@article{metrione_pham_price_duskin_stamper_penfold_2024, title={A novel protocol for three-dimensional mapping of sand tiger shark (<i>Carcharias taurus</i>) enclosure use in aquaria: Implications for management}, ISSN={["1098-2361"]}, DOI={10.1002/zoo.21844}, abstractNote={Abstract This study investigated sand tiger shark (STS; Carcharias taurus ) spatial use and exclusion in public aquarium enclosures using a novel protocol for three‐dimensional mapping. Fifty‐one STS were observed in 14 enclosures, and swimming pattern, depth, and location were recorded in ZooMonitor. Data were converted into quantitative, three‐dimensional representations using ArcGIS® Pro v. 2.9. All observed STS except one swam in circular patterns, and 80% ( n = 41) showed a directional swimming bias. Most STS (80%; n = 41) predominantly utilized the top two‐thirds of the enclosures, though 83% ( n = 34) of those had swimming obstructions in the bottom of the enclosure. Avoidance of obstructed areas, sections <7 m wide, as well as behavioral spatial separation, resulted in utilization of between 27% and 66% of available enclosure space. STS underutilized corners, pinch‐points, and obstructed areas requiring abrupt directional changes and instead exhibited continual, unimpeded swimming patterns. In addition, this study found no relationship between directional swimming bias or use of smaller enclosure volumes and spinal deformity, a health issue affecting 26% of STS 10 years ago but now with an incidence of 6%. Using novel protocols for three‐dimensional mapping and volume estimation, this study demonstrated that enclosures facilitating unimpeded, continuous swimming are most usable for STS and provides important information that will be useful for future enclosure design.}, journal={ZOO BIOLOGY}, author={Metrione, Lara C. and Pham, Nancy Kim and Price, Carol and Duskin, Libbie and Stamper, Andy M. and Penfold, Linda M.}, year={2024}, month={Jun} }
 @article{casola_beall_peterson_larson_price_2022, title={Influence of social media on fear of sharks, perceptions of intentionality associated with shark bites, and shark management preferences}, volume={7}, ISSN={["2297-900X"]}, DOI={10.3389/fcomm.2022.1033347}, abstractNote={Sharks, a critical component of marine ecosystems, represent one of the most threatened taxa globally. Shark conservation efforts are constrained by public fear and misperceptions. Positive social media-based outreach may provide one cost effective means to reduce fear of sharks and change misperceptions about shark bite intentionality. Using framing theory, which suggests that the ways in which information is presented influences how it is processed and the changes in perceptions that result from it, we experimentally evaluated impacts of positively and negatively framed YouTube videos on fear of sharks and perceptions of shark bite intentionality among participants from the coastal state of North Carolina (NC), USA in Spring 2020. Respondents took a pre-test, followed by a randomly assigned positive or negative video treatment consisting of ~15 min of shark week videos. Pre/post-test comparisons suggest positive YouTube content decreased fright by 24%, perceived danger by 27%, and perception of shark bite intentionality by 29%, whereas negatively framed media did the opposite. Positively framed media resulted in fewer respondents blaming shark bites on sharks, and resulted in more respondents blaming swimmers or no one. Positively framed media decreased support for lethal responses to shark bites, such as shark nets, hunting down sharks that bite people, and drum lines. The positive treatment increased support for responding with research, leaving the shark alone, and education. Negatively framed media decreased support for responding by leaving the shark alone or doing nothing and increased support for some lethal responses to shark bites (i.e., drum lines and hunting down sharks). When positive and negative treatments had different effect sizes, the positive treatments tended to be more impactful. Collectively these results suggest social media may be a valuable tool for leveraging the power of communication to promote shark conservation.}, journal={FRONTIERS IN COMMUNICATION}, author={Casola, William R. and Beall, Justin M. and Peterson, M. Nils and Larson, Lincoln R. and Price, Carol S.}, year={2022}, month={Oct} }