1 00:00:02,510 --> 00:00:05,000 >> NARRATOR: At up to 40 feet long 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,030 and weighing several tons, 3 00:00:07,030 --> 00:00:11,810 they are one of the most spectacular sights in the sea. 4 00:00:11,810 --> 00:00:14,330 >> There are 28,000 species of fish. 5 00:00:14,330 --> 00:00:16,000 About 400 of them we call sharks, 6 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,060 and the largest of those is the whale shark. 7 00:00:18,060 --> 00:00:19,750 It's the largest of all fish. 8 00:00:19,750 --> 00:00:21,270 An average whale shark is twice the size 9 00:00:21,270 --> 00:00:23,270 of the largest great white shark. 10 00:00:23,270 --> 00:00:24,870 So you're really talking about an animal 11 00:00:24,870 --> 00:00:29,630 that is a leap and bound bigger than its next biggest relative. 12 00:00:29,630 --> 00:00:31,060 Whale sharks are found everywhere 13 00:00:31,060 --> 00:00:32,270 in the tropical oceans. 14 00:00:32,270 --> 00:00:33,720 So you'll find them in the Pacific Ocean, 15 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,300 the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean, 16 00:00:36,300 --> 00:00:38,450 anywhere where it's warm enough, which pretty much means anywhere 17 00:00:38,450 --> 00:00:41,360 where it's over about 72 degrees Fahrenheit. 18 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,870 >> NARRATOR: While they may be the largest fish in the sea, 19 00:00:44,870 --> 00:00:48,210 the animals are gentle giants. 20 00:00:48,210 --> 00:00:49,570 >> These are sharks that feed 21 00:00:49,570 --> 00:00:52,300 by filtering tiny food items out of the ocean 22 00:00:52,300 --> 00:00:54,300 rather than having huge teeth and biting things. 23 00:00:54,300 --> 00:00:57,060 They're a very large animal that's feeding very low 24 00:00:57,060 --> 00:00:59,450 on the food web. 25 00:00:59,450 --> 00:01:03,480 It's pretty much the same way the great whales feed. 26 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:05,450 They're fairly indifferent to the presence of people 27 00:01:05,450 --> 00:01:08,390 and they really present no harm to us at all. 28 00:01:08,390 --> 00:01:10,600 >> It's amazing to be in the water 29 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,480 with an animal three or four times your size, 30 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:17,720 watching the majestic movement, the power. 31 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:19,600 At the same time, they are so tame, 32 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,180 so gentle, so fearless. 33 00:01:22,180 --> 00:01:25,750 It's a fantastic thing. 34 00:01:25,750 --> 00:01:28,390 >> NARRATOR: Named for their size and feeding habits, 35 00:01:28,390 --> 00:01:32,720 the animals are capable of making vast migrations. 36 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,750 Yet despite their enormous size, little is known 37 00:01:35,750 --> 00:01:39,450 about whale sharks. 38 00:01:39,450 --> 00:01:40,630 >> We don't really know what role they're filling 39 00:01:40,630 --> 00:01:41,810 in the ecosystem. 40 00:01:41,810 --> 00:01:44,509 So we're asking simple questions like, 41 00:01:44,509 --> 00:01:46,600 how many whale sharks are there and where do they come from, 42 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:48,450 and where do they go? 43 00:01:48,450 --> 00:01:49,600 >> NARRATOR: Whale sharks are thought 44 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,090 to be solitary animals most of the year, 45 00:01:52,090 --> 00:01:56,840 but during certain seasons they gather in large numbers 46 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,509 in different places around the globe, 47 00:01:59,509 --> 00:02:04,750 including off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. 48 00:02:04,750 --> 00:02:06,570 >> This is the largest aggregation 49 00:02:06,570 --> 00:02:08,150 of whale sharks in the world, 50 00:02:08,150 --> 00:02:09,270 and it's happening a stone's throw 51 00:02:09,270 --> 00:02:10,389 from one of the biggest tourist destinations 52 00:02:10,389 --> 00:02:11,780 in the Caribbean. 53 00:02:11,780 --> 00:02:38,540 It really is one of nature's wonders. 54 00:02:38,540 --> 00:02:40,840 >> Major funding for this program was provided 55 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,390 by the Batchelor Foundation, 56 00:02:43,390 --> 00:02:46,480 encouraging people to preserve and protect 57 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:51,570 America's underwater resources. 58 00:02:51,570 --> 00:02:54,450 And by Divers Direct, Emocean Club, 59 00:02:54,450 --> 00:02:57,090 inspiring the pursuit of tropical adventures 60 00:02:57,090 --> 00:03:12,090 and scuba diving. 61 00:03:12,090 --> 00:03:13,330 >> NARRATOR: Cancun, Mexico, 62 00:03:13,330 --> 00:03:16,180 is one of the most popular tourist destinations 63 00:03:16,180 --> 00:03:18,780 in the Caribbean, 64 00:03:18,780 --> 00:03:24,690 attracting millions of visitors each year. 65 00:03:24,690 --> 00:03:29,150 But just offshore from the miles of hotels and hustle and bustle 66 00:03:29,150 --> 00:03:37,270 lies a fragile yet highly productive ocean ecosystem. 67 00:03:37,270 --> 00:03:41,660 Each summer, the region is home to the largest known aggregation 68 00:03:41,660 --> 00:03:45,780 of whale sharks in the world. 69 00:03:45,780 --> 00:03:47,150 >> About 20 years ago, we thought 70 00:03:47,150 --> 00:03:49,870 that whale sharks were solitary off-shore animals. 