Blaise Barrette and Sandra Daoust with her sculpture of the Mother Shark inspired by the Haïda art style of Canada’s Pacific coast. Photo © Jeffrey Gallant (GEERG.ca)

Throughout the 2011 refit of the Skalugsuak at the Verreault Navigation Shipyard (Les Méchins, Québec), we received much assistance from our friends Blaise Barrette and Sandra Daoust of the Underwater Observation Network (OUN) who accommodated me in their Saint-­Léandre home for much of the summer.

Blaise helped at the shipyard and Sandra reconditioned all of the wood panelling on the boat. She also created a beautiful work of art that will be the soul of the Skalugsuak. Sandra sculpted an effigy of the Mother Shark, a graphic representation of a shark and its offspring inspired by the Haïda art style of Canada’s Pacific coast.

Since space on the boat is limited, the relief sculpture will ornate the table in the main cabin. During meals or while analysing telemetry data, the Mother Shark will remind us that our research must always serve the cause of sharks, of the marine environment, and of future generations. Thank you Sandra!