Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and Vulcan Incorporated have announced their participation in Global FinPrint, a three-year study of sharks and rays in coral reef systems around the world.

The Global FinPrint survey will be funded by Paul Allen and Vulcan will provide the open-access database platform to the researchers.

In the study led by Dr. Demian Chapman of Stony Brook University, Long Island, N. Y., researchers will place a baited remote underwater video (Bruvs) in more than 400 locations to observe and count sharks and other marine animals as well.

Researchers during the survey will cover coral reef systems in the Indo-Pacific, tropical western Atlantic, southern and eastern Africa and Indian Ocean islands.

According to FinPrint, one quarter of reef sharks and ray populations are facing the threat of going extinct, and researchers are yet to determine the status of the rest.

The study researchers hope that their findings will surely help create a dataset so they can produce the first standardized survey of shark, ray and skates in coral reef environments.

Open-access database platform provided to researchers by Vulcan will help researchers share and use information to better understand and protect shark habitats.

Chapman said, "Global FinPrint will help us better understand one of the ocean's great mysteries: What is happening with fragile marine ecosystems when sharks are removed?"

The Global FinPrint survey uses technology called 'Bruv' to take one hour of underwater footage, capturing marine life. Bruv's consists of shark bait with one or two GoPro cameras.

One of the scientists on the project, Dr. Mark Meekan from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, said they chose particularly sharks for the study because they were uniquely vulnerable to human pressures.