8 



PERSPECTIVE 



Figure 6 The experimental shark facility at the Mote Marine Laboratory consists of a 

 circular channel (foreground) 24.4 m (80 ft) in diameter, connected by a 3.0 m X 6.1 

 m (10 ft X 20 ft) gated flume to circular pool 15.2 m (50 ft) in diameter. An electric 

 hoist and observation platform above the flume permit efficient handling and observa- 

 tion of sharks up to 4.6 m (15 ft) in length. 



1973, Gilbert 1976). Most important, however, is the need for adequate 

 financial resources for research that will provide us not only with a better 

 understanding of the biology and behavior of sharks but also with a 

 knowledge of the many constructive uses to which man may put them 

 (Gilbert 19686). 



THE PERSPECTIVE 



A symposium, organized by Dr. Glenn Northcutt, was held in New Orleans 

 June 3-4, 1976, on recent advances in the biology of sharks. It was the 

 consensus of participants that the shark is a highly successful vertebrate— 

 a splendid creature— admirably adapted to its environment and one from 

 which we may learn much about our own rich structural and functional 

 heritage. Let us therefore place the shark in perspective, for few are 

 dangerous and, in the process of learning to cope with them, we will find 

 that sharks contribute to a better understanding of humans and of some 

 of the ailments that plague them. 



