Conservation Conversations: Shark Ray 360
Thursday, November 13th, 2025, 6:30pm, at WAVE Foundation
Join WAVE Foundation for a conversation on Shark Ray research. Newport Aquarium Biologists Jen Hazeres and Jolene Hanna are back to discuss their continued research on the critically endangered Bowmouth Guitarfish, more commonly known as Shark Rays. Newport Aquarium was the first facility in North America to have Shark Rays and is well known for successful breeding of the species. In Spring 2025, Jen and Jolene traveled to Singapore as part of a consortium called Shark Ray 360. Shark Ray 360 is made up of researchers and biologists committed to Shark Ray conservation on a global scale. Jen and Jolene will share out information on their trip and what is currently being done to help Shark Rays in human care and in the wild.
Jolene Hanna is the Animal Health and Quarantine Manager for the Newport Aquarium. This job includes management of the Aquarium’s Veterinary Hospital which she has been dedicated to for 23 years. She came to the aquarium industry as an intern completing her Veterinary Technicians course work and has been a resource to the Newport Aquarium Animal Care Team ever since. She began working towards this career as a Marine Biology major at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. The combination of her science and medical background has been a true advantage for adapting to the world of animal care in the zoological setting.
Jen Hazeres is a senior biologist at the Newport Aquarium. Jen manages the Surrounded by Sharks exhibit at the aquarium which currently houses 2 bowmouth guitarfish (shark rays) as well as several other species of elasmobranchs. Since being introduced to bowmouth in 2005, Jen has been passionate about this species and the role aquariums play in conservation efforts of this critically endangered animal. She is the AZA studbook keeper for Rhina ancylostoma and has written first, second, and third editions of their AZA Regional Studbook, as well as the first Breeding and Transfer Plan in 2020. She is a co-author of The Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual II, Chapter 8, ‘Husbandry of Bowmouth Guitarfish’, and ‘Observations of reproductive behaviors in the Critically Endangered bowmouth guitarfish’, 2024. Jen is a participant in Shark Ray 360 (SR360), a global consortium focused on bowmouth conservation. Earlier in 2025 in Singapore, Jen co-presented the “Quick Start Guide for Bowmouth Guitarfish“, a document produced by the husbandry working group of SR360. Jen is also a co-contributor of the Bowmouth guitarfish gobal studbook through the SR360 consortium.
$25, General Admission
$20, Newport Aquarium Members & Staff, WAVE Foundation Volunteers, and Students (high school or college)
Seats are limited, register ahead using this link
RECAP OF THE PREVIOUS CONSERVATIONS CONVERSATIONS IN APRIL 2025:
Thomas More University Faculty, Professor of Biological Sciences, Dr. Christopher Lorentz, and Field Station Manager, Molly Williams share information on the current state of hellbenders in our region, what Thomas More is doing to research the species, and how their proposed conservation program will help species research in the future.
PAST SPEAKERS:
Dr. Chris Lorentz is in his 30th year at Thomas More University serving as Professor of Biological Sciences and Director of the Environmental Science Program. He teaches a variety of classes including Aquatic Biology, Invertebrate Zoology, and General Biology, among others. Dr. Lorentz also serves as the Director of the University’s Ohio River Biology Field Station. His research focuses on bioassessments of aquatic ecosystems, conservation of threatened & endangered species, and ecotoxicology. Dr. Lorentz was a former Chair of the WAVE Foundation Board and Past President of the Organization of Biological Field Stations, an international society comprising over 225 member stations from 20 countries and six continents that focuses on environmental research and public understanding of science. He was recently elected as Chair of the Ohio River Basin Alliance, a non-profit organization working to set water resource priorities for the Ohio River Basin, to sustain healthy ecosystems and communities, and to improve our water-dependent economies.
Molly Williams, manager of the Thomas More University Biology Field Station, began her career at a small liberal arts college in Michigan where she majored in Biology and minored in Spanish. During her undergraduate studies, Molly worked as a river bioassessment intern at the Biology Field Station, served as the Sustainability Coordinator for the University of Michigan Alumni Association’s family camp, and conducted her senior thesis research on the impacts of agricultural land use on stream biology. After graduating, Molly returned to the Biology Field Station to work as their first-ever, full-time staff where she oversees the Station’s STEM outreach and laboratory programs.
