When: Thursday, July 10, 5 – 7 p.m.

Where: Swamp Head Brewery

This Shark Week, The Food and Resource Economics Department, Florida Sea Grant, and the Florida Program for Shark Research are partnering up for a deep dive into the latest shark research happening at the University of Florida!

Join us for a fun, family-friendly event with educational tabling and a short presentation from marine economist Dr. Andrew Ropicki on the economics behind sustainable shark fishing and the U.S. Shark Fin Ban.

Florida Sharks

For over 400 million years, sharks and their ancestors have roamed the water’s surrounding Florida’s coasts as one of the main apex predators of the deep. Over time, they have evolved into a rich, wide-ranging array of species, from the relatively small Atlantic sharpnose which only typically reaches 2 to 4 feet in length, to the massive “Contender”, the largest Great White Shark ever tagged by researchers, who weighs over 1,600 pounds.

UF Shark Research

From evolution to economics, Sharks are being researched across a wide variety of disciplines at the University of Florida!

The International Shark Attack File, maintained by the Florida Program for Shark Research (FPSR) at the Florida Museum of Natural History, s the world’s only scientifically documented, comprehensive database of all known shark attacks, with data going back all the way to 1958. The FPSR also studies shark and ray biology, evolution and current population levels and activity to help understand and conserve these unique oceanic species.

As a faculty member in Food and Resource Economics and the Florida Sea Grant marine economics specialist, Andrew Ropicki’s work primarily focuses on commercial fisheries & aquaculture management, including that of shark fisheries! By understanding the economic impacts of potential regulations and other methods of encouraging consumer demand for sustainably sourced seafood, he is able to explore the most effective ways of increasing the overall sustainability of fisheries.

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