Sharks Pacific

Jess Cramp is a shark researcher who specializes in conservation policy and engaging communities in the management of their ocean. Jess co-championed a grassroots campaign that resulted in the Cook Islands Shark Sanctuary in 2012, an area exceeding 770,000 square miles. Jess has since advised communities, national governments and international organizations on conservation policy, led marine research expeditions through various island nations, and mentored local youth interested in science. She is the founder and executive director of Sharks Pacific, a non-profit organization that conducts research, outreach and advocacy throughout the Pacific Islands region. Her work focuses on improving fisheries management, human-wildlife conflict prevention, community empowerment, and the development of policies that consider people and the environment in equal measure. She is currently a PhD candidate at James Cook University. An accomplished speaker, Jess was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2015 and an AAAS If/Then Ambassador in 2019.

Globally, nearly one quarter of all sharks are threatened with extinction. Fisheries are the primary driver of shark mortality due to an increasing market for their fins, meat, and other parts. While a lot of effort goes into managing fisheries for species such as tuna, there are limited data, funds and capacity for managing sharks, resulting in inadequate protection for many species. These gaps are worsened without effective communications or local involvement, which is further limited by the lack of training opportunities. 

Sharks Pacific was created to fill gaps in shark research, outreach and policy while working alongside local people. To expand our reach, we communicate culturally-sensitive, scientifically-accurate, inspiring stories from the field. Our work has the power to elevate humanity by not only by training the next generation and protecting key species in the ocean, but also by telling the honest stories of the people who depend on it.

Sharks Pacific aims to ensure adequate, effective protection for threatened sharks and rays through a process we call ‘responsible conservation.’ Currently, too few sharks are protected in global fisheries as a result of limited resources, capacity and a lack of political will at local, national and international levels. Offshore fisheries are plagued by scarce, inaccurate data; and outside of a few developed nations, coastal fisheries data are largely non-existent, making quantifications difficult. Further, protecting threatened sharks in coastal fisheries is complicated by human wildlife conflict that often results when sharks and fishers compete for fish. Across the 16 nations comprising the Pacific, the limited protections that do exist for sharks are criticized for lacking implementation and effectiveness. To solve this problem, we need to increase resources and capacity, assist countries with implementing current protections or design more effective policies for sharks within current limitations. Sharks Pacific is working to fill data gaps precluding protection, assist with policy implementation and communication, and design more effective policy protections for sharks. We currently work in Cook Islands and Niue on both human wildlife conflict issues and national shark conservation policies, spanning roughly one million square miles of ocean, but we wish to expand. 

My project is my NGO, Sharks Pacific. Simply put, my organization serves to get more Pacific Islanders involved in marine research and conservation, and to reduce mortality of threatened sharks and rays by increasing effectiveness of policy protections (whether by traditional law or regulation). To do that, we take a holistic approach that includes local people, traditional knowledge, solid science, political savvy, visually stimulating media, strong relationships and a healthy dose of good humor. 

Importantly, we know that conservation and management of sharks and the ocean is really about managing people, and that local champions are more powerful than foreign ones. We collect data with local research assistants, alongside local fishers. We foster relationships with a variety of stakeholders including traditional leaders and government officials. Our work is always presented to communities and we discuss the results of our data with decisionmakers. We tell the good, the bad and the hilariously ugly about our research endeavors through a variety of media in an effort to inspire stewardship, raise awareness and inject authenticity into an overly filtered media landscape. We believe in real change and are unafraid to refine our approach until we achieve it.

The human dimensions of my NGO vary greatly from working with impressionable, bright-eyed students to hardened, bleary-eyed industrial fishers. I am an American, but ten years ago I moved to the Cook Islands to become a member of the Pacific community to gain insight, understanding and trust of the communities that I now work alongside. With students, for whom Sharks Pacific seeks to increase ocean stewardship and inspire STEM careers, we ask them what they want to learn and provide practical training opportunities and culturally appropriate mentorship. We also crosscheck any cultural bias with trusted local partners. For fishers, we work alongside them and listen to their perspectives and their needs. As a result, we ensure a balanced focus on their narratives in the stories we tell about shark conservation. We have also retained social scientists to conduct unbiased surveys to understand the various local perspectives for our human wildlife conflict work. We don’t believe solutions are feasible – or sustainable – without considering the perspectives of all local stakeholders. Sharks Pacific was born in the Pacific and all aspects of its programs have been built alongside our friends in the communities in which we live and work. 

