Fall 2023 41 ↑ The contents of the shark’s stomach (top). Personius, Schulte and Chapple relax at day’s end (bottom). ڿ Personius and Chapple prepare to lower the shark back into the water. SHARE SIGHTINGS See a shark off the coast of Oregon or Wash‑ ington? Help re‑ searchers learn more about these elusive animals by reporting it. Likewise, if you find a dead shark on the beach or in a net, con‑ tact the Big Fish Lab. It regularly hosts public dissection events as part of its ed‑ ucation and research efforts. Go to bit.ly/ shark-report. STAY CURRENT Keep tabs on Big Fish Lab events and activities on Instagram (@big_fish_lab). See the field work in action — minus the salt spray and shark burn — by watch‑ ing a video at bit. ly/Big-Fish-Lab. SUPPORT THE WORK Make a gift to the Big Fish Lab at beav.es/ donate-sharks. Or, contact Doug Brusa, OSU Foundation direc‑ tor of develop‑ ment for marine programs, at Doug.Brusa@ osufoundation. org or 541‑207‑ 8686 to learn more about how you can help advance shark research and hands‑on learn‑ ing opportunities for students. Oregon’s waters are home to at least 15 species of sharks, ranging in size from the brown catshark at about 2.2 feet long to the basking shark at more than 30 feet. Here’s a guide: At OSU, “we are generating new technologies no one else in the world has,” Sulikowski said. “The next step is to deploy them globally.” Sevengills, like most sharks, are ovoviviparous — they produce eggs, but the eggs hatch inside the mother’s body.The ultrasound finds no babies this time. For the last step, Schulte changes the direction of the water hose, and the shark’s stomach fills like a balloon. Schulte gets to hold the bucket that catches the vomit as it expels. This is how she’ll learn what this shark has eaten.The first burst goes straight into her rubber boots. “We equate fear in the water with sharks,” Chapple said. “But so many other things are more dangerous — like driving through Portland.” Reporters frequently call Chapple after biting incidents. He stresses that the ocean is not our environment. Even Michael Phelps or Katie Ledecky can’t compete with animals living there. We need to give sharks the same respect we’d give a grizzly bear at Yellowstone or a lion on the Serengeti. Can we learn to temper fear with appreciation and awe? Chapple and his students go surfing, knowing sharks likely are nearby. If a great white is spotted, Chapple said, he’ll be the first to return to shore. But here’s what really scares him: “My big fear is that we will miss the opportunity to understand how important sharks really are, to understand what an intact ecosystem is like.” Over two days, we bring 11 sharks on board (one got away).The last is released in eight minutes flat. Once the cradle is back in the water, most sharks vamoose. But one doesn’t move. Chapple speaks to her gently: “Remember you can swim.” She stirs. Another moment passes. Then, silent and graceful as a dancer, she vanishes. basking shark common thresher shortfin mako broadnose sevengill spiny dogfish brown smoothhound brown catshark human tope shark leopard shark Pacific angel shark blue shark salmon shark bluntnose sixgill Pacific sleeper shark white shark SHARK ILLUSTRATIONS: JESSICA SCHULTE
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