Chris Fischer is the founder of OCEARCH, a nonprofit organization that conducts groundbreaking research on great white sharks and other apex predators through an innovative open-source research platform. Working alongside legendary Captain Brett McBride, Fischer has transformed shark research by developing techniques to safely catch, tag, and study massive white sharks—including 4,000-pound specimens—in ways no one had done before. In this episode, Fischer reveals how a single tagged shark named Mary Lee saved OCEARCH from bankruptcy, why Florida's Eastern Seaboard is the primary winter habitat for white sharks (something no one believed in 2012), and how the concept of "learned helplessness" revolutionized their ability to catch thousand-pound sharks in just six minutes. This conversation goes far beyond shark tagging—it's about building the bridge between anglers and scientists, understanding why healthy shark populations mean better fishing for everyone, and creating a replicable model for ocean conservation.
What is OCEARCH and what does it do?
OCEARCH is a nonprofit organization founded by Chris Fischer that tags and tracks great white sharks and other apex predators using an open-source research platform. The organization conducts 25 different research projects on every shark they tag, working with 49 researchers from different institutions. Fischer developed OCEARCH by combining fishing knowledge, Captain Brett McBride's catching expertise, and a scientific vessel designed to safely lift massive sharks for tagging and data collection.
Who is Chris Fischer?
Chris Fischer is the founder of OCEARCH and creator of the show Offshore Adventures. Fischer started in billfish research before transitioning to white shark conservation after a scientist told him that with only 9% of large sharks remaining, fixing the shark population was critical to saving all fish populations. Working with Captain Brett McBride, Fischer has tagged hundreds of sharks and created the Global Shark Tracker, which allows the public to follow tagged sharks in real time.
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This episode is brought to you by Star brite, the marine care products Chris Fischer and Tom rely on to maintain their vessels through thousands of hours on the water. Star brite supports marine conservation through Project Sea Safe, making them the perfect partner for conversations about protecting our oceans.
From Offshore Adventures to Saving the Ocean's Apex Predators
Chris Fischer didn't set out to become the world's leading white shark researcher. He started with a show called Offshore Adventures, focusing on billfish and the fishing lifestyle he loved. But when a white shark scientist told him that we're down to just 9% of our large sharks—and that without fixing this problem, there would be no fish left for his kids to catch—everything changed. The scientist explained how sharks act as guardians of fish stocks, controlling the behavior of every other species in the ecosystem. Fischer faced a choice: ignore the problem and risk losing the fishing lifestyle he cherished, or pivot entirely into a space he knew nothing about. What happened next involved a half-million dollars, a controversial decision to show real-time shark tracking data to the public, and one shark named Mary Lee who would save the entire operation from bankruptcy. The full story of how OCEARCH was born starts at 20:27.
The Breakthrough That Made Catching 4,000-Pound Sharks Possible
When Fischer and Captain Brett McBride first attempted to catch massive white sharks for tagging, they were completely unprepared for what they faced. These weren't fish—they were 4,000-pound apex predators that could destroy equipment and endanger the crew. The breakthrough came through relentless iteration and one critical discovery: sharks have something called "learned helplessness." When a SeaWorld scientist explained this concept to Brett McBride, it completely transformed their approach. Suddenly, they went from taking an hour to catch a 4,000-pound white shark to doing it in sixteen minutes. Thousand-pound sharks? Six minutes. The key involved understanding buoy placement, pressure timing, and the shark's natural instinct to give up when it realizes it can't escape. Fischer describes this as one of the most underappreciated innovations in their entire operation. Brett McBride's technique evolution and the learned helplessness breakthrough starts at 40:43.
Hear how a single scientific concept cut white shark capture time from an hour to just 16 minutes
Mary Lee: The Shark That Saved OCEARCH From Bankruptcy
In 2012, Fischer launched the Global Shark Tracker—a hugely controversial decision to show the public exactly where tagged sharks were in real time. He had just finished tagging 40 sharks in South Africa when he moved the ship to Massachusetts with the last half-million dollars from his TV work. A couple of white sharks had started showing up at Cape Cod, and scientist Greg Skomal needed help. They tagged two sharks, and Fischer named the second one Mary Lee after his mother, thinking it would be the last shark they'd ever touch. Then something unexpected happened: Mary Lee cruised down the entire East Coast, sticking her nose in almost every bay, river, and estuary. The entire Eastern Seaboard fell in love with this shark. When Mary Lee showed up in Jacksonville in February 2013, Fischer got a call from a second-grade teacher who explained that her students were tracking the sharks and learning math, physics, and oceanography through their movements. That moment revealed the true power of what they'd built. The complete Mary Lee story and how she transformed OCEARCH starts at 1:00:10.
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SubscribeWhy Florida Exploded With Sharks (And Why That's Actually Good News)
Tom asks Fischer the question every Florida angler wants answered: Why are there so many sharks in Florida now? Fischer's response challenges the entire conversation. In 2012, when they tagged Mary Lee and Lydia, people said there were no white sharks in Florida. None. Now we know the Eastern Seaboard of Florida—primarily between Hatteras and Canaveral—is the primary winter habitat for white sharks. But what about all the other sharks anglers are encountering? Fischer explains that more sharks don't mean the system is broken—they mean it's healing. Where there's life, there are sharks. If you're catching fish, you're going to see sharks. The real question isn't why are there more sharks, but why are there more of everything? Fischer challenges Florida anglers to shift their perspective: the sharks aren't the problem. They're proof that the ecosystem is coming back to life. He even suggests guides should embrace shark encounters rather than complain about them, because the sharks are the reason the fishing is good in the first place. The complete breakdown of Florida's shark population and what it means for anglers starts at 1:12:14.
