Most people can’t see a shark without hearing the Jaws theme song playing in the background. However, FIU researcher, Camila Cáceres, sees these creatures as beautiful, vulnerable and misrepresented. She hopes changing people’s perception of sharks can be one step closer towards protecting them.
Cáceres discovered an interest in sharks at an early age and knew she wanted to learn more about them. As a PhD student in the Heithaus Lab at FIU, she is studying shark populations in the Caribbean and small-scale fisheries while conducting research on the number one problem facing shark populations – overfishing.
With 50 percent of sharks endangered and not enough data to study them, Cáceres wants people to learn more about the diverse species and become familiar with their importance in the ecosystem to keep their population strong.
The video below dives deeper into Cáceres’ research at FIU and with Global FinPrint.
