Monitoring

The goals of the White Shark Stewardship Monitoring Program are to determine the impacts of human activities on White Sharks near the Farallon Islands, assess effectiveness of permit conditions, determine compliance with sanctuary regulations, and detect emerging issues to help guide decisions to protect White Sharks.

Each season, GFNMS staff reviews daily logs submitted by each permittee (including tour operators and researchers) to gather on-the-water data about White Shark sightings, encounters, tagging and other research activities, and general observations of White Shark behavior. GFNMS staff also reviews monitoring reports from Point Blue Conservation Science. The biologists on Southeast Farallon Island collect data through their Vessel Monitoring Project. This project monitors a range of vessel use activities around the Farallon Islands (including wildlife viewing and other recreational activities), vessel patterns related to White Shark encounters, and historical White Shark feeding frequencies and locations.