KINGSTON, R.I. – May 6, 2025 – While some fishing boat captains may count the number of fish caught as a measure of an expedition’s success, Bradley Wetherbee at the University of Rhode Island gauges his success by the number of students he can “hook” on marine studies, careers in science, or even just the idea of college.

In 2018 the longtime professor of biological sciences began what is now known as URI Shark Camp as a way to introduce students from underserved communities to the biological sciences and to marine science programs at URI. With some former campers now at URI, and one working in the marine field at Mystic Aquarium, it seems his Shark Camp is doing just that.

This year URI will hold its sixth annual Shark Camp the week of July 21 to 25. And Wetherbee is hoping to introduce more deserving students to the ocean sciences. During the program, students fish for sharks, sail, join shark activities on the URI Kingston campus, and visit the Mystic Aquarium to see professional ocean science in action. They also receive tours of URI’s Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences and meet with professionals in the marine sciences field and alumni of the program who are students at URI.

There is no requirement to make a commitment to attend URI, or even select his specialty. Wetherbee just wants to see students open their minds to new experiences in the field — or, in this case, the ocean — that they may not have been able to try.

Each year’s “shark fleet” is limited so interested students should be able to make a commitment to participate all of the days of the camp. The program is free and transportation is provided.

A marine biology major in URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences, Savannah Woods is excited about the opportunity to help Wetherbee as a counselor this summer. Over the past year, she’s had the chance to work with Wetherbee on various shark research projects, including studies of migration patterns and shark growth.

“These projects strengthened my knowledge and passion for marine biology and for shark research,” she says. “I would recommend this program to high school students — it is a great opportunity to get hands-on exposure to marine science.”

We’re going to need a boat — and a bus

Wetherbee wanted to make ocean access and consideration of a future in ocean science possible for students who are not always able to get to the water. Putting together one of URI’s research vessels, and some buses, made that idea feasible.

“We want to spark interest in marine biology in more students and not just those who have spent summers by the ocean,” he says. “There are all different ways to get to the beach and we wanted to make a path for more students to find their way here, to give them exposure they wouldn’t have otherwise.”

The sharks definitely hook the students, he says. Once they are here, there is the added bonus of learning more about college life, too. They can begin to see that as an achievable goal.

“We want them to see URI and what our community is and what we have here and think, maybe I could do that, too,” he says. “Shark Camp gives more students a chance to learn about sharks while also introducing them to the possibility of college and opening their eyes to opportunities they may not have thought were open to them.”

To secure a spot at URI’s 2025 Shark Camp, students interested in attending should visit Wetherbee’s Shark Camp website to register. Questions, please contact Shark Camp Coordinator Aura Fajardo Grandidge afgrandidge@uri.edu; 401-874-2898 (English or Spanish).