Discovery Channel Names Chief Shark Officer for SHARK WEEK

[DiveScoop]

I really thought that the Discovery Channel was wanting to be taken a bit more "seriously" about sharks. But they've just named Andy Samberg of Saturday Night Live their Chief Shark Officer (after having Craig Ferguson of Late Night host last year's Shark Week). What does everything think about this?



Discovery Channel names Andy Samberg Chief Shark Officer

[fire_diver]

Might as well get a comdian, thier "shark week" is a joke anyway. 5- 10 year old shows being re-hashed every season, same overly dramatic "maneater" tones. It's pathetic.

They need to get the "sharkmen" crew to create a new shark week. I think they would get it right.

[drbill]

They need to get the "sharkmen" crew to create a new shark week. I think they would get it right.

If you're referring to the group ("sharkmen") that I think you are, you can't be serious... can you?

I pride myself in having never watched "Shark Weak (er, Week)." It would probably make my blood boil. I've known individuals who have been involved with it in the past that truly care about sharks and would not participate again.

I had hoped due to some recent affiliations Discovery Channel made with respect to Shark Week, there would be some real improvement on the educational side and less of the "spectacular." From what I've heard, that didn't happen last year.

I speak as a marine biologist who watched as blue sharks, once so numerous (60s and early 70s) I could count dozens on my way to the next dive site, dwindle to the point where I have only seen ONE while transiting to the next dive site over the last decade. Even on our shark dives, we were lucky to bring in 4-6 sharks 5-13 miles offshore.

There are real and very sad stories to be told about sharks, and the ecological impacts in marine ecosystems of losing so many of them. I wish DC would focus much more on these... in other words take the topic seriously rather than as a focus for sensationalism, and comedy.

[JJEH]

...But they've just named Andy Samberg of Saturday Night Live their Chief Shark Officer...What does everything think about this?

Well, I don't know what to think about right now, BUT: Also a comedian can be serious about something. So give 'em a shot...

[AfterDark]

If you're referring to the group ("sharkmen") that I think you are, you can't be serious... can you?

I pride myself in having never watched "Shark Weak (er, Week)." It would probably make my blood boil. I've known individuals who have been involved with it in the past that truly care about sharks and would not participate again.

I had hoped due to some recent affiliations Discovery Channel made with respect to Shark Week, there would be some real improvement on the educational side and less of the "spectacular." From what I've heard, that didn't happen last year.

I speak as a marine biologist who watched as blue sharks, once so numerous (60s and early 70s) I could count dozens on my way to the next dive site, dwindle to the point where I have only seen ONE while transiting to the next dive site over the last decade. Even on our shark dives, we were lucky to bring in 4-6 sharks 5-13 miles offshore.

There are real and very sad stories to be told about sharks, and the ecological impacts in marine ecosystems of losing so many of them. I wish DC would focus much more on these... in other words take the topic seriously rather than as a focus for sensationalism, and comedy.

DrBill, you don't think the Sharkmen on NATGEO are doing good work? As a layman with fishing experience and a life long interest in sharks it seems to me they are collecting some very useful and before them unattainable data without, at least outwardly hurting the shark. As far as I know they haven’t hurt or lost a GW yet. I know they stirred some debate when they sampled off the CA coast but I had the impression they had “proved” their legitimacy there.

[drbill]

DrBill, you don't think the Sharkmen on NATGEO are doing good work? As a layman with fishing experience and a life long interest in sharks it seems to me they are collecting some very useful and before them unattainable data without, at least outwardly hurting the shark. As far as I know they haven’t hurt or lost a GW yet. I know they stirred some debate when they sampled off the CA coast but I had the impression they had “proved” their legitimacy there.

There are a number of other monitoring programs for great whites that have collected such data (including Domeier's earlier work with great whites using tags affixed with lances that did not involve hooking them. I was with him as a guest of one of his funding sources on such an expedition in 2005 down at Guadalupe.).

While you may not see any "outward" damage to the shark, consider the fact that it has been hooked (at least one so deeply that the team couldn't remove the entire hook), tired out, dragged on board a topside platform where its entire weight may be pressing down on its internal organs, having a "tag" bolted to its dorsal fin and then released.

There are some who claim that two great whites were significantly injured by the team, although Domeier denies this and I can agree that it has not been proven.

I thought Domeier's work back in 2005 was good... very interesting to me. I understand his desire to develop a system where the tags are more permanent, but I think in developing the technique it has led to serious issues with the health of these amazing critters... but made for much "better" TV.