Profs and Pints Annapolis presents: “Keeping Sharks Around,” with David Shiffman, marine conservation biologist, environmental policy consultant, and faculty research associate at Arizona State University.

It’s the perfect talk to gear up for this summer’s Shark Week: A deep dive into efforts to protect shark species as conveyed by an expert on the complexities of marine conservation.

Join marine conservation biologist David Shiffman, an award-winning science communicator and the author of Why Sharks Matter: A Deep Dive with the World’s Most Misunderstood Predator, as he discusses his research on shark conservation and the debates surrounding efforts to save them.

You learn how sharks were swimming in the oceans before the existence of dinosaurs or trees, and have survived many global mass extinction events, but our current day’s unsustainable fishing practices threaten them like never before. They and their relatives are in more trouble than most other vertebrate animals on Earth, with nearly one out of species assessed as threatened with extinction on the “Red List” maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Shiffman, who has worked extensively with sharks, will summarize the latest research showing which sharks are in trouble, why they’re in trouble, and why the loss of sharks is bad for humans. He’ll also introduce you to the world of shark conservation policy and several of its key players, focusing on the debate between those who seek to maintain sustainable shark fisheries and those who want to ban all fishing for sharks and all sales of shark products.

He’ll bust myths about sharks and challenge popular ideas about shark conservation. It’s a talk what will leave you much more aware of what’s swimming around out there and much more able to make decisions that help ensure the survival of our world’s shark species. (Advance tickets: $12 plus sales tax and vendor fees. Doors: $15, or $13 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in.)

Image: A blue shark off Portugal. Photo by Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons.