Global shark populations have experienced exponential declines for decades due to marine pollution, fisheries exploitation and coastal development. Oliver Shipley, a PhD student at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), is attempting to fill a gap within the biological information available to researchers about shark species, which has been lacking for marine biologists. He is conducting research in the Northeast Atlantic and in Caribbean coral reefs on numerous shark species – such as this tiger shark that was tagged by Shipley (pictured in stern of boat) and fellow investigators in the Bahamas. Shipley is using chemical tracers and movement technologies to identify prey resource pools and habitats of species. This will help researchers to better understand how sharks are getting their energy and what habitats help them thrive. For more about his research, see this video on Shipley’s research with the organization Beneath the Waves.
Saving the Sharks by way of Biological Research
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