The Brenda Heckathorn Shark Conservation FUND

The Brenda Heckathorn Memorial Campaign: 100% of funds donated go towards shark conservation in honor of our sister, friend, and team member. The fund will be advised on by Brenda's family and colleagues in shark conservation. WHALEFALL is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Project 1: Remote sensing to Prevent shark FIN poaching in Cocos Island

“Although the exact numbers of sharks killed are difficult to estimate, a number of studies have drawn attention to the alarming volume of sharks overfished and killed solely for their fins worldwide, each year. The first scientific published by Clarke et. al. (2006), who estimated estimate of 73 million sharks, on average, killed annually for their fins.

The most recent estimate of sharks killed each year was published by Worm et. al. (2024), estimating that shark fishing mortality increased from 76 million to 80 million sharks per year during the study period. This is despite the ten fold increase in protective legislation to reduce finning over the same period. More than 30% of this catch was for species currently threatened with extinction. When also accounting for sharks not properly identified by species, the global mortality estimate rose to 101 million sharks in 2019 according to the authors.” - David McGuire, Shark Stewards

Brenda was passionate about shark conservation. Cocos Island was undeniably one of Brenda’s favorite places in the world, and protecting the various species of sharks that visit this unique place in the world is a perfect first project for this memorial fund. In 2021 Brenda and team deployed the first remote sensing data buoy in Cocos Island for open access monitoring of this ecosystem.

THE NEXT PHASE OF THIS PROJECT:

Remote sensing for MPA Monitoring & Protection

  • Real-Time Monitoring

    Combining Hydrotwin with SCOUT-S systems, the project will gain instant access to real-time underwater soundscape data, allowing visualization, analysis, and tracking of acoustic sources.

  • AI-based models detect poaching vessels in the MPA

    AI-based models are at the core of Hydrotwin technology, and will identify and report potential poaching vessels in the MPA.

  • Open Access Science Data

    All the oceanographic and ecological data collected will be available to people on the front lines of conservation via an aqualink.org dashboard.

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Some of Brenda Hosted talks on sharks from the archives

Questions about the Brenda Heckathorn Memorial Shark Conservation Fund or the first project in Cocos Island please contact us at: connect@whalefall.ngo