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Rachel Aitchison

@rachhson.bsky.social
1.6K followers 120 following 5 posts

Ray enthusiast and PhD Candidate @ Simon Fraser University in the @earth2ocean.bsky.social research group | UO 🐤 & MLML 🦈 alum

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Reposted by Rachel Aitchison
Amanda Arnold 🦈 @amandasodysseys.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
#SharkAwarenessDay Nearly 1/2 of numbfish species are threatened, yet most have <1% of their range in no-take MPAs. Explore species-level MPA coverage in our new paper: tinyurl.com/SharkRayMPA and app: tinyurl.com/sharkRayMpaExplorer @iucnshark.bsky.social #numbfishes #sharks #rays #conservation
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Amanda Arnold 🦈 @amandasodysseys.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Most shark and ray species have <1% of their range covered by no-take MPAs. New open access in @consletters.bsky.social: Sharks, Rays, & MPAs: a global assessment of MPA coverage in national waters across species ranges tinyurl.com/SharkRayMPA @nickdulvy.bsky.social @jaymatsushiba.bsky.social
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Wade VanderWright @vanderwright.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
A week from now I will be traveling across the world to Colombo, Sri Lanka for #SharksInternational2026 ! If you are interested in shark life histories and what drives population growth rates, come see my presentation @sharks-int.bsky.social #SI2026
Flyer for a scientific talk "Temperature, oxygen, offspring size, and population growth rate across sharks" to be given at Sharks International 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka May 4-8 2026. Photo of a basking shark swimming through the ocean with its mouth open.
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Amanda Arnold 🦈 @amandasodysseys.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
I’m headed to Sri Lanka in 1 week for #SharksInternational2026! Excited to see everyone’s work! If you’re interested in species’ MPA coverage, international reporting of no-take areas, or a new tool for exploring coverage for your study species/region, come check out my talk @sharks-int.bsky.social
Flyer for scientific talk titled "Sharks, Rays, & MPAs: evaluating protected area coverage across species ranges” at Sharks International 2026 in Sri Lanka, Colombo. There is a close up photo of the presenter and a photo of her swimming with two sharks.
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Rachel Aitchison @rachhson.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
If you: - are part of the ray fan club, - wonder why I post from a museum collection every few months, - are interested in the connections between morphology, ecology, and biodiversity, And are going to #SharksInternational2026, check out my talk on Monday, 4 May at 12:40! @sharks-int.bsky.social
Flyer for scientific talk titled "Ray's Anatomy: from morphological traits to ecological function" to be presented at Sharks International 2026 in Sri Lanka, Colombo. Two women hold up a guitarfish, a type of ray, while in a museum collection.
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Amanda Arnold 🦈 @amandasodysseys.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science! Grateful for the mentors, collaborators, and friends who make science stronger every day. #WomeninSTEM @rachhson.bsky.social @sfubiosciences.bsky.social @sfuscience.bsky.social
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Nick Dulvy @nickdulvy.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
New paper out today in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com by the #GlobalSharkTrends team: Bending back the curve of shark & ray biodiversity loss; Read the paper here: rdcu.be/eZ9n9 @sfu.ca @sfubiosciences.bsky.social @earth2ocean.bsky.social
Bending back the biodiversity loss curve of sharks and rays. The loss of sharks and rays to date has involved serial depletion of the largest, most evolutionary and functionally distinct species, and the increasing prevalence of smaller-bodied species that have benefited from release from predation.
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
@rachhson.bsky.social at #EEA2025 Trait-based ecology uses biological features to predict an animal’s ecology. Sharks with certain fin shapes shapes have bigger gillslits, faster swimming speeds. Can be measured from museum specimens- Rachel spent months in museums all over Europe.
Rachel standing at a lectern under her title slide
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Rachel Aitchison @rachhson.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Successfully wrapped up our third and final week measuring rays in Europe at the Natural History Museum in London 🇬🇧 huge thank you to @nhm-london.bsky.social for hosting, and thank you @amandasodysseys.bsky.social and @nickdulvy.bsky.social for helping me measure 309 rays representing 123 species!
