WTOP Guide: How regional sharks feed (VIDEO)

Two sand tiger sharks circle the water beneath the catwalk behind the scenes at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. This species exists in salt waters along the East Coast, including in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. (WTOP/Paul D. Shinkman)
A sand tiger shark circling while aquarium staffers prepare its food. Click on the right arrow to see videos of the tanks and feeding. (WTOP/Paul D. Shinkman)
Behind the Scenes at the National Aquarium Alan D. Henningsen, fishes research specialist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, takes WTOP on a behind-the-scenes tour of the shark facilities. This catwalk hangs directly over the shark tanks visible in the main atrium of the National Aquarium. Check out these videos as Henningsen discusses sawfish, sand tiger sharks and sandbar sharks, and takes us through a feeding. (WTOP/Paul D. Shinkman)(WTOP/Paul D. Shinkman)
Henningsen and Heather Renee, an intern at the aquarium and student at UNC Wilmington, prepare to feed the sharks and document their habits. (WTOP/ Paul D. Shinkman)
How to Feed the Sharks Henningsen explains the method for feeding the sharks. Working with his assistant Heather Renee, an intern from UNC Wilmington, he meticulously documents everything the sharks ingest and how they behave. Sharks will steal food from one another, so if any eats more than its daily allotment, the staff will have to adjust its food the following day. He uses a long piece of PVC pipe with wire attached to the end to position the food in a way the sharks would naturally come across it. (WTOP/Paul D. Shinkman)
Sand Tiger Shark As Henningson prepares the bait, an 8-foot sand tiger shark begins to circle beneath the catwalk. (WTOP/Paul D. Shinkman)
Takes the Bait The 8-foot sand tiger shark takes the bait. This species is indigenous to regional waters off the coasts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. (WTOP/Paul D. Shinkman)
Sawfish Henningsen takes WTOP around the catwalk to the sawfish tank to feed these 9-foot creatures. Originally, these members of the ray family could be found in waters off the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia coasts, but their toothy snouts -- used to spear fish and for self-defense -- were often entangled in fishing nets. Fishermen would usually opt to cut the snouts off and leave them for dead. (WTOP/Paul D. Shinkman)
Alan Henningsen is a fishes research specialist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Sharks carry a stigma that they are "mindless killing machines," he says. "Part of what we try to do is dispel those myths. They are predators and they have very important functions." (WTOP/Paul D. Shinkman)
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Paul D. Shinkman, wtop.com
Tw: @ShinkmanWTOP

BALTIMORE – Dangerous, 9-foot sharks are in the waters of the Washington area.

Fortunately, they’re isolated and under constant observation.

The National Aquarium‘s locations in D.C. and Baltimore serve as a clearinghouse for shark-related information. They provide an opportunity for visitors to see a variety of species up close and for staff to conduct research on their in-house specimens.

In the wake of shark-killing fury spurred on by the 1975 movie “Jaws,” the aquarium also serves as a repository for information about a misunderstood beast that is critical to the entire marine ecosystem.

“They’re designed to be predators, that’s what they’re good at,” says Alan Henningsen, fishes research specialist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. He explains that parts of the nation, such as California and Florida, witness higher incidence of shark attacks due to greater numbers of people in the water and a larger variety of sharks. Beaches along the coasts in D.C., Maryland and Virginia have fewer of all of these factors.

Still, sharks carry a stigma that they are “mindless killing machines,” he says.

“Part of what we try to do is dispel those myths,” he says. “They are predators and they have very important functions.”

Henningsen took WTOP on a behind-the-scenes tour of a shark and sawfish feeding at the National Aquarium’s Baltimore location. Check out video and pictures in the gallery at right. Some species at the aquarium still exist in regional waters.

The sawfish, however, used to be found off regional beaches on occasion, but its population suffered due to commercial fishing. This member of the ray family has a toothy snout — used to spear fish and for self-defense — which was often entangled in fishing nets. Instead of untangling them, fishermen usually would opt to cut the snouts off and leave them for dead, Henningsen says, causing their numbers to dwindle. See a video of the sawfish feeding in the gallery at right.

Learn more about how sharks contribute to oceans and rivers here.

Follow WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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