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Conrad Speed, marine ecologist

Conrad Speed's work sheds light on the secret lives of reef sharks living at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia.

My research is important because …

Reef shark populations are declining worldwide due to overfishing and the increasing demand for shark fin. As major predators on coral reefs, sharks play an important role in structuring communities of reef fish, and promoting biodiversity. My research provides information on shark movements and behaviour, which is vital for environmental managers to make informed decisions on the best way to manage shark populations.

My most memorable day at work was …

There have been so many, such as: taking photos of whale sharks for individual identification, spending all night tracking reef shark movements, and observing reef sharks and manta rays being cleaned by cleaner fish at a cleaning station. One of the most memorable days was taking tissue samples from tiger sharks that were feeding on a whale carcass.

My biggest disaster/disappointment in the field was …

I think having my arm bitten by a lemon shark has been my low point to date. It was a painful and embarrassing experience, especially seeing as though it was the first shark we had caught for the season, and we had an audience of tourists watching us on the beach.

At school I was …

A fairly quiet and reasonably studious kid. However, I spent a lot of my time playing the guitar hoping to become the next Jimi Hendrix / Eric Clapton / Joe Satriani.

I wish I hadn't …

Neglected to firmly attach my underwater camera to my buoyancy control device on a dive during the last shark tagging trip in Palau.

One thing people don't know about my work is …

Working with sharks is an exciting and rewarding experience. However, field work is only a small component of my work. A large part of what I do involves analysing huge datasets. Strong analytical skills are essential to succeed in this field of research.

A typical day is …

Hmmm, I'm not sure that I have a 'typical' day. When in the field I'm up early and either out on the water trying to retrieve equipment to download data, or tagging sharks. When in the office, my time is divided between number crunching and reading / writing.

My biggest achievement in the field has been …

Gaining a better understanding of the secret lives of sharks, which are often elusive and difficult to observe. It's very difficult to manage and conserve something if we don't know what makes it tick.

I'm always being asked …

Are whale sharks whales or sharks? For the record, they're sharks.

One day, I would like to …

Explore the ocean depths in a bathysphere. Any eccentric billionaires out there want to give me one?

In the next life, I'd like to come back as …

Probably something that is listed as being critically endangered, like a southern bluefin tuna. Although, this might mean I end up as the most expensive plate of sashimi on the planet.

My secret non-science obsession is …

I still play the guitar.

Conrad Speed is a PhD candidate at Charles Darwin University. His PhD, which is a collaboration between CDU and the Australian Marine Institute, studies the long-term of reef sharks including black tip (Carcharhinus melanopterus), white tip (Triaenodon obesus) and grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos). He spoke to Abbie Thomas.

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