sharks

Garrett Testut is a rising junior at Stockton University, where he studies Marine Science with a concentration in Marine Biology, and a minor in Environmental Science. He is a part of our 2023 season internship team. Originally from Connecticut, Garrett has a passion for animal care and behavior and hopes to work in the animal…

Sphyrna mokarran, or the Great Hammerhead Shark, is an endangered species within our oceans. Like many other species, these large sharks can be caught and trapped within beach nets and even fishing nets. These beach nets are used as a guard between humans and sharks, to keep as many sharks away from humans as possible….

One of the major issues facing the world’s oceans and marine species living within them is the presence of marine debris. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), marine debris is defined “as any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned…

Every year an estimated 100 million sharks are killed for the sole purpose of their fins. When sharks are caught, the fishermen who make the catch will often practice what is known as shark finning. In this practice, a fisherman will haul the shark onto the boat, cut off the shark’s fins, and toss the shark back into the water. Tossing the shark back into the water is  mainly done due to the value of the shark fin being worth much more than  the rest of the shark’s body. Shark fins are often used in the making of shark fin soup which gives the fins a value of up to $500 a pound, despite the fact that the shark fin doesn’t actually have any taste to it or add any nutritional value. Bowl of Shark Fin Soup Smithsonian Ocean This…

Sharks: Who is the Real Monster? Sarah Caplan Intern at Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center   Introduction Sharks have become one the most feared creatures of the sea, but are these fears based on false representations of them? Or are they actually cold-hearted monsters who seek the flesh of humans? Most people have…

Shark Encounters of New Jersey Arianna Nixon Intern at Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center, University of Tampa September 6, 2017* *To view the most recent shark attack data, please visit the Global Shark Attack File.   The state of New Jersey has approximately 227 km of costal land, commonly referred to as the…

“Are there any sharks in this ocean?” This is the question that always comes up while I am interning on the boat. And the answer is always yes. Sharks live everywhere in the ocean. Shallow waters, deep waters, some big, some small, some with really sharp teeth, and others with none at all. But why…

Figure 1; Credit to Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center Database; Photo taken by Victoria Reader Throughout the summer, I have been researching the patterns of the Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) in the waters of Cape May and Wildwood from this year compared to last year’s data. Last year the American and Atlantic Star…