PARTNER OF THE MONTH

Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation

We’re donating $1 to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation for every Whale Shark Bracelet sold. Our donation will fund their revolutionary whale shark tagging and tracking program. Photo courtesy of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation

ABOUT

Why 4ocean is partnering with Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation


Founded by the world-renowned wildlife artist, photographer, and marine conservationist Guy Harvey, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation has become a global leader in tagging and monitoring pelagic fish populations.

The foundaitons’s detailed marine research provides authorities with the information and insight required to understand, conserve, and effectively manage the world’s pelagic fisheries and ecosystems.

In addition to producing crucial scientific research and observations of endangered species, the foundation also provides future ocean conservationists with valuable educational opportunities.

Photo courtesy of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation

Visit Their Website + Learn More

DONATION

Whale shark tagging and tracking

While we know that plastic pollution and overfishing are driving whale sharks toward extinction, this endangered species lives in the open ocean and much of their lives remain a mystery.

Yet effective conservation requires a detailed understanding of the animal you’re trying to protect. Understanding where these animals travel is fundamental to effectively conserving the species, which is why our donation will be used to fund Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation’s revolutionary whale shark tagging and tracking program.

By attaching fin-mounted satellite tags to free-swimming whale sharks, researchers are able to obtain the highest resolution migration data ever recorded. Each whale shark tagged and tracked provides crucial information that can help conservation and management authorities better understand the pressures on this species which will ultimately lead to better species management and protections in the future.

Photo courtesy of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation

Explore the Bracelet
DONATION graphic image.
Explore the Bracelet

TECHNOLOGY

The importance of SPOT tags for tracking

To collect high-resolution data on whale sharks, GHOF will attach devices known as Smart Position and Temperature tags to their dorsal fins while they’re underwater.

Every time a SPOT tag breaks the surface, it pings a satellite that marks the whale shark’s location and sends the data back to Guy Harvey Research Institute for monitoring.

SPOT tags are crucial to whale shark research because they provide incredibly high-resolution detailed data about where these animals travel throughout the year.

TECHNOLOGY graphic image.

TRACKING

Tracking the whale shark known as 4ocean2

In 2019, we made a donation to Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation that was used to tag three whale sharks off the coast of Isla Mujeres, Mexico, the site where the world’s largest-known gathering of whale sharks takes place every year.

4ocean2 is a male whale shark that researchers tagged on July 7, 2019, and is now one of the longest-running tags in GHOF’s tracking program. Our team affectionately calls him Spot for his unique markings and the tag that keeps us updated on his travels.

Spot was last detected on September 11, 2021, has traveled more than 9,900 miles (15,900 km) since 2019, and returns to the waters of Isla Mujeres every year. The animated graphic below shows where Spot has traveled over the last two years.

As we continue to track where Spot and his friends travel when they leave Isla Mujeres, we’ll build a library of data that can be used to guide the creation of marine protected areas in crucial whale shark habitats, which will help protect these endangered animals for generations to come.

See our impact!

BRACELET OF THE MONTH

One pound pulled.
One dollar donated.

We introduced our pastel pink Whale Shark Bracelets to help raise awareness about the importance of continued research and education that can help save this endangered species.

For every Whale Shark Bracelet sold this month, we’ll pull one pound of trash from the ocean and donate $1 to our partner of the month, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. This limited edition bracelet is only available October 2021, so order yours today

Explore the Bracelet
BRACELET OF THE MONTH graphic image.
Explore the Bracelet

An exclusive 4ocean x Guy Harvey collab

We’ve teamed up with our friends at Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation to give you one more way to clean the ocean and help fund their revolutionary whale shark tracking program.

Featuring original Guy Harvey artwork designed exclusively for 4ocean, this exclusive collector’s edition shirt is made to order and only available for a short time.

For every 4ocean x Guy Harvey Whale Shark Shirt purchased, we’ll pull one pound of trash from the ocean and donate $1 to Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation.

Preorder Now
graphic image.
Preorder Now

CAUSE OF THE MONTH

Whale shark research and conservation

The world’s whale shark population has decreased by more than half in just 75 years. Research on these elusive creatures and their interaction with marine debris is only starting to emerge, but recent findings don’t paint a happy picture for whale sharks. That’s why this endangered species is our cause of the month for October 2021.

Explore the Cause
CAUSE OF THE MONTH graphic image.
Explore the Cause

PHILANTHROPY

We’re proud members of 1% for the Planet

Plastic pollution is a complex global issue that won’t be solved by a single person, company, product, or organization. That’s why we’re committed to donating at least one percent of our gross sales to like-minded, ocean-friendly organizations.

Since 2017, we’ve donated over one million dollars to ocean-friendly nonprofits and organizations that have a proven track record of driving positive change for our oceans, our environment, and our planet.

PHILANTHROPY graphic image.