Andrew is a post-doctoral researcher in North Carolina focused on population and conservation genetics in hydrothermal vent communities.
David is a graduate student in Florida. He studies the ecology and conservation of sharks.
Amy is a graduate student in North Carolina studying local ecological knowledge within small scale fisheries.
Chuck is a graduate student in North Carolina focusing on apex predators and how they interact with fisheries.
Lyndell is a graduate student in North Carolina, studying the feeding ecology of cownose rays.
Iris is a graduate student in Washington studying habitat use and feeding habits of juvenile Pacific salmon and herring in Puget Sound.
Michael is a graduate student in Maryland investigating the visual systems of mantis shrimp.
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By David Shiffman, on October 6th, 2011
 Captain Bill, image from SharkManOfCortez.com  Meet Captain Bill Goldschmitt, an author, blogger, and commercial shark fisherman. Captain Bill is a passionate, opinionated, and influential man in the world of shark conservation and management. Unfortunately, the opinions that he chooses to passionately share are wildly incorrect. Captain Bill is a leading proponent of many ideas that have no basis in reality, including the notion that shark conservation efforts lead to an increased danger for humans from shark attacks.
He repeats this idea often on his blog. In recent months, he has written that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has declared “open season” on Florida bathers by even considering new shark protection efforts, pleaded with Shark Week to focus more on how dangerous sharks are and less on their dwindling numbers and ecological importance, and compared shark conservationists to those who apologize for al-Qaeda terrorists.
Continue reading Does shark conservation result in more shark attacks?
By David Shiffman, on September 22nd, 2011
Check out my interview with Kristen “Dr. Kiki” Sanford on Twit TV’s “Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour!
By Andrew David Thaler, on August 1st, 2011
By Andrew David Thaler, on August 1st, 2011
 Including our very own David Shiffman (aka WhySharksMatter)!
You’ve seen them on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, Animal Planet, Nat Geo and the BBC − they are the top shark experts in the world! Now meet them in person for lunch or dinner, learn why they love sharks, and why sharks need protection!
More than 50 of the world’s top shark experts are allowing themselves to be auctioned to raise funds for the Shark Research Institute’s conservation programs. Up for auction are dinners (or lunches) with the world’s foremost shark experts. Each winning bidder has the unique opportunity to “talk shark” face- to-face, one-on-one, with a real authority on sharks.
Continue reading Shark Experts and Shark Celebrities are being Auctioned during Shark Week
By Andrew David Thaler, on August 1st, 2011
Love it or hate it, it’s the only week long holiday devoted to nature’s most misunderstood predator. Here’s a little documentary to clear up some misconceptions:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCpKp73kJtI
By David Shiffman, on August 10th, 2010
Disclaimer: Both the Southern Fried Scientist and I received a media care package from the Discovery Channel containing a t-shirt, an adopt-a-shark packet, and DVDs of two of the premieres. While I still have some criticisms, I wanted to start this review by saying that this year’s Shark Week was a lot better than any from the past few years. Before I review each premiere I need to acknowledge that I watched all of them at their later air times, not when they originally aired. The content of each premiere is the same, but I did not see the same commercials as everyone else, I never saw the Oceana PSA, I saw very few Craig Ferguson interludes, and I don’t know if there were any pop-up ads during the shows. This was an unavoidable inconvenience and hopefully doesn’t bias my review too much.
Continue reading Shark Week 2010: A big step in the right direction!
By David Shiffman, on August 10th, 2010
Charlie, WhySharksMatter, and BlueGrassBlueCrab watch Shark Week and are amazed to see how high those Great Whites can jump
By David Shiffman, on August 2nd, 2010
Shark Week began last night, and many readers and friends have already asked me what I thought about the first premieres. Just like last year, I am waiting until all of the new premieres have aired, and then I will write a complete review of all six.
~WhySharksMatter
By David Shiffman, on August 2nd, 2010
Throughout Shark Week, the Shark Research Institute is hosting a fundraiser. You can bid to meet various “Shark Celebrities”, and winners can join them for a meal, a face-to-face discussion, or in some cases a trip into the field to interact with sharks!
The shark celebrities being auctioned include scientists, filmmakers, authors and conservationists. Unless you are willing to travel to their location, bid on a local shark celebrity. The bidding is open throughout Shark Week. To learn more, please see the Shark Research Institute website.
~WhySharksMatter
By David Shiffman, on May 21st, 2010
The online shark science community has been critical of the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” in the past because some of the documentaries promote fear of sharks at a time when we should be promoting respect and conservation. According to the Dorsal Fin blog, this year is looking like it will bring us more of the same, though one particular story won’t be covered because it happened so recently. Since Shark Week is starting to be discussed again by the blogosphere, I am re-posting all of last year’s Shark Week coverage. This includes an interview with the Discovery Channel’s Senior Science Editor (originally here), a detailed evaluation of each of the Shark Week specials (originally here), and ten suggestions for how to improve future Shark Week programming (originally here). All of the original comments are preserved at the old site.
Continue reading Last year’s Shark Week coverage
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Meet Captain Bill Goldschmitt, an author, blogger, and commercial shark fisherman. Captain Bill is a passionate, opinionated, and influential man in the world of shark conservation and management. Unfortunately, the opinions that he chooses to passionately share are wildly incorrect. Captain Bill is a leading proponent of many ideas that have no basis in reality, including the notion that shark conservation efforts lead to an increased danger for humans from shark attacks.
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