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Shark Week on Discovery tonight

Started by scubaski , Aug 01 2010 07:11 AM

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9 replies to this topic

#1 scubaski

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Posted 01 August 2010 - 07:11 AM

FYI- Shark week Starts tonight with FLYING JAWS

http://dsc.discovery.com/

MADRE FELIZ DIA MAMÁ

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#2 drbill

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Posted 01 August 2010 - 07:27 AM

Thanks for the warning... glad I don't have TV.

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#3 georoc01

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Posted 01 August 2010 - 09:10 AM

Yeah, this kind of thing while a ratings grabber, seems to feed into an irrational fear of sharks. It seems like virtually everyone I talk to who is a non diver lists fear of being eaten by a shark as one of their top reasons for not diving and thinks I am a daredevil for even getting in the same ocean with them.

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#4 drbill

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Posted 01 August 2010 - 11:06 PM

Did hear from one SoCal diver that Shark Week was more educational tonight. Hope that is a trend.

Interestingly enough, Scott Cassell is coming out to Catalina Island for his Expedition Voyager Project Expedition Catalina. We're going to have coffee Tuesday to discuss some projects of mutual interest.

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#5 Landlocked Dive Nut

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Posted 02 August 2010 - 06:49 AM

Although there is still sensational marketing for Shark Week, many of the programs these days are geared towards science, study & education.

I've been watching a series the past few weeks where a crew off western Mexico is actually catching large great whites, getting them onto a special lift, keeping a water flow through their gills while they do measurements, blood samples, sperm samples (on the males, of course!) attaching long-term tracking devices & then safely releasing the shark. The data they are collecting goes a long way to understanding these much-maligned animals migration & breeding habits.

Most shows still feel they have to play up the danger factor to some degree - probably to keep some idiot from trying some of that stuff on his/her own!

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#6 drbill

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Posted 02 August 2010 - 08:53 AM

I've been watching a series the past few weeks where a crew off western Mexico is actually catching large great whites, getting them onto a special lift, keeping a water flow through their gills while they do measurements, blood samples, sperm samples (on the males, of course!) attaching long-term tracking devices & then safely releasing the shark. The data they are collecting goes a long way to understanding these much-maligned animals migration & breeding habits.

This work is being done by Dr. Michael Domeier. I was on a trip with him to Guadalupe in 2005 to film his work, at that time for the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Studies (PIER). At that time they were darting the great whites with tags.

His current work with the lift is not being well received by many marine scientists including GWS researchers. Two GWS have already died because of it and he was asked to leave the Farallons because of it. Lifting such massive sharks mostly out of the water causes the body weight to place pressure on the internal organs. Catching them with large hooks doesn't help much either. I agree that the data they are collecting is useful, but disagree with the methods to do it.

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#7 Landlocked Dive Nut

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Posted 02 August 2010 - 10:03 AM

Interesting that the program has never mentioned (at least so far) the loss of any of the animals they have caught. They consistently clock the "out of water" time and express a sense of urgency to get the shark back in the water, which I guess makes for better television than talking about the ones that were killed during the process.....

I'm sorry to hear that two mature animals have died due to this research. However, it's a far better ratio that the "research" the Japanese are doing on whales, IMHO.

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#8 scubaski

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Posted 02 August 2010 - 06:04 PM

Chatham, Massachusetts on Olde Cape Cod has a growing seal population on a couple of beach spits, the resulting sightings of GW sharks are becoming more frequent with the occasional beach closing. Maybe Cape Cod will be the next Seal Island. AFAIK there is not any shark cage boat operators yet!!!

http://search.boston...p...arks&s.tab=

MADRE FELIZ DIA MAMÁ