TV wildlife expert Steve Backshall is headlining UK charity the Shark Trust’s flagship event “For The Love Of Sharks” later this year. The celebration evening takes place from 6-10pm on 29 November at London’s Royal Geographical Society.
BAFTA award-winning Backshall, a Shark Trust patron for the past 10 years, is known as one of TV’s busiest presenters. His career has taken him around the world investigating a wide array of species and environments, including more than 100 hours of children’s wildlife programmes with the Deadly 60 franchise and recently Whales With Steve Backshall.
Also on stage will be photo-journalist Simon Rogerson, editor of BSAC magazine Scuba and author of Dive Red Sea. He has been a patron of the Plymouth-based trust for 20 years.
The Shark Trust says more speakers will be announced as they are confirmed on its website, where tickets are available now.
The evening also offers a final chance to view the Oceanic 31 shark art exhibition. Some of the artwork is to be auctioned or raffled live at the event, while the rest will be auctioned online, all to raise funds for the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
The Shark Trust Podcast
Just launched is the first series of The Shark Trust Podcast, featuring diving patrons Monty Halls, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Rogerson along with some of the Oceanic 31 artists.
New episodes are being released once a fortnight on major podcast platforms, with full video versions available on the Shark Trust YouTube Channel.
Episode 1 is out now, with host Mark Packer chatting to CEO Paul Cox about the challenges sharks face, as is a “Bonus Minisode” in which Packer meets Rogerson at the UK dive show GoDiving.
Photo symposium in Bristol
October sees the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPotY) competition link with conservation charity Wildscreen to host a one-day photography symposium at Bristol Aquarium.
The WildPhotos event on Sunday, 13 October will be available online as well as live, with more than a dozen wildlife photographers set to participate in individual talks and panels, exploring the triumphs and challenges of nature photography and the future of the genre.
Producer and host will be WPotY jury chair Kathy Moran, formerly National Geographic’s deputy director of photography. Headlining will be well-known underwater photographer Thomas P Peschak, a National Geographic photographer and marine biologist who is also director of storytelling for the Save Our Seas Foundation. He has won 17 WPotY and seven World Press Photo awards.
WildPhotos will also feature a public display of images from WPotY’s global community on Bristol’s College Green. The event is timed to take place shortly before the city’s Wildscreen Festival, and just after the winners of the 60th WPoTY are announced on 8 October, with the flagship exhibition opening at the NHM in London three days later.
WildPhotos tickets are available online now.
Also on Divernet: Wanted: Divers’ oceanic & basking shark sightings, Shark Trust launches 5-project app, Ballesta named Wildlife Photographer of the Year again, Polar bear wins hearts in People’s Choice
