UMass Amherst Fish Ecologist Available for Shark Week

*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***

DATE:     July 11 - 17, 2021

TIME:     Regular business hours

WHAT:    Shark biology, conservation, fishing

WHO:     Andy Danylchuk, professor of fish conservation at UMass Amherst

 AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts Amherst fish ecologist Andy Danylchuk is available during Shark Week to talk about the biology, ecology and conservation of sharks.

Though sharks have often been demonized as bloodthirsty killers, in reality, says Danylchuk, “you have a much higher likelihood of getting injured in a car accident on the way to the beach then getting bitten by a shark.”

 Sharks have been on the planet for 450 million years and are an important apex predator in marine ecosystems. But extreme pressure from overfishing, sharkfinning, changes to their habitat and more, puts the health of shark populations around the world in jeopardy.

It is important, says Danylchuk, to get beyond the blood-and-gore, sensationalized view of sharks. Indeed, most sharks don’t purposely go out of their way to interact with people, and Danylchuk has worked with a wide cross-section of shark species, including Caribbean reef sharks, great hammerheads and tiger sharks. His lab is also a member of the New England White Shark Research Consortium.