Common noun:
a) a close friend
b) organic bait used to attract sharks
Become a shark ‘chum’
1. Make a donation and we’ll print your name on a shared chum bucket.
2. Donate $500 or more and we’ll name an exclusive bucket in your name or a person/organisation/company of your choice.
3. Donate $1,000 or more and we’ll name an exclusive tag (only 5) in your name or a person/organisation/company of your choice.
Named buckets and tags will be presented in our expedition journal when deployed.
Donations made through Facebook fundraiser are also eligible.
Tax deductible in Canada
CRA #834462913RR0001
Brion22 is an all-volunteer expedition. All proceeds will be used to cover costs associated with the purchase of chum and telemetry devices. An official receipt for income tax purposes will be delivered to all donors.
Sustainable and responsible use of bait
Brion22 uses shark bait, a.k.a. chum, specially made in Prince Edward Island by Bait Masters. The potent brew concocted by Mark Prevost and Wally MacPhee mostly consists of locally sourced fish by-products and oils that usually end up as waste. A similar blend developed by Bait Masters to bait lobster traps has been proven to be a sustainable and equally effective alternative to traditional bait in a study conducted by the University of Prince Edward Island in 2020¹. The use of Bait Masters chum is thus compatible with our animal care protocol and conservation ethic. Each chum bucket will be kept frozen until it is punctured and suspended under the expedition vessel where it will slowly release its contents into the water in the hopes of attracting the white shark.
As stated in our animal care protocol, the chum will be released in near-liquid form, thus preventing any shark from feeding. Likewise, tuna heads, which are another by-product of local fisheries, will be used to manoeuvre sharks into position for tagging, but will at no time be allowed to be touched, bitten, or eaten. The absence of any bite-sized rewards or nourishment of any kind is necessary to avoid conditioning sharks to associate humans with food.
¹ Patanasatienkul T, Delphino MKVC and Thakur KK. (2020) Comparing the Effectiveness of Traditional and Alternative Baits in Prince Edward Island, Canada Lobster Fishery. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:589549. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.589549
Days 6-9
Multiple shark predation incidents documented including a live attack on a grey seal.
Order of Good Cheer
Fighting boredom and the deadly sickness of scurvy amongst the crew while awaiting fair winds in Acadian waters.
Day 4
Testing the underwater drone and the acoustic transmitters in the harbour of Grande-Entrée.
Cage upgrade continues
Retrofitting of the ORS shark observation cage is entering the final phase at CNIMI.
Cage upgrade at CNIMI
ORS shark observation cage undergoes major refit at CNIMI for Brion22 white shark expedition.
