Media Tip Sheet – July 2026 (Special Shark Edition)

SPECIAL SHARK EDITION: JULY TIP SHEET 🦈

Welcome to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s (WHOI) media tip sheet. Our goal is to provide an in-depth look at stories we believe are impactful or trending, and to offer WHOI experts if you’re interested in a deeper dive.

Sharks take center stage this July as we dive into the science behind one of the ocean’s most misunderstood predators. With Shark Awareness Day on July 14 and the anniversary of the film Jaws, which helped cement July as “shark season,” this is a chance to look beyond the movie myths and explore the real lives of sharks.

Sharks equipped with sensors bring ocean observation to new depths

A new study shows that sensor-equipped sharks can help improve seasonal ocean forecasting. Researchers from WHOI and the University of Miami tagged 18 blue sharks and one shortfin mako in the Northwest Atlantic, gathering more than 8,000 depth and temperature profiles from hard-to-sample regions to build a detailed view of the ocean.

When this “shark-derived” data was added to climate models, forecast accuracy improved, reducing surface temperature errors by up to 40%, especially in dynamic coastal areas. Better forecasts can support fisheries, improve coastal preparedness, and help scientists track changing marine ecosystems. Interviews with researchers are available.

Tag along in the WHOI Press Room. 

Protecting marine life starts with understanding it

For centuries, endangered basking sharks were hunted for their oil-rich livers, and the species has yet to fully recover. As their numbers decline, there is a growing need to understand their migrations and the challenges they face in a changing ocean. Using more than 8,000 days of tracking data from 37 sharks tagged near Cape Cod, a new WHOI-led study found that they consistently traveled through the deep “ocean twilight zone,” between 400 and 1,000 meters below the surface. Researchers suspect the sharks were targeting dense layers of small fish and zooplankton, which suggests these filter feeders rely not only on productive coastal waters but also on deep-ocean food webs that are increasingly threatened by fishing and warming ocean conditions. Interviews are available.

Dive into the study in the WHOI Press Room.

Images and video available for use with credit can be found here.

Take a bite out of summer at WHOI’s Ocean Science Discovery Center

An expanded shark exhibit, informed by experts, brings visitors face-to-face with the tools scientists use to study some of the ocean’s most misunderstood predators. Guests can try their hand at tagging a blue shark cutout, examine 3D prints of jaw and tooth structures that reveal how different species hunt and survive, and see how those adaptations translate into real-world behavior. The experience extends underwater through footage captured by an autonomous underwater vehicle, the REMUS Shark Cam, offering a rare glimpse of sharks in motion in their natural environment. Right next to it sits the AUV itself, still bearing a shark bite.

Interviews with shark experts and members of WHOI’s community engagement team are available.

Find Discovery Center hours and information here.

Images available for use can be found here.

Other shark stories:

• What does a shark say? Scientists capture the sounds of a rig shark
• Global research shows the benefits of tracking ocean giants for marine conservation

On the July calendar: 

• July 8: WHOI x Yawkey Foundation – Jaws on the Lawn
• July 14: Shark Awareness Day
• July 16: WHOI x Yawkey Foundation- Join us for a night of baseball!
• July 20-26: Coral Reef Awareness Week [Expect a WHOI announcement!]
• July 28: World Nature Conservation Day

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