There’s a lot we don’t know about sharks. Dr. Chris Lowe makes that clear. When we discussed over email potentially doing a Facebook Live discussion where he would field questions from our audience, he wanted us to know that he didn’t have all the answers.
But with new innovative technology, we’re learning more each day about shark behaviors. Dr. Lowe is at the forefront of this research. Not only does Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach track sharks geographically, there is a whole host of gizmos and doodads that can be deployed in a marine ecosystem to get information about shark behavior.
Dr. Lowe gets almost giddy when he explains his work. It’s infectious. But his work is also extremely important given the portrayal of sharks in the media. It’s typical of media outlets to wait for the next shark attack story with bated breath, only to exploit it, putting the fear of God in would-be beach goers. But the fact of the matter is sharks are wild animals, and the oceans are their habitats. Respect must be given where its due, but fear is not an adequate response. Dr. Lowe and the folks at Shark Lab are contributing to easing the hysteria by gathering hard evidence-based data.
