NANTUCKET, MA--(Marketwired - September 25, 2016) - Meet Miss Costa. A 1,168-pound, 12-foot, mature female great white shark OCEARCH and its collaborative team of multi-institutional scientists just satellite-tagged off Nantucket, MA. Named by OCEARCH in honor of its longtime partner Costa Sunglasses, Miss Costa will provide a broader understanding of the ecology, physiology, and behavior of the north Atlantic Great White.
"This early success on Expedition Nantucket promises to be the opportunity we've needed to increase our sample sizes of Atlantic white sharks," said lead scientist Dr. Robert Hueter, Director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory. "Through real-time tracking of the sharks' movements, long-term satellite and acoustic tracking, health assessments through blood, parasite and mucus sampling, and more, these vital studies will show us the threats that white sharks face and the places where we need to protect them."
Since 2012, Costa Sunglasses and OCEARCH have come together to provide local scientists access to great white sharks in the North Atlantic region. Among the white sharks already tagged are Mary Lee, Katharine, and Lydia.
"At Costa, we believe in supporting research missions like OCEARCH to help better inform policies and procedures related to the health of our oceans with real scientific data," said Al Perkinson, Vice President of Marketing for Costa. "The more we know and understand shark species, the more efforts we can put in place to help protect this vitally important apex predator."
According to OCEARCH Founding Chairman and Expedition Leader, Chris Fischer, there is nothing better than working with a company whose mission is to make business and "do good" at the same time. "Costa Sunglasses embodies this philosophy and has inspired OCEARCH to do the same," Fischer said. "When our funding comes from sustainably innovative organizations, it allows us to open source exploration, science and education, transforming a compelling research project into a global ocean movement. We are proud and humbled to have been inspired by Costa Sunglasses and to call them a partner."
As Miss Costa's fin breaks the surface, the satellite tag will transmit her location, allowing anyone and everyone to follow her movements by accessing the near-real time, free online Global Shark Tracker or by downloading the Global Shark Tracker App available for Apple and Android platforms.
"Everyone will be able to follow along with Miss Costa as we watch and study her migratory patterns," Perkinson added. "It's this kind of scientific data that will help us collectively make more informed decisions about how to protect this incredible species. Safe travels, Miss Costa."