³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻā€™s James Sulikowski weighs in on shark culling for ā€˜Menā€™s Journalā€™

James Sulikowski

James Sulikowski, Ph.D., professor of Marine Sciences at the ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ, was interviewed by ā€˜Menā€™s Journalā€™ for an article on the practice of shark culling.

Shark culling is a wildlife management concept aimed at systematically reducing a population of sharks in a given area, typically near swimming beaches or in places where numerous attacks have taken place. The thinking behind the practice is that if enough sharks are killed, particularly the largest sharks in the area, there will be less interaction with people near the shoreline.

In the article, Sulikowski explains that sharks do not intentionally bite humans, and that ā€œour motions in the water give off a similar vibration pattern as that of a distressed marine animal.ā€ He also notes that when a shark bites a human, the shark realizes that it is a mistake. ā€œEven if they do initially attack because theyā€™re looking for food, itā€™s usually a bite and release,ā€ he said.

 

To learn more about the ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻā€™s Center for Excellence in Marine Sciences, visit www.une.edu/research/msc

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions