Speaker Series Talks Highlight Important Research on Great Whites and Sevengill Sharks in False Bay

Tuesday 20 November marked the third in the series of Marine Conservation Speaker events held at the Save Our Seas Shark Centre during the month of November. The talks, which are free and open to the public, aim to provide a platform for marine researchers and experts to share their knowledge and passion for sharks and marine conservation.

Alison Kock and Kay Weltz co-presented a talk about ‘Shark Spotters: safety, sightings and shark forecasting’, while Dr. Adam Barnett spoke about Sevengill Sharks as the other apex predator.

Alison Kock is the Research Manager of the Shark Spotters programme and her talk highlighted a range of methods used to mitigate the possibility of human-shark conflicts – explaining the innovative approach of the Shark Spotters programme that integrates safety, education, research and conservation. Kay discussed recent and interesting research findings regarding Great White Sharks in False Bay that could be used to enhance beach management and inform future research.

dr adam barnett

Dr. Adam Barnett, a visiting researcher from Deakin University in Melbourne and the University of Tasmania, talked about the Broadnose Sevengill Shark, a large coastal-associated apex predator with a wide temperate distribution. Dr. Barnett explained that the Sevengill Shark’s trophic position rivals that of Great White Sharks, yet in contrast to the White Shark, considerably less information is available on Sevengill Sharks. Dr. Barnett’s talk delved into the life of Sevengill Sharks and explained their role in ecosystems – highlighting conservation concerns and illustrating the value of simultaneously recording and integrating multiple types of information to better understand predator-prey relationships, the likelihood of interactions and in order to build a clearer picture of ecosystem dynamics.

megan laird

The Shark Centre held a lucky prize draw during the evening, which was awarded to Megan Laird. The prize included a Save Our Seas coffee table book and t-shirt.

On Wednesday 28 November, Meaghen McCord will talk on ‘taking the bull out of bull sharks: is there a need to conserve and protect the species in southern Africa’, while Tamzyn Zweig will speak about catch and release shark angling and combining sport, conservation and science. Seats are still available for these talks on Wednesday 28 November, which will be held from 19:00 – 21:00 at the Save Our Seas Shark Centre in Kalk Bay. Bookings are essential, so please rsvp to receive your booking confirmation to sharkcentre@saveourseas.com/sos

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and visit our website to keep up with the latest news.