Whale Shark Adoption
The Shark Research Institute (SRI), based in Princeton, NJ, is engaged in a worldwide study to locate, tag and document the behavior of whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, the largest fish in the sea. Whale sharks are rare; by 1986 there had been only 320 recorded sightings in all of western scientific literature. Seasonal aggregations have been observed in recent years with the result that whale sharks have become a prime target of eastern fisheries. As an example, in 1999 three villages in India alone slaughtered some 1,000 whale sharks.
Adopt A Whale Shark
Whale Shark Sighting Database
The Shark Research Institute is compiling a database of whale shark sightings. Please report any sightings of whale sharks (tagged or untagged) by using our Online Whale Shark Sighting Form, by sending the information via email to
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, or by mail or fax to the SRI Headquarters in the United States or to the project director in South Africa.
Adopt A Whale Shark
The Shark Research Institute invites you to join our exciting Whale Shark Study.
This program enables you to adopt a whale shark, tagged by the Institute, for one year or for a lifetime.
By adopting a shark you will help fund the Whale Shark Study, and receive information about your shark: when, where and by whom it was tagged. If your shark is resighted you will be notified where and when the resighting occurred.
Become involved in scientific research in your “other world!”
Shark Research Institute, P.O. Box 40, Princeton, NJ 08540, ( (609) 921-3522,
Fax: (609) 921-1505
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PLEASE PRINT AND MAIL
Yes, I would like to adopt a tagged whale shark. Enclosed is my check for:
$10 (annual adoption)
$100 (lifetime adoption)
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Name of guardian/s (as it is to appear on the certificate)
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Address
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City State Zip
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Country Email address:
Please make your checks payable to:
The Shark Research Institute
PO Box 40, Princeton, NJ 08540, U.S.A.
Consider joining the Institute. Individual sponsorships are $35 per year.
All Contributions are Tax Deductible