71 00:03:49,870 --> 00:03:51,810 And then they started to discover 72 00:03:51,810 --> 00:03:53,600 that in certain places in the world 73 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,360 there are places quite close to the shore 74 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,210 where whale sharks actually gather in large numbers. 75 00:03:58,210 --> 00:04:01,030 And we discovered that one of those places is Yucatan, Mexico. 76 00:04:01,030 --> 00:04:03,510 And in two places at least here in Yucatan, Mexico-- 77 00:04:03,510 --> 00:04:06,300 near Isla Holbox, and here near Isla Contoy-- 78 00:04:06,300 --> 00:04:09,000 there are places where dozens, sometimes hundreds 79 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,510 of whale sharks gather in the same place. 80 00:04:11,510 --> 00:04:14,000 The reason whale sharks come here is to feed. 81 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:15,660 And when they come to Isla Holbox 82 00:04:15,660 --> 00:04:17,660 on the northern side of the Yucatan, 83 00:04:17,660 --> 00:04:19,630 they mostly come to feed on zooplankton, 84 00:04:19,630 --> 00:04:22,210 but when they come to the Caribbean side of the Yucatan, 85 00:04:22,210 --> 00:04:23,720 they're here to feed on fish eggs. 86 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:26,060 And they feed on fish eggs and nothing but fish eggs 87 00:04:26,060 --> 00:04:28,750 all day, every day for at least four months. 88 00:04:28,750 --> 00:04:33,330 It's the most amazing biological aggregation I've ever seen. 89 00:04:33,330 --> 00:04:34,720 They tend to be sub-adults, 90 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:36,600 so these are not fully grown whale sharks. 91 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:38,780 They're in the high 20s to the low 30s of feet. 92 00:04:38,780 --> 00:04:40,300 And they tend to be overwhelmingly male, 93 00:04:40,300 --> 00:04:42,570 which is interesting, because if you go 94 00:04:42,570 --> 00:04:45,090 to the offshore locations where the really big animals are, 95 00:04:45,090 --> 00:04:46,840 most of those animals are female. 96 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:48,570 So there seems to be some sort of segregation 97 00:04:48,570 --> 00:04:52,060 in the ocean where juveniles and males go to one place 98 00:04:52,060 --> 00:04:54,510 and adults and females go to a different place. 99 00:04:54,510 --> 00:04:57,600 We don't really know why this is. 100 00:04:57,600 --> 00:04:59,510 >> NARRATOR: While the animals can dive 101 00:04:59,510 --> 00:05:02,630 to at least a mile deep, they tend to feed 102 00:05:02,630 --> 00:05:05,180 at or near the surface. 103 00:05:05,180 --> 00:05:07,630 >> We're pretty sure that whale sharks fall 104 00:05:07,630 --> 00:05:10,300 into that feast or famine feeding mode where, 105 00:05:10,300 --> 00:05:12,630 when conditions are good as they are here in Mexico, 106 00:05:12,630 --> 00:05:14,570 they can eat nonstop for four months. 107 00:05:14,570 --> 00:05:17,540 But then when they leave, they can go a really long time 108 00:05:17,540 --> 00:05:19,720 before they have the need to eat again. 109 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:21,120 And that's how their life goes. 110 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:22,420 They go from buffet to buffet, but they've got 111 00:05:22,420 --> 00:05:24,660 to run a marathon in between. 112 00:05:24,660 --> 00:05:27,420 >> NARRATOR: Watching dozens of whale sharks 113 00:05:27,420 --> 00:05:31,780 vacuuming up plankton is a spectacular sight. 114 00:05:31,780 --> 00:05:34,240 >> You sail into this ocean of fins. 115 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,240 It's quite extraordinary to see the size, 116 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:37,270 and it never gets old. 117 00:05:37,270 --> 00:05:38,720 It's like being a kid. 118 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:42,690 You're just very excited about seeing these animals. 119 00:05:42,690 --> 00:05:44,840 >> NARRATOR: This aggregation first caught the attention 120 00:05:44,840 --> 00:05:49,570 of scientists in 2003, when locals started taking tourists 121 00:05:49,570 --> 00:05:51,420 to see the animals. 122 00:05:51,420 --> 00:05:55,120 >> The tourist operations started when fisheries deplete. 123 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:58,630 And we figured out that there was so few knowledge 124 00:05:58,630 --> 00:06:00,150 about the whale sharks. 125 00:06:00,150 --> 00:06:02,840 Our research was developed in order 126 00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:07,330 to gather enough information to manage the tour operation. 127 00:06:07,330 --> 00:06:09,330 >> NARRATOR: The Mexican National Commission 128 00:06:09,330 --> 00:06:13,150 for Protected Areas formed Project Domino 129 00:06:13,150 --> 00:06:15,840 with U.S. collaborators 130 00:06:15,840 --> 00:06:18,000 to better understand the animals' movements 131 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:22,720 and devise conservation measures. 132 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:26,330 To ensure responsible whale shark interactions, 133 00:06:26,330 --> 00:06:28,480 local authorities also worked closely 134 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:30,780 with researchers and other stakeholders 135 00:06:30,780 --> 00:06:34,870 to develop guidelines for tour operators. 136 00:06:34,870 --> 00:06:38,240 >> There are about 19 different guidelines. 