Dr Lauren Smith
SSTP are pleased to introduce the latest member of our team – Dr Lauren Smith.
The Shark Bug
From a very early age I was fascinated by the Oceans, however growing up in West Bromwich meant shark encounters were more often experienced behind reinforced glass tanks in Aquariums than in the wild! It wasn’t until I moved to Plymouth to pursue my undergraduate degree that I could finally begin to immerse myself in the shark’s realm. Specific research projects grabbed my attention and the more I discovered about sharks, the more I wanted to find out. I can spend all day everyday reading about sharks, observing sharks, swimming with sharks and I’ll always be ready for more!
Qualifications
BSc Honours degree in Marine Biology and coastal Ecology from the University of Plymouth 2001-2004.
PhD in Marine Biology, from the University of Aberdeen 2005-2008. Thesis titled: “Behavioural and Neural Correlates of Hydrostatic Pressure Sensing in Sharks”
Shark Work
My shark work to date has covered many aspects of shark biology, primary focuses include: depth, temperature and horizontal habitation by juvenile lemon sharks using DSTs, behavioural responses to changing pressure by the lesser spotted dogfish and the evolution of the shark immune system. I have also carried out field research in the following areas: population studies of adult lemon, nurse, tiger, bull and blacktip sharks, social interactions, population genetic structure, magnetic and chemical repellents and environmental preferences of the juvenile lemon shark.
The Benefits of DSTs
The tagging of sharks is recognised as a valuable means for studying various aspects of their life history, migrations and movements, and population structure. The majority of tagging undertaken has the primary objectives of understanding migration patterns and obtaining stock assessment data. This typically involves the attachment of numbered colour coded tags to the base of the shark’s fins. If re-caught the tags are then removed and the location of recapture noted. The data obtained from this type of tagging study is important yet rudimentary; it tells us a start and end point but nothing in between. Data Storage Tags (DSTs) provide additional data on the sharks chosen habitat by logging time/date, depth and temperature. From this we can learn more about a shark’s habitat usage and can make better informed decisions concerning the protection of both the shark and its habitat.
Shark Conservation
I personally believe it is a scientist’s responsibility to make their work accessible to all. As a result of this philosophy I have been active in promoting shark research and shark perception in a positive light to the media driven by an extremely high motivation in all aspects of shark biology, this has resulted in my assuming a national, international and global consultancy role and conducting newspaper interviews, providing information for documentaries and radio shows and the creation of a personal website which is regularly being updated www.sharkiologist.com
With the current need for the protection of elasmobranchs inhabiting Loch Sunart and Etive from unsustainable exploitation the Tagathon event on 14th/15th Nov will be instrumental in bringing about a positive change and I am delighted to be part of the SSTP team and I sincerely hope our efforts will heighten awareness and positively contribute to the implementation of effective conservation strategies.
Related posts:
