Rocking Success!

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to support our first ever fundraiser concert at the aquarium! Our Rockerama was a rocking success and we could not have pulled it off without all of your support. The event featured live music from local musicians, silent auction items from local businesses and a 50/50 raffle. We raised over $9,000 in one night and reached the halfway mark of our goal to purchasing satellite tags for the Great Hammerhead Project. We are so glad this event was such a success.

If you were unable to attend our fundraiser and are still interested in supporting our non-profit R3EACH and the Great Hammerhead Project, there are still ways to donate. If you donate $1,000 you will receive 2 private coral reef encounters, donate $500 to receive 1 private coral reef encounter, or donate $100 and receive a Great Hammerhead Project T-shirt! Every donation helps and any value, large or small, is greatly appreciated! All donations are 100% tax deductible. Please visit our GoFundMe page to make a donation! https://www.gofundme.com/the-great-hammerhead-project

More information below on the Great Hammerhead Project written by Sarah Ruder

Our Concerns The great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) is the largest of the hammerheads, and is currently on the red list (endangered) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Overfishing, shark finning, and the loss of critical food resources are some suspected causes for their decline. Depriving future generations of such an iconic species would be tragic; studies like ours will be instrumental in gathering information critical to conserving this species. What We Don’t Know So far, observations of this fish in the wild have only provided minimal information on this species’ migratory and reproductive behavior. To date, there is little to no information on where they pup. The Plan R3EACH, Aquarium Encounters, and Dynasty Marine Associates Inc. will donate their time, vessels, and equipment. Experienced scientists will use satellite tags to track individual animals, revealing critical data on the migratory patterns of great hammerhead sharks. Once analyzed, this data will be presented to the international marine science community, including leading scientists, impassioned educators, and influential ocean conservationists. Our goal with these presentations will be to bring awareness to this issue and raise capital for future studies. We’ve been thrilled with the support that we’ve recieved so far from aquariums and media professionals, but we need your help too! Satellite tags are complex and costly equipment: the funds from this crowdfunding campaign will go towards the cost of purchasing the SAT tags that are the crux of this research project.

Absolutely Fish has generously offered to assist and promote our project in many ways! To learn more, visit http://www.greathammerheadstudy.org/home.html