137 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:42,540 It is mostly to be respectful with the sea life. 138 00:06:42,540 --> 00:06:44,840 >> Based on the research findings, 139 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:48,180 the government created a whale shark biosphere reserve 140 00:06:48,180 --> 00:06:51,420 in 2009 to protect the animals. 141 00:06:51,420 --> 00:06:53,480 But experts quickly discovered 142 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:57,090 that the whale sharks also aggregated outside 143 00:06:57,090 --> 00:07:00,540 of the boundaries of the reserve. 144 00:07:00,540 --> 00:07:02,810 >> That demonstrates that animals do not care 145 00:07:02,810 --> 00:07:05,690 about borders. 146 00:07:05,690 --> 00:07:07,270 >> NARRATOR: In the meantime, 147 00:07:07,270 --> 00:07:12,600 popularity of the tourist whale shark encounters took off. 148 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:15,540 >> In 2003, there were about ten boats only. 149 00:07:15,540 --> 00:07:21,150 By 2004, there were 50 boats allowed. 150 00:07:21,150 --> 00:07:23,840 Nowadays we have more than 250. 151 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:26,510 >> Ecotourism is definitely a two-edged sword. 152 00:07:26,510 --> 00:07:28,660 It's a tremendous opportunity for people 153 00:07:28,660 --> 00:07:30,540 to connect with nature. 154 00:07:30,540 --> 00:07:32,390 And we absolutely want to encourage that. 155 00:07:32,390 --> 00:07:34,840 But we've got to do it in a way that is going to be safe 156 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,210 for the people and safe for the animals. 157 00:07:37,210 --> 00:07:39,420 >> This is no longer ecotourism. 158 00:07:39,420 --> 00:07:42,659 It's massive tourism. 159 00:07:42,659 --> 00:07:44,510 If you can imagine over 100 boats 160 00:07:44,510 --> 00:07:46,659 at the same time on this small area. 161 00:07:46,659 --> 00:07:49,810 All the fumes, the possibility of leaking oils 162 00:07:49,810 --> 00:07:52,690 and things like that, could be a disaster. 163 00:07:52,690 --> 00:07:55,180 >> When you have that many boats and that many animals 164 00:07:55,180 --> 00:07:57,750 all in the same place, it's pretty much inevitable 165 00:07:57,750 --> 00:08:00,510 that at some point, propeller is going to meet flesh. 166 00:08:00,510 --> 00:08:03,540 And we see a significant portion of the animals show signs 167 00:08:03,540 --> 00:08:06,240 of recent interactions with boats. 168 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:07,840 >> We lack a lot of enforcement. 169 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:11,120 It's supposed to be surveillance every single day, 170 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,600 but to be honest, in the last three years, 171 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:16,450 we've been having the visit of the surveillance people 172 00:08:16,450 --> 00:08:20,480 for no longer than three days in the whole season. 173 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:22,840 >> It really falls back on the eco-tour operators themselves 174 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,390 to be self-regulating, and as we know from banking 175 00:08:26,390 --> 00:08:28,570 and other sectors of society, if you rely on people 176 00:08:28,570 --> 00:08:30,570 to regulate themselves, it doesn't always go 177 00:08:30,570 --> 00:08:34,210 as well as it could. 178 00:08:34,210 --> 00:08:36,840 >> NARRATOR: Rafael says that while most tour operators 179 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,360 are trying to be conscientious, 180 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:41,360 they are facing a tremendous amount 181 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:42,690 of pressure from ticket agencies, 182 00:08:42,690 --> 00:08:46,750 which guarantee guests animal encounters 183 00:08:46,750 --> 00:08:49,150 or they get their money back. 184 00:08:49,150 --> 00:08:50,780 >> That, in my opinion, is something 185 00:08:50,780 --> 00:08:53,480 that should never have existed at all 186 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:55,810 because that is putting a lot of pressure 187 00:08:55,810 --> 00:08:57,270 on the animals. 188 00:08:57,270 --> 00:09:00,270 The ideal thing should be to establish a max number 189 00:09:00,270 --> 00:09:04,000 of boats to interact per day in the area. 190 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,270 >> It really does need a disinterested third party 191 00:09:06,270 --> 00:09:08,180 to come in and say, okay, too many boats. 192 00:09:08,180 --> 00:09:09,660 We need to limit entry, we need to limit the number 193 00:09:09,660 --> 00:09:11,810 of people, we need to increase the costs 194 00:09:11,810 --> 00:09:13,240 of doing this because the market forces 195 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:15,720 have made it so cheap that margins are so razor thin 196 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:24,720 that the whole system is really running on a knife edge. 197 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:26,570 >> NARRATOR: To better understand the animals 198 00:09:26,570 --> 00:09:29,390 and make conservation recommendations, 199 00:09:29,390 --> 00:09:31,570 the Georgia Aquarium has teamed up 200 00:09:31,570 --> 00:09:33,270 with Rafael de la Parra and others 201 00:09:33,270 --> 00:09:37,570 to form a non-governmental organization. 202 00:09:37,570 --> 00:09:40,390 >> We call that blue realm orCh'ooj ajauil 203 00:09:40,390 --> 00:09:42,150 which means "blue realm" in Mayan. 