White sharks, once abundant in the Mediterranean, have significantly declined due to centuries of fishing and are now listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Despite their ecological importance, there is limited knowledge about their current population and ecology, hindering effective conservation. From 2021 – 2023, Yachts for Science supported this research by connecting private funding and private vessels in three pilot field operations in the Sicilian Channel collected eDNA samples and conducted over 500 hours of baited video surveys. While no white sharks were observed directly, eDNA confirmed their presence at four sites, highlighting one of the last strongholds of this population. Yachts for Science is proud to be supporting this project in 2025 – any yachts looking to get involved in May – June in Scilly please get in touch with rosie@yachtsforscience.com

Yachts for Science is supporting University of Plymouth, Dr Nicolar Foster investigating the key habitat features of deeper foraging grounds used by the critically endangered hawksbill turtle in the Seychelles. This project will assess sites along a range of platforms in the Seychelles to identify key habitat features used by foraging hawksbill turtles. Using a ROV, the team will collect video data on the benthic assemblages at key foraging sites between 30 – 150m. This project will provide essential data on the benthic assemblages at deeper sites on the Seychelles platform that are used as key foraging grounds for the critically endangered hawksbill turtles in the Seychelles. Such data are critical to the development of conservation measures to protect key habitats used by large marine vertebrates and the overall biodiversity of marine ecosystems. For more information, please contact rosie@yachtsforscience.com

Benjamin Titus, Assistant Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Alabama, has 15 years of experience leading and participating in tropical field research expeditions studying mutualisms on coral reefs. However, key mysteries remain to be unravelled. Most surprisingly, the evolution and function of clownfish colour patterns themselves are unknown. Dr Titus research has generated recent discoveries that directly link clownfish colour patterns to the host sea anemone they reside in. It has been hypothesised that colour has a protective function and is related to how they interact with their host. This work has been carried out thanks to the brilliant team at Yachts For Science – connectors of vessels and researchers to allow for these crucial projects to take place.

YFS is looking for yachts visiting the Balearic Sea this summer and winter to study 32 species of shark, 27 rays and 1 chimera – all of which are facing extinction. The leading cause of this decline is overfishing. Most species are part of accidental bycatch and increased fishing targeting pelagic sharks. A boat supporting this project would be involved in 3 key aspects: the generation of remote-bated underwater video images through Bruvs, the extraction of environmental DNA through filtered water samples, and the marking of devil fishes with satellite marks. Shark Med’s objective is to generate sufficient scientific knowledge to promote the necessary changes that will reverse the current situation of these marine mammals. By offering your yachts to help these marine biologists carry out their research, you will have a direct impact on saving these incredible creatures from extinction. Contact Rosie@yachtsforscience.com to learn more.

Did you hear the good news that’s surging through the Caribbean currents? Last week, the Dominican Republic announced they were extending marine protections to 30% of their waters! In the expanded Marine Mammal Sanctuary of Silver and Navidad Banks and new Marine Sanctuary Orlando Jorge Mera, several migratory, endangered, and vital species now have the protections they need to thrive- including the humpback whale, whose mating and calving grounds lie within the newly secured region. An expedition supported by Mission Blue concentrated on Silver Bank, undertaken by Yachts for Science on a Bering Yachts vessel. The historical designation has been supported by an announcement film developed by acclaimed ocean storytellers, SeaLegacy.

The goal of Yachts for Science is to bring together yacht owners and crew with marine scientists, researchers and content creators and provide access to the oceans. This is achieved by utilising the thousands of yachts that are travelling the globe as platforms for research. Are you in need of a vessel for your Mediterranean marine science project? Then Yachts for Science want you to get in contact so you can find out more information on how to get involved. To find out more please contact rosie@yachtsforscience.com

Yachts for Science are working with the Manta Trust to understand better the population dynamics and movement ecology of manta and devil rays throughout Fiji in order to support the promotion of sustainable mobulid eco-tourism, the implementation of effective conservation management strategies at critical habitats and the effective regulation of bycatch fisheries in the nation’s waters. The Lau Archipelago, Fiji’s most remote island group, is consistently ranked among the highest priorities for conservation. Currently, we know very little about how manta rays use this habitat and the size of the population there. Yachts visiting this region can support research by offering one week or a couple of days of vessel time. Key activities include diving identification, drone surveys, and satellite tagging. Learn more HERE.

Are you going to Antarctica, the Gulf of Alaska, Greenland or the Norweigan sea in 2024? If so, Yachts For Science want to hear from you. Dr Paige Maroni is looking to continue her research of decoding the deep sea by taking water samples in cold water deeper than 2000 m. Using novel deep-sea technologies to preserve deep-sea genomes. By preserving deep-sea specimens in situ, she will collect invaluable genetic data, which in turn will be used to illuminate the phylogenies of a myriad of deep-sea species, enriching our understanding of their biodiversity and the tectonic processes that have shaped our oceans, thus uncovering evolutionary dynamics in the world’s largest ecosystem. The deep sea is the world’s largest ecosystem yet, phylogenetic relationships among deep-sea orders remain unresolved. If you plan to travel to Antarctica in 2024 and are interested to learn more about this fascinating research please contact info@yachtsforscience.com.

Yachts For Science are looking for yachts located in the Great Barrier Reef, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Philippines, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Seychelles and Maldives to research clown fish. Scientifically, the clownfish-sea anemone symbiosis is now considered a model system to test a wide range of scientific hypotheses across the biological sciences, including areas such as evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, climate change, reproduction, population connectivity, and conservation. However, key mysteries remain, most surprisingly, the evolution and function of clownfish colour patterns themselves are unknown. For further information about this research or how to get involved contact rosie@yachtsforscience.com.

From November 12th – 17th, Francesco Ferretti and his team attended the White Shark Global conference in Port Lincoln, Australia. The international scientific conference provided an in-person forum for the white shark community to meet, share ideas, update information, and report on the progress of recent scientific studies. Attended by 170 delegates, Francesco and his team presented the latest updates from the White Shark Chase, an unprecedented initiative to find and track the last white sharks in the Mediterranean Sea. The research, which is part of a Yachts For Science initiative project, was enthusiastically received, with students, colleagues, and other delegates expressing a strong desire to engage in collaborative work and partnership to contribute to the understanding and conservation efforts to prevent the extinction of the Mediterranean white shark population.