Lowell Lecture
Robo-Shark: How High-Tech Tags are Revealing the Secret Lives of Sharks
Date & Time
June 8, 2017 at 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Location
New England Aquarium
1 Central Wharf Boston, MA 02110
Driving Directions
Speaker(s)
Dr. Nick Whitney, Senior Scientist, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, New England Aquarium, in residence at Newport Aquarium, Newport, KY
Presenting Organization
Topics
Contact
Maggie See (aquariumlectures@neaq.org, 617-973-6596)
Have you ever thought about how much your Fitbit or smartphone tracks your behavior and wondered if scientists could use the same technology to study wild animals? Well they do. Dr. Nick Whitney has applied this technology to study sharks off the coasts of Hawaii, Florida, and Cape Cod. This new technology goes beyond the traditional goal of tracking sharks and begins to reveal what they do. Like your Fitbit, these tags can provide clues about how much energy sharks use in the wild, critical information for understanding their impact on the ecosystem.
Dr. Whitney will speak about his research, including fine-scale information on how sharks swim, rest, mate, and die. He will also explain some of the unique challenges that come with using these tags on sharks, as well as how this technology is providing crucial information for managing shark fisheries. Please join us for an exciting evening of learning about the secret lives of sharks.