Inspired by Women in Ocean Science- April News

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Inspired by Women in Ocean Science Shark Stewards is honoring women in ocean science during Women’s History Month by featuring stories shared by women on our team. A majority of our membership and leadership team are women (and many are scientists!), so we are hosting a series of guest essays contributed by volunteers all month. Last week’s article by Justyne Triest honored Valerie Taylor, the latest is by Molly Yoon on “Her Deepness” Dr. Sylvia Earle and Hope Spots. Inspired? Submit your own story!Women’s Ocean StoriesHope Spot in Timor Leste With Dr. Sylvia Earle #SharkWatch: New Study on Soupfin Sharks A new study by Dr. Andrew Nosal, a shark scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a professor at the University of San Diego found that every three years the same soupfin sharks return to La Jolla shores. In a 7-year long study, Nosal and the Scripps team have found that the same soupfin sharks, identified through acoustic tagging, return to the cove every 3 years. Some females, carrying 40 to 50 pups return to the protected shallows to gestate and forage.  In the 1940s and 50s the CA soupfin shark population was nearly eradicated for their large livers which are rich with vitamin A and an oil called squalene in a practice termed “livering”.  Since the synthesis of vitamin A, the soupfin sharks and sevengill sharks are no longer targeted commercially. Listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered globally, these sharks are benefitting from our MPAs. However, these and other sharks are caught by sports fishermen along the coast and in the pupping grounds of the San Francisco Bay.  Since 2016 Shark stewards has been collecting data on California recreational shark catch and dive observations in a project called Shark Watch. Learn how you can be involved .Why Are They Called Soupfins? The Soupfin Sharks’ California cousin the Leopard Shark (Triakis Semifasciata) Photo David McGuire, La Jolla Cove SMR, CA  Dive Into California MPAS Join our growing network of citizen scientist divers making and sharing observations of plants, animals, and seaweeds in our California Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) using the iNaturalist app. Check our event schedule including the upcoming Snapshot Cal Coast with the California Academy of Sciences and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, dive in and make your own observations! Data collected will be used for better management and research including trends of species affected by climate change and other human impacts.  Dive CA MPAsJaws Redux? Join Our Monthly Team MeetingMake new friends, test your shark and ocean knowledge, enter a drawing and have fun in our monthly meetings online (until COVID clears) on the last Thursday of the month at 630PM. See how to join on our events page for details and how to join. Our Best-Bad Shark Movie contest is back. Nominate your favorite and win a prize, and come watch the winner with us during our Sharktoberfest celebration this fall! Take the Shark Challenge Events March 25 , 6:30 PM Shark Team Zoom. All welcome! Go to Events for all information. March 27 9AM Southern California Chapter Beach Clean up and Survey. Cherry Beach Long Beach. April 2nd 6PM Art for Sharks Discussion with Artist Sarah Phillips and Shark Stewards April 2nd World Aquatic Wildlife Day-Presentation hosted by Lewis and Clark law School  April 15- May 2nd Sharks and Ocean Films with the International Ocean Film Festival (IOFF). Online venue and drive in on opening night! April 29 4PM Saving Sharks Through Film, Shark Panel with the IOFF. May 21, 4 PM Endangered Species Day. Conversation with experts on endangered mantas, hammerheads, whales and the endangered species act hosted by David McGuire. (all times Pacific Daylight Time)Go to Events

With your support, we keep sharks swimming and the ocean healthy. Shark Stewards is a 4 star Charity Navigator, Platinum Ranked Guidestar ranked charity as a proud project of the Earth Island Institute. We are seeking corporate sponsors and donations to support our online education series and community engagement program. Can you help? Donate Today Copyright © 2021 Shark Stewards, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.