First up, e-meet Dr. Bryan Keller - @elasmobryan Bryan currently studies sharks at the Florida State University Shark Lab. Now, let's dive into his interview.
Q.) If you woke up as a shark tomorrow, which species would you be and why?
What a tough question! I am going to go with Carolina hammerhead, Sphyrna gilberti. This genus is extremely derived and one of the newer group of sharks on an evolutionary time scale. As such, they have some incredible adaptations that make them stand out. Obviously their cephalofoil is the biggest.
From a research standpoint, I am very interested in the function of the “hammer.” We know there is a huge sensory advantage put forth and they also use it for hunting, but what about navigation? Part of my dissertation is focused on determining if sharks use the earth’s magnetic field as a compass during navigation. Due to their sensory abilities, the hammerheads are the most likely sharks to exhibit this behavior. So that is why I would pick a Sphyrnid, but why a Carolina? Carolina hammerheads are poorly studied and extremely cryptic. So much to learn! That is a big part of why I am fascinated by them.
Q.) What advice do you have for someone wanting to study sharks or want to take part in conservation activities? Any tips/tricks on what to avoid?
Just about every person in the world feels some sort of emotion when you say the word “shark.” As someone who works in the “shark field,” we are met very often by young students who want to study sharks – I was one of them. My advice would be to develop a passion that is not superficial.
When I started off, I knew I wanted to study sharks because I thought they were cool. Someone asked me one day what I wanted to study about them and I had no idea. Before you approach potential advisors about working with them studying sharks, I recommend you have a solid research proposal in place. This shows your interest for working with sharks runs deep and you have given some serious thought to the career. In all likelihood, you will not end up studying the same topic as you wrote about in the proposal, but the effort you put into it will hopefully pay off.
Q.) What actions or conservation milestones are you working toward? What’s an ultimate goal for you and your work?
Right now my big project is focusing on magnetic-based navigation as discussed in other prompts. Other parts of my dissertation work include studying how climatic variations affect migration (a good proxy for how climate change may affect coastal sharks) and where bonnethead sharks give birth (which has huge implications for the conservation of the species). As a Ph.D. candidate under Dr. Dean Grubbs, I am also involved with projects related to improving fisheries management for sawfish, hammerheads, and deep-sea sharks.
My career goal is to continue to conduct research that will fill biological gaps necessary to properly managing and conserving vulnerable marine and estuarine fishes.
Q.) Do you feel there has been a change in how the world views sharks? In your experience has this “Shark stigma” been more positive or negative?
I do believe the stigma surrounding sharks has become increasingly positive in the last decade or so. I would say this is true of most environmental issues, as we, as a society, are becoming more aware of our impact on the planet. In certain situations, I have encountered people who carry the idea that “the only good shark is a dead shark,” but that is pretty rare. These individuals generally do not understand the environmental importance of sharks (or really anything) and carry this hate out of ignorance. This is why outreach can be so important!
Q.) Any shark research you are working on or particularly excited about that other people/groups are doing?
Since earning my undergraduate degree I have wanted to determine if sharks use the earth’s magnetic field as a compass. Over the last couple decades we have seen countless examples of sharks exhibiting some form of site fidelity or philopatry. These behaviors mean the sharks are returning to specific environments, like a beach or nursery, over time. Very common examples of philopatry are salmon or sea turtles, returning to their natal streams or beaches to give birth. For these taxa, we know they use the earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate, but what about sharks?
I studied Bonnetheads for my Ph.D. - We have tagged 44 of these sharks with acoustic transmitters in South Carolina and have shown they exhibit high levels of site fidelity to specific estuaries. Individuals will undergo 1000km migrations and return to the same exact estuaries. How do they do this?! They do not have a compass, a GPS, Siri, or even a paper map, yet they maintain high levels of navigational precision. I hope to determine if they are using the earth’s magnetic field as a compass during these long-distance movements.
Q.) Who are your role models or shark heroes? Anyone you admire for their actions in conservation?
