Researchers from the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi as well as some Port Aransas folks will be featured on Shark Week in an episode filmed in Port Aransas waters. The show will air Thursday, July 28. Among the HRI researchers are, from left, Kesley Banks, Jason Williams, Jeff Kaiser and Greg Stunz, who is from Port Aransas. Photo courtesy the Harte Research Institute, TA MU-CC
Port Aransas waters and Port Aransas people will be featured on an episode of Discovery channel’s Shark Week.
The segment, “Sharks! with Tracy Morgan” will air at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 28.
The timing coincides with five shark “attacks” off Long Island, New York, in a two-week period this month.
Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) researchers will be featured in both Shark Week and SharkFest programming. This is the first time HRI has been featured in National Geographic’s annual SharkFest, according to a news release from HRI.
“Sharks are such great ambassadors for the ocean,” said Dr. Greg Stunz of Port Aransas who is director for the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation (CSSC) and TAMU-CC professor of marine biology and Endowed Chair for Fisheries and Ocean Health. “They are a key that opens the door for scientific curiosity and learning. Most people are fascinated with sharks, and with the help of these charismatic animals, we have a great opportunity to teach children and adults about why healthy oceans are essential to the well-being of people and the planet.”
Greg Stunz, a researcher at the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, checks a yellowfin tuna brought to the weigh-in during the Billfish Pachanga on Saturday, July 16. Stunz and fellow HRI researchers will be featured on the Discovery Channel’s ‘Shark Week’ on Thursday, July 28. The episode will feature film shot in Port Aransas waters as well as Port Aransas people who helped with the program. Staff photo by Murray Judson
Stunz and CSSC assistant research scientist Dr. Kesley Banks have appeared as experts in multiple shark-related programs for television and have frequently been highlighted for their work tagging and tracking sharks off the beaches and on artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico.
Banks pointed out that “attack” is an incorrect term for what is actually a shark bite.
The difference is that a shark bite means “the shark mistook a human for its intended prey (for example, a seal or a large fish), whereas ‘attack’ means they are hunting humans,” Banks said in an email.
The increase in shark bites on the East Coast, Banks explained, can be attributed to several factors.
One is “a change in current that pushes bait closer to shore (where humans frequent),” she said.
Another is more people at the beach because of the time of year, which Banks said increases the chances for an encounter.
Increased fishing activity also helps attract sharks, she said.
“While this is not an exhaustive list, we need to remember that the ocean is the sharks’ habitat and we are visiting it,” Banks said.
To decrease the chance of an encounter with a shark, Banks said people can take several steps, such as not swimming near someone who is fishing, not swimming around dusk or dawn and not wearing dark clothing or flashy jewelry while swimming in the ocean.
Banks was referencing unprovoked bites, which means “the person wasn’t already interacting with the shark” in an activity such as fishing.
Stunz pointed out that sharks do not have a taste for humans, which are not their prey.
“Without sharks, our oceans are out of balance,” Banks said. “By understanding the importance of their ecological roles and conserving these apex predators, we are helping to ensure healthy oceans for future generations.”
She said that while there is still much work to be done, attitudes about sharks have drastically shifted toward conserving sharks rather than harvesting them, and this is a trend she hopes will continue.
“The work that Dr. Stunz and his group conduct on sharks and many other species is a model for conservation science,” said Dr. David Yoskowitz, HRI senior executive director and Endowed Chair for Socio-Economics.
In the Shark Week episode, “Sharks! with Tracy Morgan, HRI and other leading scientists team up with comic actor Tracy Morgan of “Saturday Night Live!” fame. The show will feature shark experts from throughout the country as they identify the most awe-inspiring and most ferocious sharks in the ocean, according to the news release from HRI. From rare species to stealth predators, Morgan shows off his favorite sharks and their incredible capabilities and adaptations.
In addition to Stunz, several other Port Aransas residents will either appear in the episode or assisted with logistics and shooting. They include Bobby Richter who will appear on camera, and several members of the crew of the sportfishing boat Poured Out and Capt. Nate Forbes were “integral in the filming but may not appear on camera,” according to the HRI. Fisherman’s Wharf and Peter Young also assisted with logistics, as did Capt. Reid Low of the sportfishing boat Miss Catherine.
Readers can learn more about the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation, including more information about tagged sharks online. Check the Discovery and National Geographic channel websites for additional air times for Shark Week and SharkFest shows.
“Stealth Hunters” part of “Shark Attack Files,” an eight-episode series of Shark Week aired July 18 on National Geographic.
“Stealth Hunters” featured scientists who used cutting edge technology to investigate theories about shark attacks.
Leave a Reply