URI marine biology crew sheds light on what sharks really eat

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WLNE) — University of Rhode Island marine biologists and students track and research sharks that live off the coast of the Ocean State, as well as their prey.

“There’s a lot of sharks that are up here. There’s more and more sharks as the populations increase, as the prey availability changes, as the water gets a little warmer,” URI professor Dr. Brad Wetherbee said.

URI graduate student Joseph Candia said sharks eat a “wide range of foods.”

“I study sharks that are filter-feeders, and they eat plankton which are really teeny tiny organisms, whether they be plant or animals, mostly animal, plankton, or zooplankton…sharks are typically carnivorous so sharks can eat fish and squid and octopi and even mammals such as seals,” Candia said.

While that menu may seem pretty long, sharks don’t eat a lot.

“It’s kind of a misconception that sharks are always out there looking for something to eat, when actually, sharks have a low rate of consumption compared to most fish,” Wetherbee said.

In fact, sharks’ rate of snacking isn’t too far off from that of the average human.

“They eat between 1-3% of their body weight per day, of the sharks that have been studied, which is really small. There are some fish like mahi mahi and cobia which eat 100% of their bodyweight in a day,” Wetherbee said.

While sharks may not be considered “picky,” they’re not looking for humans as a snack.

“Sharks really can eat a wide range, but sharks typically do have a preferred diet that they stick to,” Candia said.

“Sharks usually will never go after humans in any way– usually if there’s a bite it’s because of a misconception for another animal like a seal or a turtle,” URI marine biology student Luke Johnson said.

As much as people may think humans seem appetizing to the sharks that swim in the water, humans aren’t on the menu.