Sharklab-Malta: Rescuing Shark Eggs and Releasing the Pups Home

Founded in Malta in 2008 by Greg Nowell, Sharklab-Malta became the first NGO in the world to rear sharks from eggcases recovered from female sharks killed in fishing gear, hatching and raising the pups in stable aquaria before releasing them back into Maltese waters, a program running since 2011. Alongside its eggcase-rescue and headstarting work, the organisation runs school and public education programs, reporting that it reached 6,545 students and released 380 shark pups in a recent year. Its 'Adopt a Shark' scheme lets the public sponsor and follow individual pups' progress, and its research helps track species like nursehound and small-spotted catshark in Maltese waters.