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Official Sighting Classification System

Every sighting report filed by a Shark Searcher on every Great Lakes shoreline is classified under this five tier framework.

5 
Classification Tiers

0 
Tier 5 Events Issued

9,774 
Miles of Shoreline Watched

V1.0 
Protocol Version - 6/1/26

All Five Tiers

USAB-1  Unconfirmed Surface Anomaly Class B

Single observer; brief sighting; no corroboration. Something was there. Write it down.

USAA-2 Unconfirmed Surface Anomaly Class A

Multiple observers or behavioral indicators present. Notify your Patrol Lead within four hours.

PSSE-3 Probable Shark Species Encounter

Physical evidence or expert corroboration. Full report filed; HQ notified; Science Liaison assigned.

CVSE-4 Confirmed Vertebrate Shark Encounter

Photographic or biological specimen confirmed by a scientist. Immediate HQ escalation. Preserve everything

FGLS-5 First Documented Great Lakes Shark

Peer-reviewed, independently verified. Full protocol activation. The observer goes in the record books.

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