MIAMI, Fla. (June 20, 2016)—Discovery Channel’s Shark Week continues Tuesday, June 28, with “Air Jaws: Night Stalker,” an epic adventure featuring UM shark biologist Neil Hammerschlag, shark photographer Chris Fallows, and shark expert Jeff Kurr. Using a variety of new technologies, including imaging sonar and special low-light cameras, they investigate how great whites actively hunt seals in the dark of night.
“I am proud to be involved in a show that focuses on the science and conservation of these magnificent predators,” said Hammerschlag, a research assistant professor at the Rosenstiel School of marine and Atmospheric Science and the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy. “Many shark populations throughout the world are in decline primarily from overfishing. Understanding the behaviors of these animals is needed to implement effective protection.”
Shark Week, which premiered in 1988, is the longest-running cable TV programming event in history. This year’s shark extravaganza kicked off Sunday, June 26, with “Tiger Beach,” a show about Hammerschlag’s research at a site in the Bahamas known for its year-round abundance of tiger sharks. With help from research collaborator James Sulikowski from the University of New England, Hammerschlag set out to answer what he calls the trifecta of tiger shark science: where do these giant sharks mate, where do the pregnant females gestate, and where do they give birth? He hopes to find answers by tagging and tracking 40 individuals across Tiger Beach.
In the show, Hammerschlag and Sulikowski used the same ultrasound imaging technology used by medical professionals on humans in order to determine the reproductive status of female tiger sharks at Tiger Beach. Determining the reproductive strategies and mating behaviors of animals is important for the conservation and management of the species.
“We are extremely proud of Neil’s marine conservation program and his work with sharks,” said Rosenstiel Dean Roni Avissar. “Marine conservation science is essential to expanding our knowledge about threatened animals like sharks and providing policy makers and resource managers with sound science for marine conservation policy.”