The Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab will be featured in the first episode of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week series on July 31 at 9 p.m. in what is being advertised as a riveting look at the ocean’s most predatory fish.
“Our part of the show is about our research on the baby white sharks of Southern California,” wrote shark lab Director Christopher Lowe in an email interview. He said their research has found evidence that the great white populations are increasing and that they may be facing a threat from environmental pollution.
A video trailer for the episode on the Discovery Channel’s website, however, makes no mention of either of these points. The video features large sharks breaching out of the water, gnashing their teeth and biting into a human dummy with no mention of environmental pollutants. The episode is entitled “Show Me Your Teeth.”
Lowe wrote that he tried to avoid creating a terrifying representation of sharks in the episode.
“It’s always a challenge working with Discovery Channel on Shark Week shows because they have a tendency to over-sensationalize sharks,” Lowe wrote. “Our goal is to provide the public with accurate scientific information about sharks so that they may fear them less and be more likely to want to protect them.”
Some other episodes in the Shark Week series are entitled “Stalked by a Shark,” “Tagging a Ruthless Shark” and “Shark Won’t Let Go,” according to the Discovery Channel website, in what may be considered a sign that Lowe’s fears may not be so unfounded.
The CSULB Shark Lab plays a role in monitoring that population to gage its numbers, health and behavior.
The lab has used acoustic tracking devices to map the shark’s migratory patterns. The lab also performs autopsies on shark remains washed ashore or caught by fishermen.
“If a commercial fisher captures a baby white shark in our area … my graduate students go out and meet with the fishermen and assess the shark,” Lowe said in the press release.
He also said the autopsies have revealed “amazingly” high levels of certain pollutants that could potentially harm the sharks.
“We know how these contaminants affect humans and other mammals,” Lowe said. “They cause cancers, reproductive failure and suppress immune function.”
According to National Geographic’s website, great white sharks are not the blood thirsty killers they are reputed as being.
Although there are roughly 30-50 great white shark attacks per year, “most of these are not fatal,” the website says. Instead, most are cases of “sample biting,” where a shark is merely examining what must appear to it to be a very strange animal.
Nevertheless, great whites are the “largest predatory fishes on Earth,” according to the website. They can grow to between 15-20 feet long and can travel at an impressive 15 miles per hour. Their mouths are lined with up to 300 razor sharp teeth arranged in rows for biting and tearing their prey apart.
For the people at the shark lab, ocean life is a passion. Unfortunately, Lowe said he often sees students who don’t push themselves hard enough to find what their unique passion is.
“Don’t be afraid to try new things,” Lowe wrote. “This will help you figure out what sparks you, but remember everything requires effort so it is essential that you push yourself.”
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