September 2025 Speaker

RI's Great White Sharks and Growing Seal Population

The White Shark (aka Great White Shark) is an iconic species that is known throughout the
world. With females needing to reach the age of 30 or more before they can reproduce, it’s a
species that needs to be protected, consistently assessed and researched. According to the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the White Shark is considered
vulnerable with a worldwide population that is decreasing.
This discussion will focus on the white shark research that the Atlantic Shark Institute has been
conducting in RI and surrounding waters, as well as the growing population of seals that has
caught the attention of the ASI team and research partners. We will also discuss the presence
of sharks in our ecosystem, why they are important, the tagging methodology used in this
research and more.
Jon Dodd, the executive director of the ASI will join us for this presentation. He has caught,
tagged and released more than 1,000 sharks for different research projects, bringing a wealth of
real world experience to this research. He has worked with a wide variety of shark species both
above and in the water and earned a Biology degree with a fisheries focus from the University of
Rhode Island. He has also worked as a staff volunteer for the NMFS Apex Predator
Investigation, holds an Advanced Open Water Dive Certification and is a Fellow of the
prestigious Explorers Club, NY, NY.