Dana on a shark expedition in the Skagerrak

From 8 to 16 June 2026, Dana is on an survey in the Skagerrak with an international team of shark researchers, as well as scientists from the Natural History Museum of Denmark specializing in fish and small seabed organisms.

The survey is part of a broader effort to uncover the biology of the longest-living vertebrate on the planet—the Greenland shark. Among other activities, heart rate measurements are being carried out on smaller live sharks, while larger specimens are being fitted with satellite tags.

Data on Greenland sharks in the Skagerrak will contribute to larger analyses of the species’ life cycle, its physiological adaptations to a long life in cold water, as well as its migration patterns and the connections between different areas across its vast distribution range.

During the cruise, a range of seabed samples (sediment scrapes and grab samples) are also being collected to investigate so-called dark taxa,  i.e. species that have not yet been formally described. This includes, among others, meiofauna and foraminifera.

The cruise is led by University of Copenhagen and supported by the Danish Center for Marine Research (DCH) and the Carlsberg Foundation.