Don't miss this one.
This conversation reframes everything you think you know about sharks and fishing.
Key Takeaways
- • Chris Fischer went from hosting Offshore Adventures to founding OCEARCH after learning we're down to just 9% of our large sharks—and that this threatens every fish population on the planet
- • Captain Brett McBride discovered that sharks have "learned helplessness," revolutionizing how OCEARCH catches massive white sharks and cutting capture time from an hour to sixteen minutes
- • A single shark named Mary Lee saved OCEARCH from bankruptcy when she swam down the East Coast and captured the attention of millions, proving the power of real-time shark tracking
- • Florida's Eastern Seaboard between Hatteras and Canaveral is the primary winter habitat for white sharks—something no one believed when OCEARCH first made the claim in 2012
- • Fischer explains why more sharks in Florida actually means the ecosystem is healing, not broken—where there's life, there are sharks, and they're the reason fishing is good
- • OCEARCH now conducts 25 different research projects on every shark they tag, working with 49 researchers from different institutions through an open-source data model
- • The organization is building a white shark research center in Jacksonville that will serve as the world's leading facility for studying the only winter habitat where people can study white sharks year-round
Final Thoughts from Tom
I've known Chris Fischer for years through his work with OCEARCH, and I've always been amazed by what he and Captain Brett McBride have accomplished. But this conversation revealed something I hadn't fully appreciated: the real accomplishment isn't just tagging great white sharks. It's building the bridge between anglers and scientists, creating an educational platform that reaches millions of people, and developing a replicable model for ocean conservation that can extend far beyond white sharks.
What Chris says about Florida's shark population is something every angler needs to hear. We're so quick to complain about sharks eating our fish, but we don't step back and ask why there are more sharks in the first place. The answer is simple: there's more of everything. The ecosystem is healing. The sharks aren't the problem—they're proof that things are working the way they should. I love how Chris challenges guides to embrace this instead of fighting it.
The Mary Lee story alone makes this episode worth listening to, but the deeper conversation about bringing anglers and scientists together is what stuck with me. Chris has laid out a blueprint for how this can work, and I hope more people in the fishing world pay attention to what he's building. Listen to the whole thing—this one goes deep.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does OCEARCH catch great white sharks?
OCEARCH uses a technique developed by Captain Brett McBride that leverages a scientific concept called learned helplessness. Once a shark takes the bait, the team uses precisely sequenced buoys positioned near the shark's face to guide it toward the ship's hydraulic lift platform. By understanding when to apply and release pressure, they can catch thousand-pound sharks in as little as six minutes and 4,000-pound sharks in sixteen minutes without harming the animal.
What is the Global Shark Tracker?
The Global Shark Tracker is an open-source platform launched by Chris Fischer in 2012 that allows the public to follow tagged sharks in real time. When OCEARCH tags a shark with a real-time tracking device, every time that shark's dorsal fin breaks the surface, it pings a satellite and the location appears on the tracker. This controversial decision to make research data immediately public helped OCEARCH build a massive community and transform shark research into accessible education.
Why are there so many sharks in Florida now?
According to Chris Fischer, the increase in sharks Florida anglers are seeing indicates ecosystem recovery, not overpopulation. OCEARCH's research revealed that Florida's Eastern Seaboard between Hatteras and Canaveral is the primary winter habitat for white sharks. More importantly, where there is abundant life and baitfish, there will be sharks. Fischer argues that healthy shark populations are proof the system is working correctly, and they're the reason fishing remains productive.
Who is Captain Brett McBride?
Captain Brett McBride is the legendary fishing captain who has worked with Chris Fischer since the beginning of OCEARCH. Fischer calls McBride the single most underappreciated person in the entire white shark research space, noting that there would be no tags on white sharks without McBride's innovations in catching techniques. McBride developed the methods that allow OCEARCH to safely catch massive sharks that no one had been able to catch before.
What happened with the shark named Mary Lee?
Mary Lee was a white shark OCEARCH tagged in Massachusetts in 2012 that Chris Fischer named after his mother, thinking it would be the last shark they'd ever tag before running out of money. Instead, Mary Lee swam down the entire East Coast, appearing on the Global Shark Tracker in nearly every major bay and estuary. The public fell in love with her, and the attention she generated saved OCEARCH from bankruptcy while proving the value of open-source, real-time shark tracking data.
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About this Guest
Chris Fischer
Chris Fischer is the founder of OCEARCH, a nonprofit organization conducting groundbreaking research on great white sharks and other apex predators. Starting with his show Offshore Adventures, Fischer transitioned to shark conservation after learning that we're down to just 9% of our large sharks globally. Working with Captain Brett McBride, Fischer developed innovative techniques to safely catch and tag massive white sharks, creating the Global Shark Tracker that allows millions to follow tagged sharks in real time. OCEARCH now works with 49 researchers across 25 different projects on every shark they tag, and Fischer is building a white shark research center in Jacksonville, Florida. His open-source approach to marine research has transformed how scientists and the public understand shark populations and ocean health.
Follow OCEARCH: @OCEARCH
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