Ryan Johnson (marine scientist)

Infobox Celebrity
name = Ryan Johnson


image_size = 225px
caption = Ryan Johnson
birth_date = birth date and age|1977|01|30
birth_place = Tauranga, N.Z.
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Marine Biologist, Television host
salary
networth =
spouse = Unmarried
residence = Mossel Bay, South Africa
website = [http://www.ryan-johnson.org Ryan Johnson homepage]
footnotes =

Ryan Johnson (30 January 1977) is a marine biologist specializing in researching sharks. He is best known for the shark documentaries that he features in and hosts.

Biography

Early life

[http://www.ryan-johnson.org Ryan Johnson] grew up in the coastal town of Mount Manganui, New Zealand. As an avid sailor, rower and snorkler, his passion for the oceans was established early. Growing up his other passion was Rugby where he gained his provincial age group colours and represented Tauranga Boys'College's 1st IV in 1993 & 1994 as a flanker.

South Africa

In 1998 he moved to South Africa, from his native New Zealand, to pursue a scientific career researching the Great White Shark. At the University of Pretoria he conducted his honours, masters and doctoral theses. During this time he spent a year living on Dyer Island where he began his research into the Great White Shark's life history. In 2007, he co-founded the South African Marine Predator Lab (SAMPLA)with three colleagues.

Personal life

At present, Ryan lives in Mossel Bay, South Africa where he conducts research as a Scientist in Residence at [http://www.sampla.org SAMPLA]

Research highlights

Ryan was part of the first South African team to successfully attach a satellite transmitters to a great white shark on 24th July 2001.⁸ His major scientific discoveries have been the satellite tracking of Nicole (a 3.6m great white shark) on a return migration from South Africa to Australia and back²¹, and documenting the Great White Shark hunting Cape fur seal at night time, a previously unknown behavior.

Between 2001 and 2005 Ryan conducted research on the controversial practise of chumming great white shark for tourism, often called cage diving, where he [http://www.sampla.org/downloads/16.pdf discovered evidence of conditioning] , however he did not link this to incresed numbers of attacks on humans11,13

In January 2008 he led a pilot study to Ponto Do Ora (Mozambique) on the Zambezi shark, also known as the Bull shark²².

Television programs

Between 1998 and present Ryan has featured as a marine scientist in numerous documentaries including Naked Science (National Geographic)¹⁵, Earth Investigated (National geographic), Animal Camera (BBC) and After the Attack (Discovery Channel). Since 2006 he has hosted Shark Tribe with Dave Salmoni (Discovery Channel)³, Sharkville (National Geographic)^5,6,7,17,18 and Shark Pit Mystery (National Geographic) ²⁴. In 2008, Ryan was a guest on Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer, The O'Rielly Factor with Bill O'Rielly²⁵, Fox and Friends, Inside Edition and Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld¹.

Ryan has appeared locally on South African television in productions such as [http://www.pasella.com/episodes/688656.htm pasella] ²³, 50/50, Carte Blanche and the Big Question debate show.

* [http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/sharkville-3657/Overview#tab-Overview Sharkville - National Geographic] ²

While on a study in Sharkville, a shark-infested area off Africa's coast, shark expert Ryan Johnson made the discovery of a lifetime, great whites hunting at night. For the first time on film, witness this remarkable sight

* [http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/wild/3518/Overview Shark Pit Mystery - National Geographic] ²⁴

The discovery of what native Mauritian diver and keen naturalist Hugues Vitry calls 'shark pits' is the origin of unanswered questions about the unusual behavior of sharks in underground caves off the coast of Mauritius. Why do dozens of sharks aggregate in these pits? Why do they act so strangely while there? In a bid to answer these questions, Hugues teams up with shark scientist Ryan Johnson. We join them as they enter the underwater world of Mauritius to explore the mysteries of 'The Shark Pit.

