SOSF grantee Adam Barnett visits the shark centre and dives with sevengills

Adam Barnett, scholar with the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute and SOSF grantee recently visited the Save Our Seas Shark Centre in Cape Town. Adam has submitted his PhD thesis on the role of sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus) in coastal ecosystems, and published novel results on the ecology and movement patterns of sevengills in Tasmania. Adam was here to discuss future collaborative work with Alison and the population of sevengill sharks in False Bay. While he has caught, tagged and tracked hundreds of sevengills for his research, Adam hasn’t had the opportunity to dive with them, until his visit to Cape Town. Adam joined Shark Explorers on a dive with sevengills one afternoon, and although the swell was big enough to be uncomfortable and visibility < 5 meters, Adam said that it was fascinating to see ‘his’ study animals while diving in their environment, and he commented that “they look even more ancient under the water than they do on the deck of their research boat”. We look forward to working with Adam on future projects.