204 00:09:42,150 --> 00:09:44,450 Reino azulin Spanish. 205 00:09:44,450 --> 00:09:46,540 What we're trying to do is take a broader approach 206 00:09:46,540 --> 00:09:48,450 than just whale sharks and look 207 00:09:48,450 --> 00:09:50,720 at protecting the whole marine region 208 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:53,120 because we recognize that the whale sharks are a reflection 209 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:55,060 of a much bigger picture, 210 00:09:55,060 --> 00:09:57,420 which is this extraordinarily productive ecosystem 211 00:09:57,420 --> 00:10:00,420 that they have here. 212 00:10:00,420 --> 00:10:02,390 >> NARRATOR: Despite the fact that tourists are coming 213 00:10:02,390 --> 00:10:06,510 to see the animals in droves, still relatively little is known 214 00:10:06,510 --> 00:10:10,570 about these charismatic giants nicknamed "dominos" 215 00:10:10,570 --> 00:10:27,240 by the locals because of their polka-dotted skin pattern. 216 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,270 One way to get a good estimate of how many animals 217 00:10:30,270 --> 00:10:47,030 are in the area is to count them from the air. 218 00:10:47,030 --> 00:10:50,150 >> Okey dokey, here we are. 219 00:10:50,150 --> 00:10:51,870 Look, a bunch of them right here. 220 00:10:51,870 --> 00:10:53,360 Lots of them. 221 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:54,810 Woo-hoo! 222 00:10:54,810 --> 00:10:58,240 Many, many, many, wow! 223 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:01,570 On the aerial survey that we are conducting 224 00:11:01,570 --> 00:11:04,720 hopefully once a week for the whole five months 225 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:08,540 that the season lasts, trying to locate them 226 00:11:08,540 --> 00:11:10,450 and to count them. 227 00:11:10,450 --> 00:11:14,180 So far in 2009 was the largest aggregation ever. 228 00:11:14,180 --> 00:11:17,030 And we counted up to 420 whale sharks 229 00:11:17,030 --> 00:11:19,450 in a single spot. 230 00:11:19,450 --> 00:11:25,000 Today, we count up to 170. 231 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:32,780 >> Little one. 232 00:11:32,780 --> 00:11:34,630 >> NARRATOR: Another way to study the animals 233 00:11:34,630 --> 00:11:45,180 and track their movements is to satellite-tag them. 234 00:11:45,180 --> 00:11:46,360 >> A lot of what we're doing here 235 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:48,030 involves deploying different types of tags 236 00:11:48,030 --> 00:11:50,480 that will tell us about what whale sharks are doing 237 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:52,060 when nobody's watching. 238 00:11:52,060 --> 00:11:54,510 We have what we call archival tags. 239 00:11:54,510 --> 00:11:56,060 Those are tags that record data 240 00:11:56,060 --> 00:11:57,870 about what the whale shark is doing. 241 00:11:57,870 --> 00:11:59,540 They save it inside the tag and then 242 00:11:59,540 --> 00:12:01,660 at some predetermined time the tag is programmed 243 00:12:01,660 --> 00:12:03,540 to release itself from the whale shark, 244 00:12:03,540 --> 00:12:06,540 float to the surface, and begin to report its treasure trove 245 00:12:06,540 --> 00:12:09,000 of data via satellite back to the researcher. 246 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,270 We also have real-time tags. 247 00:12:11,270 --> 00:12:14,480 Those focus on telling you where the animal is right now. 248 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:15,870 And those are tags that are towed along 249 00:12:15,870 --> 00:12:18,300 behind the animal, floating at the surface. 250 00:12:18,300 --> 00:12:20,570 And they report to us via the same GPS system 251 00:12:20,570 --> 00:12:22,210 that your car uses. 252 00:12:22,210 --> 00:12:24,060 And so those are able to tell us at any given moment 253 00:12:24,060 --> 00:12:26,090 where the whale sharks are going. 254 00:12:26,090 --> 00:12:28,000 One of the things I'm really excited about this year 255 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,840 is that I'm connecting those real-time tags to social media. 256 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:33,480 So this year our whale sharks are going 257 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:37,420 to be tweeting their locations in real time by Twitter. 258 00:12:37,420 --> 00:12:39,180 And that's a really fun piece of science 259 00:12:39,180 --> 00:12:41,120 that's going to allow kids and the public 260 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:43,660 to follow along with science as it happens. 261 00:12:43,660 --> 00:12:47,120 >> NARRATOR: In addition to recording the animal's location, 262 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,480 the tags also collect temperature data 263 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:55,420 and depth profiles. 264 00:12:55,420 --> 00:12:57,330 >> Attaching tags of any kind to whale sharks 265 00:12:57,330 --> 00:12:59,090 is the biggest challenge. 266 00:12:59,090 --> 00:13:02,210 We struggle with getting them to stay on. 267 00:13:02,210 --> 00:13:04,090 Whale sharks are very fast and very large. 268 00:13:04,090 --> 00:13:06,600 They have the thickest skin in the animal kingdom. 269 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:08,690 So getting a tag into their skin and getting it 270 00:13:08,690 --> 00:13:10,180 to stay there for months turns out 271 00:13:10,180 --> 00:13:13,330 to be much harder than you think. 