VERDANT x SHARK BYTES x MARECO Research Partnership
This year, we’re donating 2% of all our Shark family beer web shop sales to raise funds for shark research, right here in Cornwall.
Duh dun… Duh dun…. Yes, that’s right, folks, Shark Week is back!
Even Sharks Need Water (ESNW), the first New England IPA we ever brewed, holds a special place in our hearts here at Verdant. Since launching ESNW, we’ve had our hands full raising a whole family of sharks, all packed full to bursting with delicious Citra and Galaxy! Whale Sharks (DIPA) joined the clan a couple of years ago, and we gave birth to Baby Sharks (Pale Ale) last year. For 2025, we’re excited to bring back all three beers, alongside a new family member: THE DON, a Triple IPA (10%) inspired by the mysterious Megalodon. All four beers are available on the webshop on Wednesday, July 9th, from 10:30am!
We also have a history of getting involved in conservation projects to show our love for these incredible finned creatures. In 2023, we teamed up with filmmaker George Morris to create a special ESNW can, ‘Orcas Need (Clean Water)’. All proceeds from cans featuring a special orca jacket supported the production of his feature film, which highlighted the plight of the last two native Orca Whales in the UK. In 2024, we hosted a popular shark sand sculpture contest at our Schooners Beach Bar in St. Agnes, in collaboration with the Shark Trust, to raise awareness of their conservation work.
This year, we’re excited to announce a research partnership with Kristian Parton, Marine Biologist, Shark Scientist and founder of the successful YouTube channel “Shark Bytes”. Having studied for his degree at Exeter University, Kristian is a local legend who creates extremely in-depth yet hilariously accessible content about all things sharks.
When we approached Kristian to do something for Shark Week, he had the great idea of raising funds for some interesting projects studying Blue Sharks in the waters around Cornwall. He connected us with MARECO, an NGO based in Penzance, and together we will research how blue sharks use different parts of the water column to ensure that conservation measures in the UK are effective. The research focuses on understanding the behaviour of blue sharks during their circular migration through the Atlantic, especially when they inhabit Cornish waters from late May to early June, investigating activities like breeding, feeding, resting and pupping.
So this year we’re donating 2% of all our Shark family beer web shop sales to raise funds for MARECO to buy two different types of technology:
BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video system)
BRUV’s are waterproof GoPros on steroids. Scientists chuck them into the deep blue, loaded with bait, and then sit back and watch who shows up for the meal. It’s a non-invasive way to observe shark behaviour in their natural habitat. These cost around £600 per unit, so we’re absolutely going to achieve this target.
PAT (Pop-up Archival Satellite) tag
PAT tags are attached to sharks and record a bunch of data while they cruise around the Atlantic. They then pop off, float to the surface, and beam info back to the researchers via satellite. It’s like shark GPS meets marine Fitbit. These pieces of kit weigh in at around £2000, so we need strong sales to achieve this goal.
With our project this year, we want you to see where all the money raised goes and the positive, real-world impacts we can create together. The actual research boat trip timing is weather-dependent but we hope to be out on the water during August-September. So please keep your eyes on Kristian’s Shark Bytes Youtube channel and our socials for updates about all the good work we’re getting up to!
At Verdant, we live by the sea and love the sea. After work, you’ll often find us out swimming, surfing, or cracking open a can at a beach BBQ. We’re incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such rich marine life, and it’s something we never take for granted. Supporting shark conservation and protecting our blue ecosystems is just one way we can give back to the vitamin sea that gives us so much.
So, whether you’re diving headfirst into The Don, grabbing a four-pack of our whole family, or just fancy supporting some cutting-edge marine science, you will be helping protect one of the ocean’s most misunderstood creatures.