Two women smiling at each other in front of a statue of Charles DarwinTwo scientists measuring two skates in front of a row of jars contained preserved specimens.Jars containing a preserved angler fish (left) and gulper eel (right).A scientist in a lab coat using a tape measure to measure a guitarfish on a tray.
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Amanda Arnold 🦈 @amandasodysseys.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
A bit late, but we’ve (@rachhson.bsky.social @nickdulvy.bsky.social) wrapped up our second week measuring rays across Europe. Goodbye Paris and thank you to the teams at @mnhn.fr who made it possible! 🇫🇷✨on to London 🇬🇧! @earth2ocean.bsky.social #labwork #mobulamonday #scienceinaction #womeninstem
Three researchers in white lab coats stand smiling in a specimen room, holding a Mobula thurstoni specimen. Behind them are shelves lined with tall glass jars containing preserved fish.A person gloves uses a measuring tape on a preserved ray specimen (Urobatis jamaicensis) on a lab tray. The photo focuses on the spiracles and eyes. Four people smile for a selfie with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Two researchers in white lab coats hold a large preserved guitarfish specimen (Glaucostegus cemiculus). They’re smiling in front of shelves filled with jars containing preserved fish specimens.
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Nick Dulvy @nickdulvy.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Day 1 in Museum du Naturalle Histoire du Paris #MetabolicMorphology #SharksNearMe #DulvyLabGoesOutside #LoveMuseums #RaysNeedLoveToo #Paris #Brusselles #HamburgNaturalHistoryMuseum #NaturalHistoryMuseumDeParis
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Amanda Arnold 🦈 @amandasodysseys.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Just wrapped up a great week measuring rays at the Museum der Natur Zoologie @leibnizlib.bsky.social in Hamburg 🇩🇪 for @rachhson.bsky.social’s PhD, over 135 specimens measured! 🦈✨ Next stop: Paris 🇫🇷, as our whirlwind tour through Europe’s ray collections continues @nickdulvy.bsky.social
A selfie of four researchers in white lab coats smiling around a large ray specimen on a metal table. Measuring tapes are draped across the specimen (species: Dasyatis pastinaca)Amanda standing among shelves filled with glass jars containing preserved shark and ray specimens. Several large sawfish rostra hang on the back wall. Rachel examining rows of preserved specimens in glass jars inside a zoological collection room. Large sawfish rostra hang vertically in the background.Nick and Olivia removing Ray specimens preserved in large vats.
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Sharks International 2026 @sharks-int.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
🚀 Sharks International 2026 website is LIVE! We’re thrilled to officially announce the launch of our brand new website: si2026.org This is your go-to hub for everything related to Sharks International 2026. Follow our page for the latest updates on #SI2026!
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Save Our Seas Foundation @saveourseas.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
A spectacle to behold, in the shallows, hugging this island, we see broad cowtail rays and mangrove whiprays - and looking with a close eye, few juvenile blacktip reef sharks weave between the rays. Footage by Sebastian Staines. #saveourseasfoundation #sharksandrays #conservation #videography
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Amanda Arnold 🦈 @amandasodysseys.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Always glad to celebrate my sisters in STEM! Happy International Day of Women & Girls in Science 👩‍🔬🦈- Grateful for the incredible women who have supported me and for all the amazing women scientists blazing trails and making a difference every day. #WomenInScience #WomenInSTEM @rachhson.bsky.social
Two women scientists, Rachel Aitchison and Amanda Arnold, examine a museum specimen of a reef manta ray as they prepare to measure it.
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Rachel Aitchison @rachhson.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Not yet, but I'm intrigued! Thanks for sharing!!
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Rachel Aitchison @rachhson.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
My research uses data from the book Rays of the World, museum specimens, and taxonomic papers to develop meaningful indices of ecological function. If you're a part of the ray fan club, let's be friends!
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Rachel Aitchison @rachhson.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
Wow, hi new followers 👋! I'm Rachel, a PhD Candidate with @nickdulvy.bsky.social in the @earth2ocean.bsky.social group. My research explores the ecofunctional morphology of sharks and rays, so I'm working on connecting what species look like to the role they play in their environment.