272 00:13:13,330 --> 00:13:15,600 >> NARRATOR: Through the use of satellite tags, 273 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,090 experts have been able to figure out a general migration pattern 274 00:13:19,090 --> 00:13:20,600 for the animals. 275 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:21,810 >> There are other places in the Caribbean 276 00:13:21,810 --> 00:13:23,570 where you can see whale sharks all year-- 277 00:13:23,570 --> 00:13:25,540 in Honduras, for example, around Utila. 278 00:13:25,540 --> 00:13:27,810 Other places like Belize you see them mostly 279 00:13:27,810 --> 00:13:30,090 in the springtime, and then in the Gulf of Mexico, 280 00:13:30,090 --> 00:13:32,480 mostly in the summertime and into the fall. 281 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:34,750 And this reflects a rough migration pattern 282 00:13:34,750 --> 00:13:37,060 where they migrate up the coast of Mesoamerica 283 00:13:37,060 --> 00:13:39,180 and then into the Gulf of Mexico where they do a big loop 284 00:13:39,180 --> 00:13:44,210 over the course of the summertime. 285 00:13:44,210 --> 00:13:45,750 >> NARRATOR: But as with anything, 286 00:13:45,750 --> 00:13:51,090 there are always exceptions to the rule. 287 00:13:51,090 --> 00:13:53,420 >> There's a famous whale shark called Rio Lady 288 00:13:53,420 --> 00:13:56,480 who was tagged by Bob Hueter from Mote Marine Laboratory. 289 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,780 And Rio Lady was tagged here at the offshore location 290 00:13:59,780 --> 00:14:02,060 and she went off to the South Atlantic. 291 00:14:02,060 --> 00:14:03,840 She didn't go into the Gulf of Mexico at all. 292 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:05,750 In fact, she went the exact opposite direction. 293 00:14:05,750 --> 00:14:07,330 She went right across the Caribbean 294 00:14:07,330 --> 00:14:09,750 and out into the islands in the South Atlantic. 295 00:14:09,750 --> 00:14:11,390 Her tag came off not far from a place 296 00:14:11,390 --> 00:14:13,420 called St. Peter and St. Paul Rocks, 297 00:14:13,420 --> 00:14:14,690 which is right on the equator 298 00:14:14,690 --> 00:14:16,750 about 800 miles off the coast of Brazil. 299 00:14:16,750 --> 00:14:19,750 And so her total migration path was over 4,000 miles. 300 00:14:19,750 --> 00:14:22,570 >> NARRATOR: Since then, Rio Lady has returned 301 00:14:22,570 --> 00:14:24,780 to the aggregation site in Mexico 302 00:14:24,780 --> 00:14:28,510 where scientists were able to put a new tag on her. 303 00:14:28,510 --> 00:14:31,780 >> So we'll see if she goes back to that offshore location. 304 00:14:31,780 --> 00:14:33,240 Why does she go there? 305 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:34,780 Why does she do something different from all the others? 306 00:14:34,780 --> 00:14:36,600 We think she's a big pregnant female 307 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:38,090 and we suspect that she probably was going 308 00:14:38,090 --> 00:14:39,450 to that offshore location 309 00:14:39,450 --> 00:14:43,570 for pupping or some other part of the reproductive cycle. 310 00:14:43,570 --> 00:14:46,030 Reproduction is probably the biggest black hole 311 00:14:46,030 --> 00:14:47,660 in our knowledge about whale sharks. 312 00:14:47,660 --> 00:14:49,540 Nobody's ever seen them mating, 313 00:14:49,540 --> 00:14:51,720 nobody's ever seen them giving birth. 314 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,300 People have found, occasionally, newborn whale sharks 315 00:14:54,300 --> 00:14:57,360 in the size of sort of one to two feet in length. 316 00:14:57,360 --> 00:14:59,690 And we do know that they give birth to live offspring 317 00:14:59,690 --> 00:15:02,180 and that females can have as many as 300 babies 318 00:15:02,180 --> 00:15:06,570 in their uterus at once. 319 00:15:06,570 --> 00:15:08,630 >> NARRATOR: During whale shark season, 320 00:15:08,630 --> 00:15:11,630 Rafael and his wife spend three or four days a week 321 00:15:11,630 --> 00:15:17,300 studying the whale sharks from the air or in the water. 322 00:15:17,300 --> 00:15:19,030 In addition to tagging the animals, 323 00:15:19,030 --> 00:15:21,750 scientists also take photos to identify 324 00:15:21,750 --> 00:15:27,750 and track the whale sharks. 325 00:15:27,750 --> 00:15:30,240 >> You have to jump and chase the animal 326 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:34,270 and be perfectly perpendicular, and take the photograph 327 00:15:34,270 --> 00:15:37,600 right behind the fifth gill, on top of the pectoral, 328 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:39,600 and catching as much as possible the dorsal part 329 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:41,840 of the animal. 330 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:43,390 >> And if you can get that photo 331 00:15:43,390 --> 00:15:46,120 and mark some spots on it, and upload it to this website, 332 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:47,600 there is a computerized algorithm 333 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:49,720 that then compares that photo with every other photograph 334 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:51,270 in the database. 