New proposed license plate promotes Oregon’s coastal sharks, supports research efforts

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A new proposed license plate supporting Oregon State University’s Big Fish Lab hopes to bring attention to Oregon’s coastal sharks.

There are 15 species of sharks that live in the Oregon Coast’s marine ecosystem, but according to the Big Fish Lab, it can be hard to fund their research.

“Funding shark research is hard. Sharks are not delicious or cuddly but they’re critically important,” said Taylor Chapple, an assistant professor and founder of the Big Fish Lab. “Our mission in the Big Fish Lab is to better understand the importance of sharks and to share their story broadly. This license plate will help us do that.”

Sharks are apex predators and are important in regulating species abundance, distribution and diversity, the Big Fish Lab said. They are also threatened by overfishing, habitat loss, climate change and pollution.

The Big Fish Lab was established in 2019 and is the first and only dedicated shark research program in Oregon.

“The 15 species of sharks off our shores help keep Oregon’s coastal ecosystems and the economies dependent on them vibrant and productive, from the crab in your pot to the salmon on your grill. Oregon’s ocean abundance is largely thanks to our sharks,” he said. “The public’s support helps us better understand these critical predators and ensure the continued vibrant oceans that define Oregon.”

The license plate, designed by Natalie Donato, a third-year Honors College student studying marine biology, features a large salmon shark front and center with two blue sharks and a common thresher shark.

“I set out to create a scene that represents the feeling of a vibrant underwater world, depicting the sharks in a more realistic form and the vivid, inspiring feeling that resonates with me when I view the ocean,” Donato said. “Capturing the flow, depth, and fluid feeling of being underwater and present with the calm, inquisitive sharks played a key role in the direction of the design, channeling that feeling from the imperfection and variation of the light beams, scars and details on the sharks, and the individual shimmering fish meant to bring the scene to life.”

License plate vouchers cost $40 with $35 of each sale going directly to the Big Fish Lab. In order for the license plate to be manufactured, they need to sell 3,000 plates.

“Our hope is that with every plate, we get closer to appreciating that sharks aren’t the mindless killers of Hollywood, but dynamic and important actors in our vibrant oceans,” Chapple said.