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Sharks International 2026 @sharks-int.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
OPEN CALL for Sharks International 2026 proposals for keynote speakers, themed sessions and panels, workshops, and side events 📢 🦈 Please submit proposals via: forms.gle/9EiKJVncMoa7... Deadline: 15th March 2025
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Nick Dulvy @nickdulvy.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
New summary of 2 massive recent publications documenting the status and trends of sharks, rays, and chimaeras 🧪🦈🌎 @mongabay.bsky.social news.mongabay.com/2025/01/new-...
news.mongabay.com
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Nick Dulvy @nickdulvy.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
New #GlobalSharkTrends study published in @science.org reveals #overfishing has more than halved shark & ray populations over the past 50-years causing widespread erosion of ecological function and exceptionally high extinction risk 👉Full article bit.ly/GlobalSharkTrends 🧵1/20
Scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) IUCN Critically Endangered © Masayuki Agawa_Ocean Image Bank
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Ok, this one I *do* want your help with. Making a starter pack of shark and ray scientists and conservationists. There are a lot of folks I missed, help me fill this out. go.bsky.app/Q1x1gJB 🧪🌎🦑🦈🐠
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 03/09/2024
Congrats @nickdulvy.bsky.social ! www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stor... 🦑🌎🧪🐠
sfu.ca
Royal Society of Canada bestows three SFU scholars with country’s highest academic honour
Three Simon Fraser University (SFU) scholars have been named to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) as Fellows, bringing SFU's total number of active RSC members to more than 70 researchers.    Membersh...
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 07/06/2024
If you want to present at the upcoming 7th International Marine Conservation Congress, today is the last day to submit an abstract! 🧪🦑🌎
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Monterey Bay Aquarium @montereybayaquarium.org · 02/05/2024
👾It’s finally here! 👾The community science mobile game that we’ve been working on with our fronds at FathomVerse and @mbarinews.bsky.social is now available for FREE in the Google Play and Apple App stores! Download it here: www.fathomverse.game
A school of ghostly blue and white squid float in midnight blue water, their bodies blurred by their fast movements through the sea. The each have large, round black eyes that almost seem to catch the light and reflect back in a silvery shine, long arms that are tucked in closely together to be more streamlined, and a small siphon pointed downwards and to the left. On the image is a logo for the game FathomVerse, with a caricature of a crab made of bubbles next to it.
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Earth to Ocean Research Group @earth2ocean.bsky.social · 22/03/2024
What a great weekend for E2O! The Palen & Côté labs made waves at #PEEC2024 at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre. Meanwhile, the Dulvy lab shared insights at #NEPSSVI at the Seattle Aquarium. From local invasive species to global protected areas, we are passionate about sharing our science! 🌊🦈
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Nick Dulvy @nickdulvy.bsky.social · 07/03/2024
Deepwater sharks and rays make up half the global shark and ray diversity but have been largely left in the dark for shark and ray conservation. 🦑🌍🐟   #SharksintheDark #GlobalSharkTrend bit.ly/SharksInTheD...
Velvet Belly Lanternshark (Etmopterus spinax) photographed at 20 m in Trondheim, Norway. Photo by Elias Neuman
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Amanda Arnold 🦈 @amandasodysseys.bsky.social · 08/03/2024
Happy #International_Womens_Day to these amazing scientists who provide me with *constant* support in the lab @rachhson.bsky.social @hannahvwatkins.bsky.social
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Nick Dulvy @nickdulvy.bsky.social · 06/09/2023
Super excited to welcome new PhD student Rachel Aitchison to the Earth to Ocean Research group at Simon Fraser University. She's working on "Metabolic morphology of rays"
Rachel discovers the high point of SFURachel and the Passenger Pigeon at California Academy of SciencesRachel and Amanda Arnold thrilled to find super cute SF mako sharkIts just like unwrapping a birthday pressie, opening tank of preserved shark and ray specimens at California Academy of Sciences
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