335 00:15:51,270 --> 00:15:52,420 And there are whale sharks from all over the world 336 00:15:52,420 --> 00:15:53,600 in this data set. 337 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:55,210 And it returns a list of potential matches, 338 00:15:55,210 --> 00:15:57,060 and then you can look at them visually 339 00:15:57,060 --> 00:15:58,420 to confirm whether in fact you're looking 340 00:15:58,420 --> 00:16:00,360 at the same animal or not. 341 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:02,540 Using this process, we've now got over 1,000 animals 342 00:16:02,540 --> 00:16:05,720 in the whale shark aggregation from our site in Mexico. 343 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:07,300 >> We have some animals here 344 00:16:07,300 --> 00:16:10,660 that now have ten-year visitation histories or more. 345 00:16:10,660 --> 00:16:12,750 And these animals stop becoming numbers 346 00:16:12,750 --> 00:16:17,630 and start becoming old friends for us. 347 00:16:17,630 --> 00:16:20,390 >> NARRATOR: One big concern the scientists have 348 00:16:20,390 --> 00:16:23,750 is boat collisions with the animals. 349 00:16:23,750 --> 00:16:25,300 >> When they are feeding on surface, 350 00:16:25,300 --> 00:16:27,690 they are vulnerable to boat collisions 351 00:16:27,690 --> 00:16:30,120 or propeller damage. 352 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:32,330 And in this area, besides the tourist operation, 353 00:16:32,330 --> 00:16:33,750 we have a lot of traffic. 354 00:16:33,750 --> 00:16:36,810 We have at least three to four times a week, 355 00:16:36,810 --> 00:16:38,840 a couple times per day, 356 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:42,690 big cargo ships passing right where the whale sharks 357 00:16:42,690 --> 00:16:44,060 are aggregating. 358 00:16:44,060 --> 00:16:46,810 >> NARRATOR: To avoid potential disaster, 359 00:16:46,810 --> 00:16:48,780 the scientists want to collect data 360 00:16:48,780 --> 00:16:51,750 on the ship traffic occurring in the area. 361 00:16:51,750 --> 00:16:55,450 Vessels over 300 gross tons are required to use 362 00:16:55,450 --> 00:16:59,810 what is called "the Automatic Identification System." 363 00:16:59,810 --> 00:17:01,840 >> And what the Automatic Identification System is, 364 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:05,180 or AIS, is a method for tracking vessels at sea. 365 00:17:05,180 --> 00:17:07,180 So we're able to see where they go, 366 00:17:07,180 --> 00:17:09,000 what they carry, how large they are, 367 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:10,480 and learn about the various characteristics 368 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:14,540 of vessel traffic by collecting and archiving AIS data. 369 00:17:14,540 --> 00:17:17,060 If you look at this map, you'll see there really isn't 370 00:17:17,060 --> 00:17:18,359 a whole lot of ship coverage. 371 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:20,450 There's a little bit right here between Cozumel, 372 00:17:20,450 --> 00:17:22,660 Playa del Carmen for monitoring ferry traffic, 373 00:17:22,660 --> 00:17:25,390 but there really isn't any coverage further north. 374 00:17:25,390 --> 00:17:27,210 And so what we're going to do is 375 00:17:27,210 --> 00:17:29,660 install an AIS receiver just north here 376 00:17:29,660 --> 00:17:31,450 and we're going to be able to cover 377 00:17:31,450 --> 00:17:33,030 where the whale shark aggregation is 378 00:17:33,030 --> 00:17:35,030 and start to characterize where whale sharks 379 00:17:35,030 --> 00:17:41,630 and ship traffic happen together. 380 00:17:41,630 --> 00:17:42,870 >> NARRATOR: To install the receiver, 381 00:17:42,870 --> 00:17:47,720 the experts head to Isla Contoy... 382 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:50,690 a small island located where the Gulf of Mexico 383 00:17:50,690 --> 00:18:00,270 and Caribbean meet. 384 00:18:00,270 --> 00:18:01,780 >> We're looking for the highest point 385 00:18:01,780 --> 00:18:03,090 for miles around so that we can cover 386 00:18:03,090 --> 00:18:04,660 as much of the ocean with the AIS as we can, 387 00:18:04,660 --> 00:18:18,720 and this tower behind me is it. 388 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:21,840 All righty. 389 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:24,240 >> After a lot of hard work, the lights are blinking. 390 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:26,720 We've got power, the solar panels are charging the battery, 391 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:28,030 the antennas are up. 392 00:18:28,030 --> 00:18:30,870 Everything's working, which is great. 393 00:18:30,870 --> 00:18:33,060 We're going to want to at least archive vessel traffic 394 00:18:33,060 --> 00:18:35,750 for a year, look at seasonal changes and things like that. 395 00:18:35,750 --> 00:18:38,030 We'll look at the sightings of whale sharks 396 00:18:38,030 --> 00:18:39,810 that people have collected over years 397 00:18:39,810 --> 00:18:41,630 and we'll combine those sightings and look 398 00:18:41,630 --> 00:18:44,210 at where ship traffic intersects with those sightings. 399 00:18:44,210 --> 00:18:46,120 And then what we'll be able to do is, 400 00:18:46,120 --> 00:18:48,210 do some statistics to look at the risk 401 00:18:48,210 --> 00:18:52,180 of collisions between feeding whale sharks and ships. 402 00:18:52,180 --> 00:18:54,360 When we see what the risk of collisions is like, 403 00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:55,600 we can make recommendations 404 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:57,390 to slightly tweak the shipping lanes 405 00:18:57,390 --> 00:18:59,720 around aggregations of whale sharks. 