U.S. shark-research group gets federal exemption for N.S. expedition

Florida-based shark researchers Ocearch are heading to Cape Breton this week, with the permission of the Canadian government, to kick off a Nova Scotia expedition.

The team of scientists will fly into Sydney on Tuesday from a number of American states. They will head to their boat in Louisbourg and will wrap up the expedition in Lunenburg on Oct. 6.

John Kanaly, communications manager for the group, said they've been working closely with the federal government and Canadian Border Services Agency to get approval. Team members will follow a strict protocol upon entering the country.

"Ocearch is taking [COVID-19] extremely seriously … we are taking very strict measures to make sure everybody is as safe as possible," Kanaly said.

The ship sleeps 22 people, including crew. Everyone will get tested for the virus and will have to submit their negative test results prior to entering Canada.

Local volunteers will drive the group to the ship in Louisbourg, where the group will enter isolation.

The volunteers are required to follow the same public health guidelines as the researchers, and to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms after they drop off the group.

"They're a community that we've ... established connections with in the past to support us during these expeditions," Kanaly said.

Once on board, there are only specific days certain members can get off the boat.

"No one except for the list of people that the Canadian government has is allowed on or off the ship," Kanaly said.

CBSA has set up a direct hotline in case anyone starts to feel ill or exhibits COVID-19 symptoms.

There is an area on the ship to quarantine in the event of illness.

CBC News reached out to CBSA for comment Saturday but had not heard back by Sunday afternoon.

This year's expedition is a continuation of the work Ocearch started in 2018, and the trip will support close to 20 research projects across North America.

Kanaly said it's far more efficient than if each project had to handle and sample their own sharks.

"Every shark tagged or sampled will be one of the most comprehensively examined and studied sharks in the world," he said.

Researchers will look at the reproductive and population health of white sharks, understanding how they're utilizing the province's waters, and identifying what bacteria they carry in their mouths.

But this year's expedition will be different than previous years, Kanaly said. COVID-19 restrictions mean they won't be able to engage with Nova Scotians the way they normally would.

All of Ocearch's community outreach will be done through their social media channels this year.

"We love opening up the ship to folks while we're at dock so that they can come aboard and see what it is that we do," he said.

"We can teach them about it and really inspire them to care about their oceans. Unfortunately, this year, that's just not something we can do."