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Gulf State Park Pier to host Shark Week-themed programming

Dive into research and discovery with Mississippi State University experts

By MELANIE LECROY
Lifestyle Editor
melanie@gulfcoastmedia.com

Posted 7/12/23

The Gulf State Park Pier will transform into shark central July 10-14 with daily events and programming to align with Shark Week, an annual week of TV programming on the Discovery Channel. …

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Gulf State Park Pier to host Shark Week-themed programming

Dive into research and discovery with Mississippi State University experts

Shark Week at the Gulf State Pier in July.

Shark Week at the Gulf State Pier in July.

MICAH GREEN / GULF COAST MEDIA

A researcher with the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology, shows the skeleton of a shark’s jaw at Gulf State Park Pier as a part of the state park’s Shark Week.

A researcher with the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology, shows the skeleton of a shark’s jaw at Gulf State Park Pier as a part of the state park’s Shark Week.

MICAH GREEN / GULF COAST MEDIA

Alena Anderson, a researcher with the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology, removes organs from a blacknose shark specimen during a dissection for a crowd at Gulf State Park Pier as a part of the state park’s Shark Week. The blacknose shark is one of the most common sharks found on the Alabama Gulf Coast and can reach sizes up to five feet.

Alena Anderson, a researcher with the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology, removes organs from a blacknose shark specimen during a dissection for a crowd at Gulf State Park Pier as a part of the state park’s Shark Week. The blacknose shark is one of the most common sharks found on the Alabama Gulf Coast and can reach sizes up to five feet.

MICAH GREEN / GULF COAST MEDIA

Alena Anderson, a researcher with the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology, goes over the different types of fins on a blacknose shark prior to dissecting it for a crowd at Gulf State Park Pier as a part of the state park’s Shark Week. The blacknose shark is one of the most common sharks found on the Alabama Gulf Coast and can reach sizes up to five feet.

Alena Anderson, a researcher with the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology, goes over the different types of fins on a blacknose shark prior to dissecting it for a crowd at Gulf State Park Pier as a part of the state park’s Shark Week. The blacknose shark is one of the most common sharks found on the Alabama Gulf Coast and can reach sizes up to five feet.

MICAH GREEN / GULF COAST MEDIA

Alena Anderson, a researcher with the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology, removes organs from a blacknose shark specimen during a dissection for a crowd at Gulf State Park Pier as a part of the state park’s Shark Week. The blacknose shark is one of the most common sharks found on the Alabama Gulf Coast and can reach sizes up to five feet.

Alena Anderson, a researcher with the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology, removes organs from a blacknose shark specimen during a dissection for a crowd at Gulf State Park Pier as a part of the state park’s Shark Week. The blacknose shark is one of the most common sharks found on the Alabama Gulf Coast and can reach sizes up to five feet.

MICAH GREEN / GULF COAST MEDIA

Alena Anderson and Danielle McAree, researchers with the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology, measure a blacknose shark prior to dissecting it for a crowd at Gulf State Park Pier as a part of Shark Week. The blacknose shark is one of the most common sharks found on the Alabama Gulf Coast and can reach sizes up to five feet.

Alena Anderson and Danielle McAree, researchers with the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology, measure a blacknose shark prior to dissecting it for a crowd at Gulf State Park Pier as a part of Shark Week. The blacknose shark is one of the most common sharks found on the Alabama Gulf Coast and can reach sizes up to five feet.

MICAH GREEN / GULF COAST MEDIA

Posted Friday, July 7, 2023 3:02 pm

By MELANIE LECROY
Lifestyle Editor
melanie@gulfcoastmedia.com

The Gulf State Park Pier will transform into shark central July 10-14 with daily events and programming to align with Shark Week, an annual week of TV programming on the Discovery Channel.

Researchers from the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology Program will share their expertise with shark fans young and old. Learn how to identify sharks and rays in the Gulf of Mexico using preserved specimens and artifacts from the MSU collections. The researchers will also perform shark and ray dissections every day.

Each day of Shark Week will have a different topic for guests to learn about. The topics include:

Monday, July 10 – Shark and ray diversity
Tuesday, July 11 – Shark and ray biology

Wednesday, July 12 – Shark research
Thursday, July 13 – Shark and ray hunting habits
Friday, July 14 – Sharks and humans

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, sessions take place at 10 a.m. noon and 1 p.m. with dissection at 11 a.m. Sessions Tuesday and Thursday take place at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. 1 p.m. with dissection at noon.

The admission fee for Shark Week is $3 per person and includes sightseeing along the pier. Parking is $3 per vehicle for two hours, $5 for four hours and $10 all day.

Gulf State Park hosts educational events throughout the years. For more information on Gulf State Park or upcoming events, visit alapark.com/parks/gulf-state-park.