'Portland Press Herald' cover story features new UNE shark research

For the first time, James Sulikowski, Ph.D., professor of Marine Science, is using underwater video cameras to document sharks off the coast of southern Maine.

Sulikowski and his undergraduate students deployed the underwater cameras near Stratton Island, two miles from Old Orchard Beach. The research team chose that location because a radio receiver they placed on a nearby buoy detected a tagged great white shark last fall.

Sulikowski is trying to learn about the habits of the sharks near Maine. His work is featured in a front-page article in the Portland Press Herald. It was featured in additional stories on WCSH and WMTW.

“The goal is to get a better understanding of the ecosystem and what white sharks are coming in, and to find out how prevalent they are,” Sulikowski told the Press Herald.

Sulikowski’s video cameras – one placed at a depth of 30 feet and another at 100 feet – recorded video for four hours two weeks ago and for an hour last week.

“This work with underwater cameras is being done in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York, but no one (else) is doing it in Maine,” Sulikowski said.

Several undergraduate students assisting Sulikowski in the research are also featured in the article.

Charles Tilburg, Chair of the Department of Marine Sciences, says it’s the kind of hands on learning experience students can expect when they come to UNE.

“That’s something that we promise students and that’s something that we do,” says Tilburg. “These students are going to leave here with more experience than a lot of students in graduate programs. They’re going to understand real world problems.”