Launch of Monterey Bay White Shark Website

Last year the Center for the Blue Economy at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, in collaboration with Stanford University, the University of California at Santa Cruz, Cal, and California State University Monterey Bay, was jointly awarded over $5 million from the state of California to study white sharks on the Central Coast for three years. Led by Dr. Barbara Block, a group of scientists has been deploying cutting edge technology to monitor, tag, and track white sharks, as well as survey the pinnipeds that make up the primary food source for adult white sharks. 

Today, the researchers are launching the website Monterey Bay White Sharks and the associated social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.  This initial outreach is just beginning as the team continues to develop interactive data maps tracking sharks and exciting new videos about the work.   Partnering with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the white shark research team plans to host an exhibit and major launch event in spring 2025. 

The research effort aims to increase public awareness about these majestic apex sharks that call the Central Coast their home, and to better understand and protect not just the white sharks, but the entire ecosystem upon which they depend.

Much appreciation to the research team, and to the MIIS students who helped to make this project a reality.