Coolidge Corner Theatre Brookline, MA
Dr. Greg Skomal
Aquatic Biologist
Jaws— The Truth About Great White Sharks and Why We Fear Them
Program Description
A discussion of the truth about great white sharks and why we fear them.
Presented At
Coolidge Corner Theatre Brookline, MA
Film Synopsis
When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist, and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it.
When a leviathan of a great white begins making snacks out of the good people of Amity Island, it's up to Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), grizzled fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw), and ichthyologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) to capture the killer beast. The physical scars these men boast and brandish seem like paper cuts when compared to the carnage inflicted by the teeth of their intended prey. Will these men have what it takes to reel in the horror that awaits them beneath the waves? One thing is for certain; they're going to need a bigger boat. Now considered one of the greatest films ever made, Jaws won three Academy Awards and spawned three sequels.
About the Speaker
Dr. Gregory Skomal is an accomplished marine biologist, underwater explorer, photographer, aquarist, and author. He has been a senior fisheries biologist with Massachusetts Marine Fisheries since 1987, and currently heads up the Massachusetts Shark Research Program (MSRP). He is also adjunct faculty at the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a guest investigator at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and an adjunct scientist with the Center for Shark Research in Sarasota, Florida. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island and a PhD from Boston University. Through the MSRP, Dr. Skomal has been actively involved in the study of life history, ecology, and physiology of sharks.
His shark research has spanned multiple fish habitats around the globe, taking him from the frigid waters of the Arctic Circle to coral reefs in the tropical Central Pacific. Much of his current research centers on the use of acoustic telemetry, satellite-based technology, and animal-borne imaging to assess the physiological impacts of capture stress on the post-release survivorship and behavior of sharks. He has written dozens of scientific research papers and has appeared in a number of film and television documentaries, including programs for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, ESPN, and numerous other television networks. He has been an avid scuba diver and underwater photographer since 1978. Although his research passion for the last 25 years has centered on sharks, he has been an avid aquarist for over 30 years, having written 11 books on aquarium keeping. His most recent book is The Shark Handbook.