Oregon drivers may see a few fish out of water, or rather on their bumpers, in the near future. 

A new specialty license plate dubbed “Vibrant Ocean,” featuring a few species of local sharks, has just become available for pre-sale.

The plate features three sharks from the Oregon Coast, but if you aren’t well-versed in sharks or Oregon aquatic life, you may not recognize them. 

The plate was designed by Natalie Donato, an artist and third-year Oregon State University marine biology and ecology student with a focus in shark electrosensory systems. Donato explained that these sharks were specifically chosen due to their presence in the Oregon area.

On the left of the plate, there are two blue sharks. Blue sharks are some of the most common in the world and are known for being highly migratory. They’re also known for traveling in groups, called shivers, which is why two are featured on the plate.

Pictured in the center is a salmon shark. Salmon sharks are known for their ability to heat up their bodies, allowing them to chase faster prey in the Pacific Northwest’s cold waters. Salmon sharks got their name after being repeatedly spotted eating salmon from river mouths.

Finally, on the right, there’s a thresher shark. Thresher sharks are unique due to their long tails. While hunting, thresher sharks are known to swim towards their prey at a high speed, then suddenly stop and allow the momentum to carry their long tail over their body to strike and stun their prey. 

“From the blue sharks and thresher sharks seen offshore when fishing, to the salmon sharks that beach goers may see washed ashore, we chose some of the key species seen in Oregon’s oceanic ecosystems for the design, and hope that these ambassadors can highlight that sharks are more than background characters on our coasts,” Donato said.

According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, in order for a specialty license plate to be produced, it must first undergo a long approval process. First, a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit or higher education institution must submit an initial application. 

If approved, the Department of Motor Vehicles will review the organization’s proposed design and work out a licensing agreement. Once this is finalized, the DMV will issue the organization 3,100 presale vouchers. If 3,000 vouchers are sold, the plate enters full production.

According to Donato, the “Vibrant Ocean” plate was in the application and production phases for around 16 months and underwent 47 iterations, but sharks were always the core focus due to how they’re overlooked.

“We see the marine mammals, the salmon, and the birds but often don’t consider the less visible sharks in this wider ecosystem. But they do play a key role,” Donato said.

The plate was designed in conjunction with Oregon State University’s Big Fish Lab, which is the first program dedicated to the study of sharks in Oregon. 

Taylor Chapple, Ph.D, the founder and co-lead of the Big Fish Lab, says the purpose of the lab is to fight the bad reputation sharks are given by popular media such as “Jaws” and educate people on the true nature of sharks. Chapple was the mastermind behind the idea for a license plate in the first place, believing the plate would introduce Oregonians to local sharks and spark curiosity.

“We have two major goals: one is to learn more about sharks and the roles they play in our oceans and economies,” Chapple said. “But the other one is to use that information to change the narrative because the narrative for too long has been pushing fear, and that’s not how we should be viewing the role of sharks in our oceans.”

When a driver buys a “Vibrant Ocean” license plate, the Big Fish Lab gets a percentage of the profit. According to Chapple, this money goes directly to shark research and supports the Big Fish Lab.

“A big part of our mission is to change that perspective, to change that narrative about sharks,” Chapple said. “Our hope of having this license plate that is out there and available for people to see is it might make them think, even just for a second, ‘Oh wow that’s a shark license plate in Oregon, there are sharks here? Maybe I should find out some more.’”

The Big Fish Lab also holds several outreach events throughout the year, including shark dissections with a live orchestra at PRAx and Sharktoberfest, where the Big Fish Lab partners with local breweries with the aim to celebrate and educate the public about sharks.

Readers who are interested in the Big Fish Lab, sharks or a “Vibrant Ocean” license plate can check out the Big Fish Lab website to learn more.