving millions of viewers a glimpse into the future of shark science.

📑This is the newest publication found on our website, “Implementation of an air-powered tagging technique for free-swimming sharks with satellite-linked transmitters” Hammerschlag & Mckenna, 2026.

👏🏼Well done team!!

🔗: https://sharkresearch.org/Research/

08/11/2026

Biopsy sample of a free swimming great white shark! Neil Hammerschlag and our collaborators at Atlantic Shark Expeditions successfully collected a biopsy punch from a free swimming great white shark using a pole with a biopsy tip - a first for the team. This sample will be used to test for toxins and other chemicals in the sharks.

08/04/2026

What if we could learn more about sharks by disturbing them less?🦈

A new study demonstrates a less-invasive way to deploy satellite tags on free-swimming white sharks—without capturing or restraining them first. This tagging technique was adapted from tagging whales and was modified for sharks by Dr. Neil Hammerschlag

This research was also highlighted during Shark Week , giving millions of viewers a glimpse into the future of shark science!!

Stay tuned for the research breakdown on this incredible method!

07/30/2026

Our annual great white shark survey off southwest Nova Scotia is well underway. Last week we had a unique encounter with a tagged shark. The tag is no longer functional and has some marine growth on it. With the help of Megan Winton from our colleagues at the Atlantic White Shark Conservacy we were able to positively ID the shark as Aimee P - an 11 ft female originally tagged off the coast of North Carolina by our collaborators Sulikowski Shark and Fish Conservation Lab back in April of 2024! So cool!

Research conducted under SARA permit DFO-MAR- 2026-08a

Field video: Calvin James D'Entremont Patrick d'Entremont