Dr. Samuel H. Gruber has to be my #1. While there were other shark researchers before him and many greats since, he really shaped the field. He started working with sharks in the 60's, but in the 90's he opened the Bimini Biological Field Station (BBFS).
The BBFS is where I did my first internships studying sharks. If these opportunities were not available to me, I would have not been able to study these animals. I also learned about my M.Sc. program through BBFS and my current Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Dean Grubbs, was Dr. Gruber’s student. Without "Doc", I surely would not be studying sharks and I cannot thank him enough for that. Unfortunately, Doc passed away earlier this year, but his memory and contributions to the field will live forever.
Q.) Where/when did your shark love begin? How did you figure out this is what you wanted to do?
I grew up in the desert and the rarity of sharks is what really drove my passion for them. I have wanted to work with sharks as long as I can remember.
Q.) Have you found success in handling people that don’t understand or agree with conservation efforts? Have you found a way to get through to people/communities that may not care about animals/the environment? (share any ‘best practices’)
I think the best way is talking to people and subtly teaching them about sharks. If you say “hey, you’re wrong” then the conversation will not go well. If you instead relate your experiences with sharks, i.e. why they are important, how they are not man-eaters, etc, then the conversation has a lot more potential to make a difference. I find showing videos of interacting with sharks is very helpful for showing people they are not aggressive.
Q.) In your opinion, what is the most impactful action that someone can take to save sharks?
As a whole, sharks in the United States are doing very well. We have the most well-managed shark fisheries in the world. This question has two ways of being answered 1) as a conservationist and 2) as an activist. In my opinion, the latter believes no sharks should be killed, while the former believes sharks can be harvested if it is done so in a sustainable matter. There is no problem being a conservationist or an activist. I am personally a conservationist. I believe sharks are a valuable resource and when managed properly, they can provide many benefits to stakeholders. In the US, people can save sharks by supporting science. For some of our research, we have to sacrifice sharks to obtain samples that cannot be gained non-lethally. While it is unfortunate, this is necessary. By killing a certain number of sharks, we can develop science to protect entire stocks. This was a hard pill for me to swallow at first. Sharks are my 2nd favorite animals (behind dogs, woof!), so killing them to protect them seemed convoluted. As I learned more, I was shown by killing them when necessary, we can save many more.
A quick example: In some years over 400,000 bonnetheads (just in the US) are killed in the shrimp fishery. If we conduct a study to better model the age and growth of this species, we can better protect their populations from decline. So, if we kill, lets’ say 100 bonnetheads, it would potentially result in policy that could reduce the 400,000 being killed per year. Seems like a great trade off. For the activist who does not want any shark to die (which again is completely fine by me!), then really limit what seafood you eat. Shrimp, as mentioned above, is a terribly dirty fishery. They catch far more bycatch than shrimp.
Eating shrimp is really inadvertently contributing to the death of millions of sharks per year.
Outside of the US it is a completely different story that could be the focus of someone’s dissertation. Protecting sharks from across the world is tough, but good ways include reducing your overall carbon footprint, supporting local non-profits focused on conservation, and supporting international regulations.
Q.) What’s your proudest moment or greatest accomplishment in regard to sharks/conservation?
Stay tuned for my research on magnetic-based navigation….because if it works out how I think it will, then that will be it!
Q.) What’s your ultimate shark or diving dream?
Oceanic Whitetips are towards the top of my list. Generally the shark I want to see most is the one I am trying to catch for research, but I have never seen an oceanic!
Q.) What advice would you give people looking to dive with sharks? What should they look out for in regard to eco tours/ shark diving companies?
Go to the Bahamas! The Bahamas has some of the best shark diving in the world. I would be very careful when selecting a dive charter to go out with. Sharks are incredible to dive with, but if the operator does not know what they are doing then there can be dangerous ramifications. Read reviews and make sure the company is reputable. I have never had any close calls, but I have avoided some operations that might have resulted in them.
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