Welcome to SharkBight.com

SharkBight.Com is the website for the Southern California Bight Elasmobranch  Consortium, a new organisation that focuses on sharks, skates and rays in the Southern  California Bight, an area extending 450 miles along the Pacific Ocean from Point Conception near Santa  Barbara south to Cabo Colonet in Baja, Mexico.

Scripps Shark Scientist Dr Jeffrey Graham

The Southern California Bight Elasmobranch Consortium aims to link scientific resources and engage the public in issues that are important for shark and ray conservation. The idea of SharkBight.Com is to facilitate the flow of information between scientists concerned with elasmobranchs within the Bight. It will also serve as a conduit for information from Scientists to the people allowing educational information and conservation status to be found relating to elasmobranchs within the Bight.

At least 40 species of elasmobranchs live within the area. Some large sharks may inhabit the Southern California Bight during seasonal migrations, while others may permanently reside in the area, and many smaller sharks and rays are permanent residents of the coastal areas.

Pacific Angel Shark (Squatina californica)
One of the Elasmobranchs found in the
Southern California Bight

Outreach and education efforts for the consortium will be coordinated through the Birch Aquarium at Scripps.

In addition to assembling a large group of science organizations and other research, management, public outreach and political groups in the United States, it is imperative for efforts to involve Mexican representatives. Mexican fisheries personnel are especially vital for collecting data that will enable U.S. researchers and coordinators to manage shark fisheries from a "binational perspective" in order to adequately investigate the health of sharks in the entire Southern California Bight ecosystem.