News 
Supported by Blancpain, the Tamataroa project (the local name of the Great Hammerhead Shark in French Polynesia), is a three-year initiative with the objective of studying the ecology of this endangered species – in order to initiate protection protocols in French Polynesia and along the shark’s migratory routes.
The first step was to support the creation of a local association – the Mokarran Protection Society (MPS) – to focus on the study of the current situation in French Polynesia; the area is a crucial region for this species but knowledge of the Great Hammerhead’s ecology is extremely limited. The first two observation and research missions of the Mokarran Protection Society have brought forth the necessary data to motivate and support a much more ambitious three-year project conducted together with Laurent Ballesta and his Gombessa Expeditions team.
This consortium, brought together by Blancpain, will benefit from the scientific expertise of renowned shark specialists from the US, Europe, and Australia. This was also the case during the Gombessa IV expedition, which generated an impressive number of scientific findings, including the revelation, for the very first time, of a collaborative hunting behaviour for the grey reef sharks. The prominent 700 Sharks into the Dark documentary film has received more than 70 international awards, which also included nomination for the Emmy Awards.
The intention of the new project, Tamataroa, is to generate knowledge, understanding and awareness. Furthermore, it hopes to deliver a concrete management tool for the regional and international authorities enabling them to provide effective protection of the Sphyrna mokarran in French Polynesia and other regions, as this is a highly migratory species. It will also provide a major contribution to the world acoustic detection network, as well as innovative research protocols for the study of this and other shark species.
August 19, 2021