Press

Our Work is Making Headlines

07.2023 / Cook Islands News

Global ocean conservation initiative reaches Penrhyn

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03.2023 / National Geographic

Scared to scuba? Here are 5 reasons it’s finally time to learn.

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12.2022 / National Geographic

Here’s where to see ‘the way of water’ in real life

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03.2022 / Cook Islands News

Local researchers gain technical diving certifications

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04.2021 / Cook Islands News

Shark caught and released

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See What We’re Up To in the Big Blue

Why do scientists tag sharks? “We tag and track

Why do scientists tag sharks?

“We tag and track sharks to learn more about their movement patterns. Tracking studies can tell us a lot about how different species of sharks migrate, behave, and interact with their environment. This information helps us understand their ecological roles, and assess their vulnerability to environmental and human pressures. Tracking data can help us also devise conservation strategies, including designing protected areas and developing sustainable fishing practices, ensuring that shark populations remain healthy and continue fulfilling their essential role in maintaining a healthy ocean ecosystem.”
— Dr. Vinay Udyawer. Research Director, Sharks Pacific

To learn more about our tagging methods, visit: sharkspacific.org/field-notes

14th April 2018 . After 6 Days of sailing through

14th April 2018
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After 6 Days of sailing through rough seas and sleepless nights, the relief of seeing nothing but coconut trees over a horizon was sensational. The ship had finally arrived to Tongareva. We had one month scheduled on the northernmost atoll of the Cook Islands and the team was eager to get to work. But first things first, the equipment would need to be offloaded from the ship before diving in.

Images: @erinfeinblatt

Throwback! We will be reaching into our archives t

Throwback! We will be reaching into our archives to shine a little more light on who we are and what we do. Let us begin with our first ever expedition to Tongareva in 2018.
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If you’re still reading, welcome!
On an overcast and windy Sunday, the team met at Avatiu harbour on Rarotonga to load onto the ship and set sail to Tongareva. Tongareva is said to be the sharkiest island in the Cook Islands, and we were on our way to find out. 6 days of sailing through some spotty weather got everyone to the beautiful atoll, although not without challenge! While seasickness got most of the team, a little time and some pancakes was just what everyone needed to get back on top. And with that, the journey had just begun...
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Images: @erinfeinblatt

The first tiger shark has been tagged in the Cook

The first tiger shark has been tagged in the Cook Islands! We fitted this 3.3m lady #shark with an acoustic tag, a satellite tag and an identification tag. In fact, @james__kora deployed his first satellite tag on the first tiger we have tagged here!

We will now get to see whether she swims around Aitutaki a lot, or prefers a specific part of the island to relax a while, or whether she’s a big traveler, hopping between islands or even countries. She might be all of the above!

Question: Where do you think she will swim to first?

#Aitutaki #Tigershark #Galeocerdocuvier #sharkscience #sharktagging #sharkweek

After 12 hours of work today, we got our first two

After 12 hours of work today, we got our first two sharks of #ExpeditionAitutaki, right as we were calling it a night. Typical! Our team is excited and @james__kora and @jehaynes tagged their first #sharks today 💪, both male grey reef sharks. Day 1, 2 sharks, we like it!
#sharkresearch #cookislands