406 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:01,540 And that's really going to help us work 407 00:19:01,540 --> 00:19:03,540 with the maritime industry to say, 408 00:19:03,540 --> 00:19:06,180 "Hey, of course you guys have rights to these waters as well, 409 00:19:06,180 --> 00:19:08,210 "but if you could just move your shipping lane a mile 410 00:19:08,210 --> 00:19:10,420 "to the east, you're going to reduce the chances 411 00:19:10,420 --> 00:19:13,330 of hitting whale sharks by so many percent." 412 00:19:13,330 --> 00:19:15,570 That kind of informed decision making, I think, 413 00:19:15,570 --> 00:19:18,570 is the best way to work together. 414 00:19:18,570 --> 00:19:20,360 It's been done with whales, particularly in the U.S. 415 00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:21,840 with the North Atlantic right whale, 416 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:25,540 where they've shifted traffic lanes just ever so slightly 417 00:19:25,540 --> 00:19:28,120 to reduce the risk of collision with these right whales. 418 00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:30,510 And what that's done is, just a few degrees shift 419 00:19:30,510 --> 00:19:32,750 in the shipping lane has resulted 420 00:19:32,750 --> 00:19:34,720 in more than 50% reduction in risk 421 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:36,210 to collision with right whales 422 00:19:36,210 --> 00:19:38,360 and a more than 80% reduction in risk 423 00:19:38,360 --> 00:19:41,150 from collision with other large baleen whales. 424 00:19:41,150 --> 00:19:42,810 >> We really get great satisfaction 425 00:19:42,810 --> 00:19:44,540 from taking the science and turning it 426 00:19:44,540 --> 00:19:49,120 into effective conservation outcomes. 427 00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:51,210 >> NARRATOR: In addition to using 428 00:19:51,210 --> 00:19:54,630 traditional satellite tags, Jake is also experimenting 429 00:19:54,630 --> 00:19:58,300 with a new tag design that he's putting together himself. 430 00:19:58,300 --> 00:20:00,720 He assembles the tag in his hotel room 431 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:04,090 before the team heads out on the water. 432 00:20:04,090 --> 00:20:06,510 >> What this is doing is recording pitch, 433 00:20:06,510 --> 00:20:10,210 roll and heading, as well as depth. 434 00:20:10,210 --> 00:20:13,030 So every time the animal changes direction, 435 00:20:13,030 --> 00:20:15,810 changes depth and changes orientation 436 00:20:15,810 --> 00:20:18,120 in the water, we're able to measure that. 437 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:20,780 And this is recording 100 times a second. 438 00:20:20,780 --> 00:20:23,030 It's sort of like we are able to ride along 439 00:20:23,030 --> 00:20:25,720 with the animal and see what it's doing underwater. 440 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:29,720 We need to recover these tags to get the information off them. 441 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:32,540 Because these tags are recording data 442 00:20:32,540 --> 00:20:35,210 at such a fine scale, and because it's all that data, 443 00:20:35,210 --> 00:20:38,840 it's not possible to transmit over satellite. 444 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:41,660 >> NARRATOR: The scientists put one of these behavioral tags 445 00:20:41,660 --> 00:20:45,300 on a shark they nicknamed Señora Elastica. 446 00:20:45,300 --> 00:20:48,210 For the next three days, they hope to see her again 447 00:20:48,210 --> 00:20:51,180 at the aggregation site to recover the tag. 448 00:20:51,180 --> 00:20:53,450 >> We thought she had gone, we thought we had lost her. 449 00:20:53,450 --> 00:20:55,780 And then Jake went out to take some photos one day, 450 00:20:55,780 --> 00:20:58,540 just really for recreation, and from the deep, 451 00:20:58,540 --> 00:21:00,750 underneath him, Señora Elastica rose from the blue 452 00:21:00,750 --> 00:21:03,210 and he was able to reach down and pluck the tag off, 453 00:21:03,210 --> 00:21:06,120 and now we have a hundred hours in the life of a whale shark, 454 00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:07,660 which is really an extraordinary data set 455 00:21:07,660 --> 00:21:14,660 that nobody's had before. 456 00:21:14,660 --> 00:21:16,360 >> NARRATOR: Once the team returned 457 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:18,690 to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, 458 00:21:18,690 --> 00:21:21,420 they began to look at the data in the lab. 459 00:21:21,420 --> 00:21:23,690 >> And it is so much fun, I have to tell you. 460 00:21:23,690 --> 00:21:26,240 The way that you can reconstruct her movements 461 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:28,090 in three dimensions, you can see every tail beat, 462 00:21:28,090 --> 00:21:31,090 you can see every dive and every feeding behavior. 463 00:21:31,090 --> 00:21:32,810 And that's really, really exciting. 464 00:21:32,810 --> 00:21:35,510 We've covered several night times, several daytimes, 465 00:21:35,510 --> 00:21:37,600 some surface behavior, some bottom behavior. 466 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:39,510 It really is extraordinary detail 467 00:21:39,510 --> 00:21:41,870 that we've never had before about what whale sharks do. 468 00:21:41,870 --> 00:21:43,720 One of the things that it really revealed to us is 469 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:46,210 how much time they spend going up and down. 470 00:21:46,210 --> 00:21:47,480 We thought a lot of the time, they were either 471 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:49,420 at the surface or at the bottom, but as we look 472 00:21:49,420 --> 00:21:51,150 at the data in more detail, 473 00:21:51,150 --> 00:21:53,870 we see that they're pretty much constantly going up and down. 474 00:21:53,870 --> 00:21:55,330 We really were surprised 475 00:21:55,330 --> 00:21:58,120 exactly how much of their time they spend in transit. 