A Great White Shark Breaches Near San Francisco's Farallon Islands
Beginning June 6 and continuing for multiple episodes “Expedition Great White”, a new TV series airing on National Geographic Television is tainted by controversy. Nevertheless, it should prove to be educational viewing for white shark lovers.
The production team, Fischer Productions, boasts on the National Geographic about the number of “firsts” the team accomplished, including catching and releasing the biggest fish. That “fish” was a great white shark.
In the name of scientific research, Dr Michael Domeier and his team have been issued permits by both the Mexican government and US government to go “fishing for great white sharks”. The sharks are caught on giant hooks and pulled onto a vessel, where they are poked, prodded, studied and photographed, before being released.
The official goal of the project, according to the National Geographic website was: “to catch adult great whites, bring them on board their vessel, take DNA and blood samples and attach the most sophisticated tracking devices before setting them free.”
Not everyone thinks it’s a great idea to go fishing for great white sharks, even if the stated goal is “research”. Some within the shark diving and environmentalist community have questioned whether the real goal of these expeditions was research, or a “money-making hit reality TV show”.
The multi-episode TV series was shot primarily on location in Isla Guadalupe, Mexico, home of one of the multi-day white shark cage diving adventures offered by Incredible Adventures. Dr Michael Domeier, the researcher leading the team “fishing for white sharks” in Mexico, was also issued a permit by Gulf of the Farallones Sanctuary Director Maria Brown to conduct his controversial activities near the Farallon Islands off of San Francisco, California. An episode featuring Farallones white sharks is not slated to air until 2011.
The permit issued by NOAA’s Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary was questioned after an incident where a hook broke off inside a caught great white shark, causing unknown injury to the shark. ABC News in San Francisco reported on the incident and covered the subsequent investigation launched by Sanctuary officials.
