A celebration of one of the ocean’s most ferocious predators is going swimmingly at a north-east aquarium.
The annual two-week Shark Season at Macduff Marine Aquarium on the Banffshire Coast is aimed at educating families about the role of sharks in the ecosystem and promoting conservation.
A central feature of the initiative is helping the public look beyond the creatures’ fearsome reputation sparked by films such as Jaws.
To date, hundreds of visitors have taken part in a series of talks, workshops and activities at the centre.
The project follows a shark school programme, which offered more than 300 primary schoolchildren the opportunity to get to grips with sharks, skates and rays.
Last night, the aquarium’s manager, Claire Matthews, heralded the success of the festival so far.
She said: “The first half has been great. The dogfish dissection has been fascinating.
“The opportunity to look inside a shark does not come up very often.
“Sharks hold a fascination for us anyway, but they come in so many shapes and sizes. Our smaller ones are no less interesting for their diminutive size.
The highlight of this coming week’s events is a talk by Dr Caroline Barelle from Aberdeen University about her research into the antibodies found in shark blood, and the role they could play in medicine.
Dr Barelle is hosting a session on Saturday, October 22 before the festival concludes the following day.
