I am an AAUS Science Diver with the California and Science Diving columnist for California  and am working with a Ph.d Candidate in Biology from San Diego State University to do a long-term study of the Sevengill sharks in the San Diego area.

  Since we are not equipped to do tagging, we have found what we think is much cheaper way to identify individual sharks: using  specially designed pattern recognition software to analyze the black freckling pattern you may have noticed on the front and dorsal sides, to identify individual sharks, much in the same way that has been used to ID individual Whale Sharks (Brad Norman).   We have set up a website that allows local San Diego divers to submit data about their encounters with Sevengill sharks, including date, time, depth, water temp. gender and size of shark, if known, and upload photos, into a database with will be part of a long-term population dynamics study of this species in San Diego.   The website is here: http://sevengillsharksightings.org/     Here is more on the project, for those who may be interested:     http://californiadiver.com/tracking-seven-gill-sharks-in-san-diego/     We have also partnered with the Shark Observation Network, run by the Shark Research Institute of Canada and the Greenland Elasmobranch and Education Group (GEERG):     http://www.examiner.com/scuba-diving-in-san-diego/san-diego-sevengill-shark-tracking-website-links-with-shark-observation-network