Valentine’s Day is almost here. If you’re stuck trying to find that perfect gift for your someone special, researchers at Nova Southeastern University’s Guy Harvey Research Institute may have just the thing: a tagged female mako shark swimming off the coast of North Carolina who is looking for a name.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, research scientists at NSU’s GHRI and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation are offering the chance to name this shark to not only give your loved one something very few have – a shark named for them – but also as a way to raise funds for shark research and ocean conservation. It’s the gift for that someone special who already has everything.
“This is one of most unique gifts you can give on Valentine’s Day, particularly for that special someone who has everything,” says Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation Executive Director Greg Jacoski. “While we are having some fun this, we can’t lose sight of how important these tagged sharks are to our research efforts. They provide invaluable data on their migration patterns and interactions with fisheries. That knowledge is fundamental to managing the species.”
Researchers from NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute tagged the mako in late August off the coast of Rhode Island. Currently named ‘170866’, this mako has traveled 1,794 miles in the Atlantic, without an official name.
170866, along with other GHRI tagged sharks, can be followed online in near real-time at nova.edu/sharktracking.
To officially name 170866, contact Jacoski at greg@guyharvey.com or call 954-424-6389. The $5,500 donation to name the shark sponsors the tag, which transmits vital data that is used by researchers as they study these apex predators. In addition to the naming rights, the sponsor also receives an official naming certificate and a framed print by Dr. Guy Harvey.
