Hawaii Scientists Study Threatened Shark Species
Fishing, climate change and pollution threaten many shark species. Now, scientists are getting a close look at the shark environment. They want to better understand the threats this important animal faces.
The University of Hawaii research site is on Coconut Island in Hawaii. It is just minutes by motorboat from the shore of Oahu, the most populated of the Hawaiian Islands. The facility is a good place to observe sharks, since they are native to local waters. Some are being kept in this sheltered bay for study.
Scientists also observe the behavior of sharks in the open ocean. They place a sensor device in their food to observe the digestion process. They also measure the animals. Then the researchers release the sharks with electronic tracking devices attached to their fins.
The researchers study tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, blacktip sharks and many others. They recently attached a camera to a sandbar shark to record its everyday activities.
Sharks are quick and deadly but rarely attack humans.
Carl Meyer says those rare attacks receive heavy media coverage and are dramatized in movies like 1975’s “Jaws.”