As mentioned previously, managing and conserving the ocean is really about managing people. Unless we understand what motivates and drives people to change, or what underlies their beliefs and behaviors, we will not achieve the conservation changes that we seek. For example, understanding why a fisherman kills a shark he doesn’t plan to eat can help you generate solutions that may be beneficial to that fisherman's livelihood and the sharks you wish to protect. Similarly, understanding the perspectives of people whose values and cultural beliefs differ from our own, allows us to design balanced, inclusive campaigns that reach numerous communities. 

Sharks Pacific was born in the Cook Islands in 2012 while I was co- championing the Cook Islands Shark Sanctuary project alongside a team of impassioned local people.

Our efforts were part of the Rarotonga-based Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative and resulted in the 772,000 square mile shark sanctuary. The legislation afforded protection from fishing and trade to all sharks and rays within Cook Islands waters.

While extremely proud of what we’d accomplished throughout the eighteen-month campaign, I understood that the sanctuary alone wasn’t going to reduce shark and ray mortality, especially for the migratory species that may leave the bounds of the sanctuary and swim into the high seas where industrial fishing is largely unmonitored and unregulated. I recognized scientific data deficiencies in our campaign and a mismatch in perspectives of fishers and politicians. In many Western shark conservation efforts, I noticed a lack of local involvement, data gaps, and inaccuracies in media communications, which I felt precluded effective protections. A need emerged for an organization that conducted applied research that informed policy alongside locals, while understanding advocacy and the policy process. It was also critical that the organization be able to communicate culturally-sensitive, scientifically-accurate, inspiring stories from the field.

I moved to the Cook Islands ten years ago to run the shark sanctuary project. I was already a scientist, but had no shark conservation experience, and I was new to the community. I rolled my sleeves up, listened first, and learned what was necessary to be successful and to be accepted. Along the way, I was humbled numerous times, but also inspired because I’d found my niche in a previously unimaginable place. In shark research and marine conservation, I could make a difference for people and the planet. Quickly realizing there was much to learn, I embarked on a PhD to evaluate the effectiveness of the sanctuary I’d just spent nearly two years of my life to help create, while working part time learning the ins and outs of conservation policy and politics across the Pacific. I was the first person to conduct shark research in the Cook Islands and was soon training local fishers and students to assist me. Today, I’m three months away from submitting my PhD; I have pioneered an established research program in two countries and have invitations to expand Sharks Pacific into more countries in the region. I have truly found my niche. 

I am well positioned to deliver this project because it is my brainchild, my passion and the culmination of my life’s work. I am dedicated to ensuring it succeeds. Prior to moving to the Pacific, I spent a decade as a research biologist searching for new medicines in San Diego, volunteered at a field hospital in post-earthquake Haiti, surveyed Panamanian beaches alongside indigenous sea turtle researchers and sailed across the South Pacific in search of plastic particulates in the water column. My experiences engrained in me the importance of reproducible data, carefully planned expeditions and, more importantly, the perspectives of local people, whether talking about designing disaster relief systems, jungle treks or marine conservation projects. I have further honed my skills to successfully execute Sharks Pacific’s programs by running the Pacific program for Oceans 5, a marine philanthropic collaborative, where I assisted local groups and governments in designing effective conservation policies across the Pacific region, and helping them get funded. I have also designed and executed marine research expeditions in the Cook Islands, Niue and Fiji, as well as participated in rigorous science and media expeditions with National Geographic Pristine Seas and other partners. I have been fortunate to have ample speaking and media opportunities as an Explorer with National Geographic Society that includes coverage of my work in various outlets. As an AAAS If/Then Ambassador, I’ve also had opportunities to expand my outreach and mentorship capabilities, which strengthen my reach both here in the Pacific and abroad.

Running research projects on remote Pacific islands requires equal parts unwavering resilience, unflappable faith and a steady sense of humor. After a decade of thinking I’d experienced everything that could go wrong, the islands continue to impress. For example, in 2017, I’d spent months convincing the owner of the local longline fishing operation to allow me onboard for several trips. I needed to deploy the satellite tags I’d spent two years procuring onto the backs of incidentally captured sharks for my PhD. But the day before the weeklong trip, the crew got drunk and ran the boat aground, wedged into the reef. I did not have permission to go on any of the other boats. The repairs would take months and my PhD completion was going to be delayed. I was upset, but instead of wallowing, I worked with one of the local fishers to devise my own, very short longline from his small boat. We went out many nights and I managed to hone my fishing skills, deploy a few tags, and get local kids experience tagging sharks. During that time, I discussed my progress with the longline owner, who finally let me onto his other longline vessel.

In May 2018, we completed the first shark research on Penrhyn Island, the remote northernmost atoll in the Cooks. I spent two years raising the funds. There are no regularly scheduled flights or ships so flexibility with dates was essential. For nine consecutive months, I made weekly visits to the shipping offices, waiting for a ship. I had the research and outreach planned. I’d received permission from the community. Our photographer was on standby and we continued work on the home island while we waited. After months of false starts, I secured us a passage on an old cargo ship but we had only 10 days before departure! Our team was spread across the globe at the time, and it was now up to me to prepare all of our food, living supplies and research gear for a team of five, for a period of two months. We were at sea for two weeks and spent about six weeks on island; the ship was late to retrieve us. I had planned and led a successful expedition to a desolate atoll, and our team got along great and accomplished our research and outreach goals, despite complicated local politics and long days.

Just a note that I'm based in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, but there wasn't the option in the menu. Auckland is the closest major city center.

Our organization is unique because we are part of the communities required for successful shark conservation and community empowerment. We work with alongside both coastal and industrial fishers to understand their impediments to coexisting with sharks, or to implementing conservation policy, and bring that perspective into our outreach and advocacy. We look at policies not just from a perspective of what still needs to be established, but also why already established measures are failing. We are scientists who are unafraid to advocate for policy change when the data clearly points in that direction. We have gained the trust of various national governments by being not only informed, but also by being honest and open to their struggles to balance conservation and sustainable development. We are politically savvy and understand the nuances of the Pacific, but we also believe in innovation and frequently seek perspectives outside of our trusted circles to enact change.

Sharks Pacific requires institutional support to cover salaries of core staff, human resources, legal drafting and 990 form assistance, auditing services, and travel costs to establish relationships with decisionmakers and participate in regional fisheries management forums. With institutional support, we could focus on securing additional grant funding to expand and execute our programmatic activities into new countries in the region. 

We have been successful in raising roughly $200k USD/year for the past two years, while I have been working to complete my PhD.  Upon completion (this October), I will run Sharks Pacific full time. This represents a huge tipping point for us as we have more opportunities to train interested youth and engage in research, policy and outreach than we currently have the capacity and funding to support.

I will continue to seek grants to support our work from private philanthropy, international funding agencies such as UNDP, national government grants,  and through individual donations through targeted fundraising campaigns for Sharks Pacific. Sharks Pacific will also design merchandise to raise funds for institutional support. I will continue to develop and present live talks, but will work to expand the global audiences. While the primary goal of the talks is to present our approach and inspire people into action, the expanded reach also may also connection us with potential donors who may not otherwise come across our work.

We work with a number of organizations both locally and abroad. In Niue, we've partnered with Tofia Niue, a local NGO, the Government of Niue and the Niue Ridge to Reef Project, as well as National Geographic Pristine Seas, Oceans 5, the Australian Institute for Marine Science, James Cook University and the community fishing groups.

In the Cook Islands, we work with Cook Islands Government Ministry of Marine Resources, Office of the Prime Minister, Te Ipukarea Society (local NGO), Korero O Te Orau (local NGO), Moana Foundation, the Natural Heritage Trust and local schools and fishers. 

We have secured donations from philanthropists, academic institutions, government departments and individuals. We are not able to publicly list the details, but would be happy to share the information with the MIT Solve and Elevate Prize teams.

Similar to the question above (and for many of the optional questions!), we do not wish for these details to be public, but will be happy to discuss in a private forum.

Same as above.

I am applying to The Elevate Prize because it presents an unprecedented opportunity to raise the profile of Sharks Pacific and secure unrestricted funds for institutional support. The Prize would be equally important to me as an opportunity for targeted mentorship from colleagues and experts outside of my current field for cross-sectoral, creative problem solving.