The Waikiki Aquarium's shark research program, headed by Gerald Crow, focuses on the distribution, diet,
and reproductive biology of Hawaiian sharks and the husbandry and biology of sharks and rays in aquariums.
Recent research on Hawaiian sharks includes ecological studies of the Galapagos shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis),
gray reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos), and a dietary study of the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). In
addition, a new shark was documented in Hawaiian waters: the velvet dogfish shark (Scymnodon squamulosus).
Recent husbandry research includes a review of sharks and rays diseases, as well as water chemistry and thyroid
hormone levels in normal and goitered (enlargement of thyroid gland) sharks.
Current research projects include:
- Investigation of shark finning in Hawaiian waters
- Reproductive biology of the tiger shark in Hawaiian waters
- Research on goiter development and thyroid gland diseases in captive sharks.
