Drummondville, July 30, 2022 — In order to study sharks in their element, the expedition will deploy the ORS aluminum shark observation cage after it has been modernised by engineering students at CNIMI (Centre national intégré du manufacturier intelligent). The cage designed by ORS and built by Centre de formation professionnelle Paul-Rousseau for our very first expedition in 2000, is currently being retrofitted to meet current commercial standards¹.

During the expedition, the cage will be secured alongside the vessel to allow scientists to observe and film the white shark swimming freely*. Sharks will not be able to pass between the cage and the vessel and a ladder will remain in place to allow for the immediate and safe evacuation of divers.

In order to reduce the risk of injury to sharks, and to make the cage safer and more comfortable for the divers, CNIMI engineering students under the supervision of Dr. Marc-André Gaudreau (UQTR) are carrying out the following modifications²:

• Design, manufacture and installation of a guard rail around the top of the cage with at least 300 mm of freeboard when fully loaded to reduce the risk of a shark swimming or becoming entangled above the cage floating at the surface.

• Polish welds where necessary to reduce the risk of lacerations or other injuries to sharks colliding with or rubbing against the cage.

• Replace hinges and install latches on all openings to prevent sharks from accidentally entering the cage and getting caught.

• Design and manufacture of a floor equipped with footrests to ensure the stability of observers and videographers.

• Design and manufacture of observation port shutters to prevent sharks from accidentally entering or getting stuck in the cage.

¹ Bruce, B. (2015). Literature review of white shark cage diving operations and recommendations for the industries management in New Zealand. Research Report to the Department of Conservation.
² Department of Conservation (2015). Commercial Great White Shark Cage Diving New Zealand Code of Practice, Wellington, New Zealand.
* No sharks are captured or restrained in any way.

⚠️ Notice to recreational divers and boaters: Brion22 is a scientific expedition conducted under licence from 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). SARA prohibits the killing, harming, harassing, capturing, taking, possessing, collecting, buying, selling or trading of individuals of endangered, threatened or extirpated species, including the white shark (Atlantic population), which is designated as an endangered species. Furthermore, and as stipulated by the Quebec National Heritage Conservation Act (LCPN), access to Île-Brion Ecological Reserve is also strictly forbidden without a permit for scientific research from the ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MELCC).

DFO (SARA) Scientific Permit No.:
QUE-LEP-014-2022
MELCC (LCPN) Scientific Permit No.:
3850-RE-R; 5141-03-11 [1.2]
⚠️ No sharks are captured or restrained in any way.