David Shiffman

15 things I’m proudest of in 15 years of science blogging

January 26, 2024 David Shiffman

Blogging

Today marks 15 years of blogging for Southern Fried Science! In that time, I’ve written over 600 blog posts on a huge variety of topics, and spread the good word about shark science and conservation. I’d like to celebrate the occassion by looking back on 15 things that I’m proudest of during my time as … Read More “15 things I’m proudest of in 15 years of science blogging” »

I was the entertainment at a 5th birthday party: A new favorite science communication gig

January 24, 2024 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Popular Culture

I recently got an incredible opportunity to do some public science engagement. My friends’ daughter, who absolutely loves sharks, was turning 5 and having friends over for a shark (and pirate, and octonauts) themed birthday party. And she wanted to know if I would be willing to attend and answer the kids’ questions about sharks. … Read More “I was the entertainment at a 5th birthday party: A new favorite science communication gig” »

Lessons learned from teaching the public about shark science and conservation: Insights from my SICB Plenary

January 18, 2024January 18, 2024 David Shiffman

Academic life, Education, Featured

In January 2024, I presented the John Moore Lecture at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology conference. The aim of the Moore plenary is to offer the society a new perspective on science education, and my talk was entitled “You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Engagement Strategy: Lessons Learned from Teaching the Public About Shark … Read More “Lessons learned from teaching the public about shark science and conservation: Insights from my SICB Plenary” »

“The Shark is Broken” is a Broadway-loving shark scientist’s dream come true

October 2, 2023January 4, 2024 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Popular Culture, Reviews and Interviews

A new Broadway show based on the making of Jaws, co-written by and starring Robert Shaw’s son, is some of the most fun I’ve had at the theater in years. Wearing my finest elasmo-swag to the theater “Jaws” changed the world, with scientific, cultural, and political impacts that continue to this day. Jaws made the … Read More ““The Shark is Broken” is a Broadway-loving shark scientist’s dream come true” »

Oh Hell No: Ten Years of SharkNado

August 16, 2023January 4, 2024 David Shiffman

Featured, Popular Culture, Reviews and Interviews, Science

Summer 2023 marks an important cultural milestone. That’s right, it has now been ten years since the release of SharkNado, which became a full-blown franchise with six movies, tens of millions in ad revenue and merchandise sales, real-world references in the floor of Congress, and near-universal awareness- all things that are otherwise unheard of for … Read More “Oh Hell No: Ten Years of SharkNado” »

My comments on New York’s proposed new shark fishing regulations

August 14, 2023January 4, 2024 David Shiffman

Conservation, Featured, Science

Following a growing problem of mishandling of species of conservation concern, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation is proposing some new shark fishing regulations. Here is the text of the letter I sent them supporting some of those proposed regulations, and proposing additional regulations. A dead sand tiger shark washed up on a New York … Read More “My comments on New York’s proposed new shark fishing regulations” »

New paper: What happened to the world’s first certified sustainable shark fishery?

June 26, 2023 David Shiffman

Conservation, Science

In 2011, the world’s first fishery for sharks was certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council*. The British Columbia spiny dogfish fishery made major news in fisheries management and ocean conservation world, where the possible existence of sustainable shark fisheries has been debated intensely. A few years later, the fishery voluntarily withdrew their certification, and never publicly said why.

I wanted to know what happened with this scientific mystery. So, with the help of Chuck Bangley and Catherine Macdonald and funding support from the Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship program, I organized a research expedition to find out. The results of our expedition can be found in our new paper (LINK,) (OPEN ACCESS AUTHOR COPY) but in this blog post, I’d like to explain what we did, what we found, and why we think it’s important.

One year of “Why Sharks Matter:” What’s different in shark science and conservation now?

May 24, 2023 David Shiffman

Conservation, Science

One year ago today, my book “Why Sharks Matter: A Deep Dive with the World’s Most Misunderstood Predator” was released. Science moves (relatively) rapidly and changes often, with new discoveries every day, and the conservation landscape is similar. This means that it is impossible for anything written about these topics at a discrete moment in time to remain accurate forever.

So, in the interest of accountability, in the interest of continuing to make my book useful for public education about shark science and conservation even as the science and policy landscape changes, and in the interest of keeping notes for myself for any future updated versions of the book, I have been keeping track of things that I wrote at the time that are no longer true, or weren’t quite right at the time. (Please note that some of these facts and figures were already out of date at the time the book was pubished, but that was well after the final text was turned in).

22 things scientists learned about sharks in 2022

December 16, 2022 David Shiffman

Science

2022 has been a weird year for humans, but it was a very interesting year for sharks! Shark species representing 90% of the global shark fin trade got listed on CITES Appendix II, which will require strict regulation, documentation, and dramatically improved sustainability of their fisheries. The once-every-four-years Sharks International conference was held in Valencia, Spain, and recordings of all talks are available until summer 2023. And sharks even made it into one of those “what Fox News is showing instead of current events that are bad for Republicans” memes!

There were also a lot of fascinating scientific discoveries, which this post will round up for you. As always, this is not meant to be a “best” or “top” list, so if your science isn’t included here please do not send angry letters. This is just some cool stuff I learned this year thanks to my amazing colleagues, in no particular order. Whenever possible I’ll also provide links to further reading on the topic. I hope you enjoy!

Soon may the explainer come: Everything you’ve always wanted to know about sea shanties but were afraid to ask

November 22, 2022January 8, 2024 David Shiffman

Featured

The hot new thing on the internet is the latest revival of a centuries-old musical tradition. The humble sea shanty has taken the internet by storm, with remixes of remixes getting millions of views. The phenomenon written up in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and CNN, and inspired an SNL skit.

As a marine biologist who learned to sing many of these songs to pass time on research vessels while honoring maritime traditions, I’ve loved watching this style of music spill all over my social media feeds, letting a new generation experience them. (Watch this man’s skepticism quickly fade to joy as he listens to Wellerman and tell me it’s not one of the purest things you’ve ever seen).

Illustration of sailors hauling on halyard, from an article on sailor chanteys. Image from W Symons, via WikiMedia Commons

However, reading people’s explanations of why Sea Shanties are The Next Big Thing has made me realize something important: I didn’t know as much of the history of this style of music as I thought I did, and I’m not alone—much of the information contained in the articles I linked to above is oversimplified or even incorrect (Wellerman is a maritime song, but isn’t really a sea shanty, for one egregious example). As I began to ask around, I realized that there isn’t a single authoritative and thorough article about the history and culture of the sea shanty written for lay audiences anywhere on Al Gore’s internet. So I decided to dig into the literature, speak to experts, and write one myself. I hope you enjoy it!