The St. Lawrence Shark Observatory (ORS) was officially founded as the Greenland Shark and Elasmobranch Education and Research Group (GEERG) in 2003 following three years of unprecedented exploration in the North Atlantic, the Saguenay Fjord, and the St. Lawrence Estuary. These ground-breaking expeditions resulted in the first cage dives with pelagic sharks in Canada in the year 2000, and the first dives with free-swimming Greenland sharks under natural conditions² in 2003.

Today, ORS research and conservation activities no longer focus exclusively on the Greenland shark, but also on the many shark, skate and ray species that inhabit the Greater Gulf of St. Lawrence, from the Bay of Fundy to the St. Lawrence Estuary and Saguenay Fjord, as well as the Arctic Ocean.¹ ORS/GEERG is not a citizen science initiative nor is it an environmental organisation.
² Multi-year (2003-2012) non-invasive shark observation conducted without the use of attractants, capturing, or restraints. All encounters initiated and terminated by the sharks.St. Lawrence Shark Observatory 2003-2023Canada’s first shark research¹ NGO and registered charity turns 20.
The St. Lawrence Shark Observatory (ORS) was officially founded as the Greenland Shark and Elasmobranch Education and Research Group (GEERG) in 2003 following three years of unprecedented exploration in the North Atlantic, the Saguenay Fjord, and the St. Lawrence Estuary. These ground-breaking expeditions resulted in the first cage dives with pelagic sharks in Canada in the year 2000, and the first dives with free-swimming Greenland sharks under natural conditions² in 2003.

Today, ORS research and conservation activities no longer focus exclusively on the Greenland shark, but also on the many shark, skate and ray species that inhabit the Greater Gulf of St. Lawrence, from the Bay of Fundy to the St. Lawrence Estuary and Saguenay Fjord, as well as the Arctic Ocean.¹ ORS/GEERG is not a citizen science initiative nor is it an environmental organisation.
² Multi-year (2003-2012) non-invasive shark observation conducted without the use of attractants, capturing, or restraints. All encounters initiated and terminated by the sharks.ST. LAWRENCE SHARK OBSERVATORY
2003-2023Canada’s first shark research¹ NGO and registered charity turns 20.

500+shark species2811(Basking sharkWhite sharkGreenland sharkThresher sharkShortfin makoBlue sharkPorbeagle sharkSpiny dogfishBlack dogfish≥≥worldwideshark speciesCanadashark speciesSt. LawrencePortuguese dogfishChain catshark
500+shark species2811≥≥worldwideshark speciesCanadashark speciesSt. Lawrence(Basking sharkWhite sharkGreenland sharkThresher sharkShortfin makoBlue sharkPorbeagle sharkSpiny dogfishBlack dogfishPortuguese dogfishChain catshark
(BELOW) Provisional distribution of St. Lawrence shark species in the Gulf, Estuary, and Atlantic Canada, based on research by the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory. Only select cases are posted to illustrate the overall range. This map is updated with new and historical data on an ongoing basis. Map does not include data from the U.S. except borderline cases. To submit additional sightings or captures, please contact us. Click on icons for observation details.
Misrepresented and misunderstood, sharks play a critical role in North Atlantic ecosystems, but they are under increasing threat due to their unfair reputation, pollution, and a lack of public awareness. Please donate to help us study and protect the sharks of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Canada before it’s too late.Donations to ORS, an all-volunteer charitable not-for-profit organisation, are tax deductible in Canada. Canada Revenue Agency #834462913RR0001

DONATE

“Fear and indifference bite deeper than any shark.”— Jeffrey Gallant, St. Lawrence Shark ObservatoryTax deductible in Canada
CRA #834462913RR0001DONATE
Misrepresented and misunderstood, sharks play a critical role in North Atlantic ecosystems, but they are under increasing threat due to their unfair reputation, pollution, and a lack of public awareness. Please donate to help us study and protect the sharks of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Canada before it’s too late.Donations to ORS, an all-volunteer charitable not-for-profit organisation, are tax deductible in Canada. Canada Revenue Agency #834462913RR0001

DONATE

“Fear and indifference bite deeper than any shark.”— Jeffrey Gallant, St. Lawrence Shark ObservatoryTax deductible in Canada
CRA #834462913RR0001DONATE

Read

In the North Atlantic, the white shark is seasonally present in all of the Maritime provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Québec, including the St. Lawrence.

Shark and seal in New France
by Louis Nicolas circa 1690.

Meet the world's most maligned sea creature, the white shark.

Read

Recent headlines trumpeted the news that Canada has banned shark fins. Too good to be true? Well, it would appear the devil is in the detail…

Shark fins banned in Canada?
Not really.

Read

The Canadian Shark Attack Registry (CSAR) is the first database of all documented human encounters with sharks that have resulted in injury or death in Canada.

Shark Attacks in Canada
What you need to know.

In the North Atlantic, the white shark is seasonally present in all of the Maritime provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Québec, including the St. Lawrence.

Shark and seal in New France
by Louis Nicolas circa 1690.

Meet the world's most maligned sea creature, the white shark.

Read

Read

Shark fins banned in Canada? Not really.

In the North Atlantic, the white shark is seasonally present in all of the Maritime provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Québec, including the St. Lawrence.

The Canadian Shark Attack Registry is the first database of all documented human encounters with sharks that have resulted in injury or death in Canada.

Shark Attacks in Canada
What you need to know.

Read

We returned to Brion Island with EcoMaris to seek out and study the white shark in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Multiple white sharks were observed, and we also made scientific discoveries that will be announced later this year. Stay tuned!Brion23 is a scientific expedition conducted under licence from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). It is strictly forbidden to conduct cage diving operations or to interact with the white shark without a scientific permit under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Access to Île-Brion Ecological Reserve is also forbidden without a permit for scientific research from the ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP).

GO TO BRION23

18-31 August — Tall ship EcoMaris
We returned to Brion Island with EcoMaris to study the white shark in the St. Lawrence. Multiple white sharks were observed, and we made scientific discoveries that will be announced later this year. Stay tuned!Brion23 is a scientific expedition conducted under licence from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). It is strictly forbidden to conduct cage diving operations or to interact with the white shark without a scientific permit under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Access to Île-Brion Ecological Reserve is also forbidden without a permit for scientific research from the ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP).

GO TO BRION23

18-31 August — Tall ship Ecomaris