Sharks: Wonders of the Ocean at New York Aquarium

For over thirty-five years now, the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week has riveted viewers with its week-long frenzy of shark-related programming celebrating the ocean’s fiercest predator. We’re clearly all enthralled with them as much as we are afraid of them, but not many people are aware of just how diverse and dynamic sharks can be, or of the dangers that sharks themselves are in.

The truth is that shark populations are rapidly declining. Nearly 80% of oceanic sharks and rays are endangered. Join Stephanie Joseph, Curator of Education for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium, for this two-part course to discover more about these deep sea creatures and how aquariums are working hard to support shark conservation both in their exhibits and out in the wild.

You’ll start with a guided virtual tour of the New York Aquarium’s new exhibition, Ocean Wonders: Sharks!, where you are sure to gain a newfound appreciation for this often misunderstood species. Speak with experts in animal care and research about how animal keepers care for sharks at the facility, and learn about how the information they collect can support scientists tagging sharks off the coast of New York.

Wildlife Conservation Society staff will then share how the inspiration for the New York Aquarium’s largest exhibit became a passion project intent on protecting an underwater canyon ecosystem just one hundred miles from Coney Island. You’ll go behind the scenes of the Hudson Canyon exhibit, and get a real sense of what is involved in designating this important habitat a Marine Protected Area.

This is a live, virtual course hosted by Roundtable, which includes interactive opportunities and post-course recordings available for all course participants.