Discovery Channel’s Shark Week puts Cape Cod’s infamous shark population into the national spotlight. Tourists flock to the beaches in Chatham, while millions tune in to get their fix.
On August 5, researchers from our neck of the Woods (Hole), were featured in Return of Jaws, a special program about the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s autonomous underwater vehicle, SharkCam. This is a REMUS 100, fitted with several GoPro cameras and a transponder that allows it to follow a shark wherever it goes underwater. Needless to say, it’s an unprecedented look at some of the most fascinating— and little-known— fish in the world.
As riveting as the Discovery show was, it failed to explain how the SharkCam is relevant to science—especially when it comes to conservation efforts. WHOI asked us to fill in the gaps with a short video explaining the science and engineering behind SharkCam, and we were only too happy to oblige. The Ocean’s Hidden Predators launched to coincide with extra traffic coming to WHOI.edu as a result of the Discovery exposure and a sold-out public event about sharks and seals on Cape Cod.
Or watch it at WHOI’s Oceanus Magazine website.
