Atlantic White Shark Conservancy Enters Second Decade of Research, Education and Public Safety Mission

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) begins its second decade of operation in 2023, building upon an impressive record of organizational growth and milestone achievements with local, regional, and global impact.  

The AWSC was founded in 2012 by Cynthia Wigren, who now serves as its Chief Executive Officer, and her husband Ben Wigren, to support white shark research and conservation.  The nonprofit organization later expanded its mission to provide shark education and inform public safety initiatives as the presence of white sharks continued to increase off the coast of Cape Cod.

The AWSC Research team, led by Megan Winton, has cataloged more than 500 individual white sharks in the waters off Cape Cod since intensive monitoring began in 2014, working in collaboration with Dr. Gregory Skomal of the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries.  The Conservancy’s popular free Sharktivity App, which tracks the presence of white sharks off the Massachusetts coast via real-time receivers, has more than 750,000 users and has become part of the cultural lexicon on Cape Cod and coastal New England.

“Ten years ago, I could never have imagined the success and worldwide impact the Conservancy would have on white shark research and conservation efforts,” said Wigren. “I am so proud of what we have accomplished during our first decade, but we have only scratched the surface in fully understanding white sharks.  During the next year – and decade – the Conservancy will deliver even more groundbreaking scientific research, expanded education programs and informed public safety initiatives to help facilitate a peaceful coexistence between humans and white sharks. I offer my sincere gratitude to our dedicated benefactors, staff, Board of Directors, and partners for supporting our impassioned efforts to inspire conservation and understanding of this amazing species.”

Additional AWSC milestones include:

·      Supporting the deployment of 298 acoustic tags, 54 pop-up satellite tags, 28 camera tags and 11 smart position and temperature tags.

·      Identifying and cataloging more than 500 individual white sharks since intensive monitoring of the waters off Cape Cod began in 2014.

·      Developing the White Shark Logbook to host the white shark catalog and provide summaries of acoustic detection data going back to 2010.

·      Joining the New England White Shark Research Consortium as a founding member.

·      Contributing funds, time or data that have resulted in nine publications in prestigious scientific journals, including an AWSC scientist as lead author in a study that found when white sharks are off the coast of Cape Cod, they spend nearly 50% of their time in water less than 15-feet deep.

·      Contributing to Shark Working Group meetings with public safety officials from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

·      Using fixed aerial platform (helium blimp with camera) and drones to study white sharks in the nearshore water off popular public beaches.

·      Engaging more than 6,000 people at its Shark Smart booths at Outer Cape beaches since launching the program in 2019.

·      Introducing more than 3,000 people to white sharks in their natural habitat through private eco-tours.

·      Introducing hundreds of young girls to STEM-based subjects through the Gills Club in-person programs, Gills Talk podcast and on-the-water experiences.

·      Educating more than 10,000 students through in-school programs, community outreach and virtual workshops.

·      Welcoming nearly 100,000 to AWSC Shark Centers since opening in Chatham in 2016 and Provincetown in 2022.