A 2000-pound female great white shark has been recently observed swimming along the US East Coast. As winter approaches, the shark has moved "further south to the Florida Keys."

As a data-centric body designed to assist scientists in the collection of "previously unattainable" data, OCEARCH aims to innovatively return the oceans to "balance and abundance." Key tools in this quest include "scientific research, education, outreach and policy," while incorporating a wide array of contacts around the world.

OCEARCH tracks marine life, including this 2000-pound female named Unama'ki, originally tagged near Nova Scotia in September. Beside sharks, OCEARCH also tracks turtles, alligators, dolphins, whales and seals. They have a cool, real-time map showing the location of certain of these animals -- a current total of 416.

But this is the good part; the feel-good stuff.

Did you know that 100 million sharks are killed annually? To this observer, that seems like a stunningly large number.

100 million?

"Save The Sharks" anyone?

But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission attributes this high death toll to "the general biology and life history of most shark species" which makes them "extremely vulnerable to overfishing." Even with federal and state protective regulations in place, shark populations are at "20%-30% of the level they were just 25 years ago."

The Florida Commission admonishes all of us to become more aware of this matter in the interest of "our own safety" and for the continued survival of "these fascinating fishes."