* [http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/sharks/sharkweek/ontv/sharktribe/index.shtml Shark Tribe- Discovery Channel] ³

Rogue Nature's Dave Salmoni and world-renowned shark scientist, Ryan Johnson, journey to the wild tribal shores of New Ireland, New Guinea, to unravel the mysterious secrets of the shark whisperers who "call" in sharks without bait and catch them by hand

External links

* [http://www.sampla.com South African Marine Predator Lab]
* [http://www.ryan-johnson.org Ryan Johnson home page]
* [http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=166924190 Ryan on Myspace]
* [http://www.carcharias.org Carcharias]

Scientific articles

* [http://www.sampla.org/downloads/31.pdf Rodent induced damage to pine plantations]
* [http://www.sampla.org/downloads/30.pdf Delayed response to affrostation impact by small mammals]
* [http://www.sampla.org/downloads/29.pdf Developing techniques and precedures for large shark telemetry]
* [http://www.sampla.org/downloads/17.pdf White shark abundance not a causative factor in shark attack incidence]
* [http://www.sampla.org/downloads/16.pdf White shark cage diving - Cause for concern?]
* [http://www.sampla.org/downloads/15.pdf Seabird predation by white sharks and Cape fur seals]
* [http://www.sampla.org/downloads/13-14.pdf Transoceanic migrations of a white shark]
* [http://www.sampla.org/downloads/23.pdf White sharks relationship to esturary and river openings]

Photographs

* [http://web.mac.com/fionaayerst/Fiona_Ayerst/ryan/ryan.html Photographs by Fiona Ayerst]

References

1* [http://www.bestweekever.tv/2008/07/25/watch-red-eye-tonight-monday-as-i-am-hosting Best week ever - Watch red eye tonight and tomorrow as I am hosting!]
2* [http://news.nationalgeographic.co.uk/news/2008/07/080725-sharkville.html Great White Shark Filmed Breaching at Night - A First]
3* [http://tv.yahoo.com/show/42062/photos/1 Papua New Guinea with shark callers]
4* [http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/spyonthewild/interviews/johnsonbio.html Animal Planet interview]
5* [http://www.courant.com/entertainment/tv/hc-tveye0725.artjul25,0,802799.column National Geographic Sheds Light On Sharks; 'NOW' Interviews Edwards]
6* [http://www.sharksavers.org/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=314 100 MILLION EXPECTED TO VIEW NEW MOSSEL BAY SHARK DOCUMENTARY ON NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC]
7* [http://video.aol.com/video-detail/jaws-up-close-and-personal/1950408056 JAWS -Up close and personal]
8* [http://www.microwavetelemetry.com/Fish_PTTs/whiteshark.php Satellite tracking great whites]
9* [http://www.insideedition.com/storyprint.aspx?SpecialReportID=1929 Night fishing for shark - Inside Edition]
10* [http://www.wildfilmnews.org/displayNewsArticle.php?block_id=659 SHARKVILLE - WildFilmNews]
11* [http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/11-28-2005-82567.asp Cage-diving Craze Raises Fears of Increase in Shark Attacks]
12* [http://www.epherald.co.za/herald/news/n04_24072008.htm Shark documentary puts Mossel Bay on the map]
13* [http://www.discoveryinitiatives.co.uk/resources/news_pdf/18.pdf SNACK FOOD FOR SHARKS]
14* [http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/News/Article.aspx?id=804959 Sunday Times - Shark tale is a rather shallow story]
15* [http://rocketrights.tv/catalog/science-programs/human-and-biological-science/sharks Naked Science - Sharks]
16* [http://www.whitesharkfestival.org/education.html White Shark Festival]
17* [http://montereybayaquarium.typepad.com/sea_notes/2008/07/great-whites-at.html Montery Bay Sea Notes - Great Whites at Night]
18* [http://www.homecomingrevolution.co.za/hcrblog/?p=733 SA doccie to feature on National Geographic]
19* [http://www.streetnewsservice.org/index.php?page=archive_detail&articleID=531 Sharky Stories - The Big Issue]
20* [http://wetmail.co.za/index2.php?option=com_yanc&act=archive&task=view&cid=36&Itemid=26&no_html=1 JOINT SHARKLIFE/SAMPLA ZAMBEZI SHARK DISCOVERY PROJECT]
21* [http://whitesharkid.org/migration/main.html South Africa - Australia - South Africa, Nicole's trip]
22* [http://oceanicdreams.com/sharktales.pdf Zambezi shark discovery project]
23* [http://www.pasella.com/episodes/688656.htm Pasella - Die witdoodhaai se mense]
24* [http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/wild/3518/Overview Shark Pit Mystery - National Geographic]
25* [http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24075475-5001021,00.html Interview with Bill O'Rielly]