James Sulikowski discusses “Shark Week” on WCSH’s “207”
James Sulikowski, Ph.D., professor of Marine Sciences at the University of New England, spoke about his tiger shark research on WCSH’s program “207,” airing June 28, 2016.
Sulikowski discussed his appearance on “Tiger Beach,” the premiere episode of this year’s Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. The show followed the journey of Sulikowski and research collaborator Neil Hammerschlag of the University of Miami as they traveled to a region in the Bahamas where tiger sharks are known to congregate. Their team of researchers, including 2015 UNE Marine Sciences graduate Carolyn Wheeler, set out to discover why so many tiger sharks gather there.
To study the sharks’ reproductive behavior, the team used an ultrasound machine similar to the technology used on pregnant humans. It’s a technique refined by Sulikowski and Hammerschlag that allows researchers, for the first time in history, to test sharks for pregnancy without killing them first.
To learn more about the University of New England’s Center for Excellence in Marine Sciences, visit www.une.edu/research/msc
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