Ocearch
Episode description
By the mid 2000's, Chris Fischer began to lend his business, angling, and media acumen to answering a basic question facing ocean scientists and all of humanity: how do we ensure our grandkids will be able to eat a fish sandwich? Having grown up in the 1970's and all too familiar with the depleted fish stocks of the western Atlantic at that time, Chris realized the biggest threat to our world oceans was a data deficit and the siloing of well-intentioned researchers stuck in an antiquated and dysfunctional system of funding. So he set about disrupting the research status quo by forming Ocearch to bring a multidisciplinary team of cooperating scientists and a uniquely equipped ship and experienced crew to study, assess, and track apex predators like white sharks. As Chris points out, he's not a shark guy, rather he's an abundance guy. His goal is to restore balance to the oceans through shared data, public education, and informed policymaking.