The organization, in collaboration with Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station -- the country's oldest West Coast marine lab -- landed an internal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant for basking shark research this week.

Steven G. Wilson of Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station applied for a grant with another scientist and Van Sommeran. The three will co-author a study of basking sharks in the Monterey Bay area, Van Sommeran said. While basking sharks had never been tagged with transmitters in the Pacific until recently, Monterey Bay is considered a potential basking shark hot spot as there was a former commercial and sport harpoon fishery for baskers in the bay until they went commercially extinct in the mid-1950s, Van Sommeran added.

Despite nearly 50 years of not being fished, the population of basking sharks remains relatively low along the California coast, Van Sommeran said.

A basking shark was found and tagged in Southern California near the Coronado Islands earlier this month by researchers with NOAA fisheries.

The sharks are found around the world but are seen mostly near shore in warm waters. They often feed along the San Diego coast, where there is ample plankton to eat, Wilson said. Before the June 6 tagging, a basking shark had never been tagged in the Pacific Ocean, Van Sommeran said.

Wilson, who declined to say how much the NOAA grant is for, said it will cover the costs of three electronic tags and several days of boat and spotter aircraft time.

"The tags will be deployed from one of Sean's boats and the grant would cover his fuel and personnel costs," Wilson said. "I'm looking forward to working with Sean and we hope to use the funds to learn more about the habits and habitats of a California native that may be at risk."

The Pelagic Shark Research Foundation, based in Moss Landing, has tracked and tagged sharks including great whites for 20 years.

"It's a really important opportunity to gather information," Van Sommeran said. "We hope to get tags out this first year."