• Our Mission

    The Shark Legacy Project’s mission is simple, to establish the value of a an areas shark population as a sustainable asset to diving tourism and eco-tourism.  Thereby assisting in the improvement of shark conservation practices, laws and the creation of Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s).

    We are an open source for shark conservation and protection groups, government entities and any wildlife conservation organizations we may assist in the creation of responsible wildlife management policy.

    Our Mission
     

  • Shark Project Methods

    The value of live sharks to an areas tourism is established by our scientists through non-economic valuation studies. We work closely with shark diving and eco-tourism operators to define these values. In Roatan, Honduras, a dead reef shark is worth $50US but can be valued at up to $47,000 per year to diving tourism.

    Shark Project Methods
     

  • Project Honduras

    Started in 2008, the initial effort of the Shark Legacy Project was to help protect a population of Caribbean Reef Sharks off the southern shore of Roatan, in the Bay Islands of Honduras. In 2011 the Government of Honduras declared all its territorial waters a shark sanctuary. A great success for sharks and the Shark Legacy Project.

    Project Honduras
     

  • Whale Shark Tourism

    The global Whale Shark tourism industry grosses hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The Shark Legacy Project is currently working to further define the sustainable tourism value of Whale Sharks to a countries economy and thereby increase whale shark protection policies.

    This is a whale shark distribution map showing the global range of whale sharks.

     

    Whale Shark Tourism
     
 

Shark Legacy Project – Shark Conservation – Shark Diving and Shark Eco-Tourism

 

 

Shark Sanctuary

Read about the initial shark research project ran in 2009-2011 in Roatan, Honduras. Our success culminated in the government of Honduras declaring all its territorial waters in the Caribbean a shark sanctuary.

Current Projects

Read about the current initiatives of the Shark Legacy Project. We are constantly expanding our project into new areas to achieve the goal of increased shark conservation in recognition of sharks as valuable and sustainable assets to an areas diving and eco-tourism.

Shark Diver Course

Our Staff of scientists includes PADI Shark Specialty Instructors. We offer shark diver training in conjunction with local shark diving operators, we also visit local schools to educate children to the value of sharks to the marine environment and to local economies.

Get Involved

The Shark Legacy Project offers opportunities to get involved from shark research internships to simply shark diving to online purchasing of Shark Legacy Project merchandise to assist in the costs of the research projects.