Samantha Renshaw's research looks at determining the effectiveness of marine protected areas for elasmobranch species like sharks, skates and rays. These areas typically exclude fishing and boat travel, but we do not necessarily know how efficient these are at conserving the species within them. Did you know we had shark species off the east coast of Canada? Well Samy will tell you a whole lot about it.

Growing up, Samy was a huge fan of shark week, but did not really see many female representation in shark science. Being a former basketball player, she did not shy away from the potential challenge it could be to pave her way in the field. But it would not take long for Samy to realize that she was not alone. During an undergraduate internship in South Africa, she met with a female Canadian scientist who was running the project and whose team was mainly composed of women. A similar situation also arose during a research project in the Bahamas. With the PhD being the next step for Samy, we are not done hearing about sharks and conservation. 

If you would like to get in touch with Samy, send us an email at ecologypodcast@gmail.com

Twitter: @SamSavesSharks