Sustainability / POSTED 11-May-2023

OCEARCH® Tags, Names White Shark in Honor of Relationship with Yamaha Rightwaters™

KENNESAW, Ga. – May 11, 2023 – During its 45th Expedition, OCEARCH, a global non-profit ocean research organization, recently tagged and named a new white shark in honor of its relationship with Yamaha Rightwaters™. “Umi,” which translates to “sea/ocean” in Japanese, is a 13-foot, 3-inch female weighing approximately 1,225 pounds. OCEARCH will track Umi through the Global Shark Tracker™ in an effort to learn more about how white sharks contribute to healthier oceans.

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“Our goal during this expedition is to meet mature animals off the Southeast United States before they head north for the summer, and we’re happy to include Umi in our studies. The shark swam around the ship for hours before we finally were able to sample, tag and release her,” said Chris Fischer, Founder and Expedition Leader, OCEARCH. “Our research with Umi helps reflect Yamaha Rightwaters’ commitment to environmental stewardship and scientific research. We’re excited to track her progress.”

In August of 2022, Yamaha Rightwaters announced a three-year agreement with OCEARCH to power its chase boats with Yamaha outboards. The first boat has twin 300-horsepower Yamaha V6 Offshore outboards, while two additional boats have Yamaha F150 and F60 power. Yamaha is now the official outboard of OCEARCH.

Though known for biological studies of keystone marine species such as great white and tiger sharks, OCEARCH conducts a wide variety of research with the goal of promoting healthy oceans. The Yamaha-powered vessels further this research, and Yamaha Rightwaters also directly supports OCEARCH research of microplastics in the ocean. 

Follow Umi’s progress through the OCEARCH Tracker.

OCEARCH is a global non-profit organization conducting unprecedented research in order to help scientists collect previously unattainable data in the ocean. The organization’s mission is to accelerate the ocean's return to balance and abundance through fearless innovations in critical scientific research, education, outreach and policy using unique collaborations of individuals and organizations in the U.S and abroad. Recognized as a world leader in generating scientific data related to tracking (telemetry) and biological studies of keystone marine species such as great white sharks, tiger sharks and more, OCEARCH provides a free open-sourced Global Shark Tracker™ and app that allows scientists, educators and fans alike to learn about the movements of our oceans’ animals.

To learn more about OCEARCH, visit ocearch.org.  

Yamaha Rightwaters is a national sustainability program that encompasses all of Yamaha Marine’s conservation and water quality efforts. Program initiatives include habitat restoration, support for scientific research, mitigation of invasive species, the reduction of marine debris and environmental stewardship education. Yamaha Rightwaters reinforces Yamaha’s long-standing history of natural resource conservation, support of sustainable recreational fishing and water resources and Angler Code of Ethics, which requires pro anglers to adhere to principles of stewardship for all marine resources.

Yamaha’s U.S. Marine Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Ga., is responsible for the sales, marketing, and distribution of Yamaha Marine products in the U.S. including Yamaha Outboards, Yamaha WaveRunners®, Yamaha Boats, G3® Boats and Skeeter® Boats. Supporting 2,400 dealers and boat builders nationwide, Yamaha is the industry leader in reliability, performance, technology and customer service.

REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear. 

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