education programs. Since launching our product, we’ve sold thousands of units and are in locally owned stores throughout southwest Florida, including marinas, gift shops, aquariums, and museums. Since partnering with OCEARCH, I have joined them on several expeditions including Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Jacksonville, Florida and Brunswick, Georgia. In Nova Scotia, I witnessed the tagging of Vimy, a 1,164 pound, 12’ 9” adult great white shark. You haven’t lived life until you’ve seen a shark of this magnitude up close and personal. Why focus on sharks? Sharks are important because they are an indicator species, meaning when shark populations are healthy, the oceans are healthy, too. Sharks remove sick and weak animals, which allows for a healthier and stronger gene pool. Sharks are also important because they are apex predators, meaning they are at the top of the food chain and help balance the ecosystem. For example, sharks eat grouper, grouper eat parrotfish, and parrotfish eat algae off of coral reefs. When shark populations are unhealthy, the grouper population is more abundant, causing the parrotfish population to decline. The problem with this is that parrotfish eat algae off of coral reefs. So, when there aren’t enough parrotfish, algae can overtake the reef and the coral can die due to lack of sunlight. This could be catastrophic to our oceans. Coral reefs provide habitat for over 4,000 species of fish and provide vast economic resources for millions of people.
Looking into the future, I am planning to launch several cobranded games and children’s books with OCEARCH and other non-profit marine science organizations. All of the products promote education, conservation and healthy oceans for future generations. To learn more, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.oceanfamilygames.com or follow us on social media at Ocean Family Games. Katharine Baumgartner President, Ocean Family Games. Play Games. Save Oceans. FACEBOOK.COM/COASTALANGLERMAGAZINESARASOTA/ | APRIL 2020 | SARASOTA / BRADENTON 7