Luxury Swiss watch company, Oris’s mission to help protect the world’s oceans continues with a shark conservation project. Sharks will be extinct within 40 years. That’s the worrying prediction of leading ocean conservation experts who have witnessed the decline of the world’s shark population over the last five decades.
One of those experts is marine explorer and conservationist Jerome Delafosse. Oris is now working with Jerome on a shark conservation project in partnership with non-profit organization Pelagios Kakunja.
The only way to save sharks is to see them in all their beauty. Jerome, who is also a professional diver, has spent the last 20 years observing the world’s shark and dolphin populations and has made a number of documentaries broadcast on French TV network Canal+ and the Travel Channel.
Pelagios Kakunja’s mission is to understand the movements and migratory pathways of top marine predators. Its latest project will look to learn more about the migration routes of the endangered Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) species of shark in the Eastern Pacific. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the global population of Scalloped Hammerheads has declined by up to 90 per cent over the last 30 years.
Project scientists will tag five sharks using MiniPAT satellite transmitters funded by Oris. Each transmitter will track the sharks for six to nine months before being automatically released on a set date and floating to the surface, from where they will transmit collected data to satellites. This data will help scientists understand sharks better so they can advise government agencies on fishing practices. Fishing is one of the greatest threats to sharks, which can become entangled in nets while feeding.
The expedition will be led by conservationists Dr. James Ketchum, Pelagios Kakunja’s Director of Marine Conservation; shark specialist Dr Mauricio Hoyos, who filmed the largest Great White Shark ever captured on film; and record-breaking free diver and underwater photographer Fred Buyle. Oris is delighted to be working with Jerome and to be supporting Pelagios Kakunja’s latest mission. Oris is committed to underwater conservation and to reversing the human impact that has endangered species such as the Scalloped Hammerhead. The brand hopes and believes that Pelagios Kakunja’s mission will be successful in helping achieve that goal.
