Science Pub: Sharks Basking in Online Attention

At Dargan's Irish Pub & Restaurant, 18 E. Ortega Street

Basking Sharks were once highly abundant off the West Coast of North America. Throughout the twentieth century, increased fishing activity and targeted eradication devastated the regional population. The last formally published sighting of this understudied population occurred in 2018. In a novel attempt to address this data deficiency, Olivia Cleek, P.S.M., collected social media posts featuring Basking Shark sightings from the past 15 years. Their results provide new insights into the present-day distribution and seasonal patterns of this species on the West Coast.

Olivia Cleek has been working in animal husbandry and aquarium biology for the past ten years at facilities such as the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Waikiki Aquarium, and the California Science Center. She is currently an aquarist at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro. Her work focuses on the conservation and restoration of locally endangered species including White Abalone, Sunflower Stars, and Basking Sharks. She recently earned her master’s degree in environmental science from Oregon State University.

No tickets or reservations needed, but note that Science Pub is a popular program. Early birds get good seats, order food and drink at leisure, and enjoy a raffle to support science education and win Museum swag. Arriving close to 6:30 may land you in an overflow room or without a seat.

This event is part of the Museum’s ongoing Science Pub series of free science talks held on the second Monday of every month. For more information about Science Pub, contact Kelsey Perry at kperry@sbnature2.org.

The Basking Shark shown in the first clip of this video from NOAA Sanctuaries was observed right here in the Santa Barbara Channel.

Speaker photo by Josh Barber at Aquarium of the Pacific

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