I am an interdisciplinary researcher focusing on individual-based modeling, policy development, and social science, centered on basking sharks in Ireland.

• PhD Dissertation
• Master’s Thesis (Read the resulting publication here)

For information about basking sharks and their conservation history, view this page.

Individual-Based Model Of Basking Sharks As A Case Study Of Model Communication For Policy (PhD Dissertation)

I completed my PhD in September 2023.

I developed an individual-based model (IBM) of basking shark behavior in the North Atlantic. I used this model as a case-study on model use in policy. I am currently developing useful guidelines for modelers, to improve model communication and increase IBM use in policy development.

My full dissertation is available here. You can also view a one-page summary of my results below:

Support for basking shark tourism in Donegal, Ireland (Master’s Thesis)

In 2018, I conducted sociological research on public perceptions of basking sharks and shark tourism in Buncrana, Donegal.

That’s kind of a mouthful.

What I really did was spend two weeks in tropical Buncrana, walk along the beach and local trail with perpetual puppy eyes and asked people to fill out my survey. I was aided by the unseasonably warm weather and the Irish Open which kept people outside and happy, respectively.

Why did I do this?  Well, the prior I was doing cursory research on basking sharks in the UK and Ireland. Every summer, they feed on plankton along the continental shelves of Europe. They are often sighted by kayakers and fishermen and are easily viewed from the land. Scotland even has a tourism operation that features basking sharks prominently. They’re called- wait for it- Basking Shark Scotland.

Similar to Scotland and England, basking sharks visit Malin Head, Donegal, every summer.  What is Malin Head, exactly? It’s the most northern point of Ireland, located in a fairly remote, though absolutely stunning, area of Donegal. It is also the end of the Wild Atlantic Way, a scenic highway that runs along the entire west coast of Ireland.

If you are a Star Wars fan, you may recognize Malin Head, as some scenes from The Last Jedi were filmed there. This has led to an increase in tourism in the region, though this is not without problems.

Notice that I did not mention any company called, for instance, Basking Shark Ireland? That’s because it doesn’t exist. In fact, at Malin Head, the only mention of basking sharks I saw was a sign by the parking lot that not a lot of people were reading. Furthermore, when I did a survey of AirBnB and Hotel websites (located within a 30 minute drive of Malin Head) in late 2017, only a single hotel website mentioned basking sharks.

For comparison, 100% of hotels and 40% of AirBnB websites mentioned amenities, such as pubs, cafes or art centers. 87.5% of hotels and 40% of Air BnBs mentioned the Wild Atlantic Way, while 100% of hotels and 34% of Air BnBs mentioned either “beautiful” or “Scenic” views.

Notably, while no hotels mentioned Star Wars, 34% of Air BnBs did. Because Air BnB skews towards local owners (i.e. local individuals renting out rooms or a summer cottages), I think that demonstrates a desire to find something that sets Malin Head apart from the numerous “beautiful” and “scenic” views along the Wild Atlantic Way.

In the course of my research, I became curious about a few things:

Are people of aware that basking sharks visit Irish waters every summer? 

And do they think people will pay to view them either by boat or by land?

Does this effect their support for shark conservation? 

So I decided to go to Buncrana, Donegal to find out. I chose Buncrana because it is a beach town (I use this loosely, as it is always raining in Ireland) on the Wild Atlantic Way. It is also the last “big” town before Malin Head, and many people stay in Buncrana and day trip North.

I surveyed both residents and visitors, and asked them a slew of questions such as:

Are you aware of sharks in local waters? 

On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you pay to view basking sharks from a boat? 

How likely is it that tourists will pay to do the same?

Do you support basking shark conservation?

And so on, for four pages (Protip: tell them it’s two pages front and back, somehow it sounds shorter that way). Thankfully, most people were more than willing to help out a poor student. I’m currently in the process of data analysis, so I can’t confidently discuss what exactly my data says yet, but I can talk about what it can be used for.

I find that most people didn’t know basking sharks were found in local waters, but lack of knowledge did not correspond to a lack of conservation support (in fact, conservation support was quite high). I also found that there was a significant link bet.

I also demonstrated that people are likely to pay to view basking sharks, and believe that tourists will pay to do the same, demonstrating an untapped tourism market. However, when speaking with the tourist office in Buncrana, I was informed that no boats take people out whale or dolphin watching, let alone basking shark watching. There was a significant correlation between support for basking shark conservation and with a belief that others will pay to view basking sharks.

Notably, this research demonstrates public support for basking shark conservation, which can be used to help make changes to Irish law, as basking sharks are currently not protected in Ireland. Policy makers do love numbers.

Note, this is just a small case study. I can’t extrapolate my data to the entire population of Ireland, however I can say something about tourism in this small, but fast growing, area of Donegal. I’d certainly have loved to survey all of Ireland, but there are always limits to time and funding.

View the full thesis here.

Abstract: Basking sharks visit Ireland during the spring and summer season, but are not currently featured heavily in advertising material, much of which often highlights coastal wildlife. Comparatively, basking shark tourism is well established in Scotland. No studies have been done to determine support or opposition to basking shark conservation or interest in basking shark tourism in Ireland. In order to determine this, 173 residents and visitors to Buncrana, Ireland, were surveyed in the summer of 2018. Respondents were asked knowledge questions about basking sharks, were asked to rank their interest in basking shark tourism and their belief that others would pay to view basking sharks, along with support for shark conservation. A Pearson’s Chi Square was run on the questions, in order to determine significant correlations between support for conservation, interest in shark tourism, and belief in others’ interest in shark tourism. Results indicate that knowledge of basking sharks is low, however, support for basking shark conservation and interest in basking shark tourism is high. Furthermore, individuals who support conservation were significantly more likely to believe that others would pay to view basking sharks. This study indicates that there may be a strong, if untapped, tourism market for basking shark viewing in Donegal.