476 00:21:58,120 --> 00:21:59,540 We're probably underestimating how many whale sharks 477 00:21:59,540 --> 00:22:01,300 there are out there because we base that 478 00:22:01,300 --> 00:22:02,870 on a surface assessment. 479 00:22:02,870 --> 00:22:05,510 You look around, you say, "Oh, there's about 150 animals here." 480 00:22:05,510 --> 00:22:07,450 But if there's an additional 30% to 40% 481 00:22:07,450 --> 00:22:09,360 that are on the bottom at that moment, 482 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:10,870 and they're going to swap with other animals 483 00:22:10,870 --> 00:22:12,330 that are currently at the surface, 484 00:22:12,330 --> 00:22:13,780 then you're probably underestimating 485 00:22:13,780 --> 00:22:16,210 exactly how many whale sharks there are in your aggregation. 486 00:22:16,210 --> 00:22:17,420 That's probably a good thing. 487 00:22:17,420 --> 00:22:19,180 We'd like to know there are more animals out there, 488 00:22:19,180 --> 00:22:20,870 but it's the sort of information that we wouldn't have had 489 00:22:20,870 --> 00:22:23,060 before this kind of tagging technology. 490 00:22:23,060 --> 00:22:24,240 So it's very exciting for us for the first time 491 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:25,870 to be able to see what whale sharks do 492 00:22:25,870 --> 00:22:29,690 in their spare time. 493 00:22:29,690 --> 00:22:31,630 >> NARRATOR: The Georgia Aquarium is the only facility 494 00:22:31,630 --> 00:22:36,120 outside of Asia that has whale sharks on display. 495 00:22:36,120 --> 00:22:37,540 >> We have four animals in the aquarium, 496 00:22:37,540 --> 00:22:39,180 two males and two females. 497 00:22:39,180 --> 00:22:41,090 They came from Taiwan. 498 00:22:41,090 --> 00:22:45,840 So those are Pacific animals, not Atlantic animals. 499 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:47,720 >> NARRATOR: The aquarium's research staff 500 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,150 not only conducts research in the field, 501 00:22:50,150 --> 00:22:53,210 but has also teamed up with Emory University 502 00:22:53,210 --> 00:22:56,480 to sequence the genome of whale sharks 503 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:58,330 using tissue samples collected 504 00:22:58,330 --> 00:23:01,420 from captive animals. 505 00:23:01,420 --> 00:23:03,540 >> We take the DNA and we work in the lab 506 00:23:03,540 --> 00:23:05,570 to create what's called a sequencing library, 507 00:23:05,570 --> 00:23:07,390 which is a sort of form of the DNA 508 00:23:07,390 --> 00:23:10,240 that can be sequenced by the instrument. 509 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:12,660 Then what the instrument effectively does is, 510 00:23:12,660 --> 00:23:15,420 it converts the chemical information to data. 511 00:23:15,420 --> 00:23:18,150 And then, really, the bulk of the work involves 512 00:23:18,150 --> 00:23:20,840 putting the data together. 513 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:23,480 >> Whale sharks have so many, like, unique features. 514 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:25,660 And the genome side is so big. 515 00:23:25,660 --> 00:23:29,690 So if we decipher the genome of this whale shark, 516 00:23:29,690 --> 00:23:31,870 then definitely we will be able to know 517 00:23:31,870 --> 00:23:33,810 why the whale shark is so big 518 00:23:33,810 --> 00:23:36,600 and why whale shark has some very unique feeding mechanisms, 519 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,750 and how the whale shark species 520 00:23:39,750 --> 00:23:42,690 is related to other shark species. 521 00:23:42,690 --> 00:23:44,390 >> The other reason the genome is interesting 522 00:23:44,390 --> 00:23:47,030 is that sharks were the first group of vertebrates 523 00:23:47,030 --> 00:23:49,090 to evolve an adaptive immune system. 524 00:23:49,090 --> 00:23:50,420 So they're the first vertebrates 525 00:23:50,420 --> 00:23:52,330 to have specific antibodies in their blood 526 00:23:52,330 --> 00:23:53,840 to particular diseases. 527 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:55,330 And so if we want to know 528 00:23:55,330 --> 00:23:57,210 about where our own immune systems came from, 529 00:23:57,210 --> 00:23:58,870 looking in the tissue and DNA of sharks 530 00:23:58,870 --> 00:24:00,780 is a great place to start. 531 00:24:00,780 --> 00:24:03,720 >> We can also use the DNA as a way 532 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,570 to develop tests so that we can understand 533 00:24:06,570 --> 00:24:09,810 how diverse whale shark populations are. 534 00:24:09,810 --> 00:24:12,150 >> So far, we think that whale sharks are all one species, 535 00:24:12,150 --> 00:24:14,390 but to be kind of frank, I don't really believe that. 536 00:24:14,390 --> 00:24:16,060 I believe we probably haven't looked hard enough 537 00:24:16,060 --> 00:24:18,510 at their genes yet. 538 00:24:18,510 --> 00:24:20,840 >> NARRATOR: The scientists hope to compare tissue samples 539 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:23,060 collected from the captive animals 540 00:24:23,060 --> 00:24:25,630 to those of other areas, to determine whether or not 541 00:24:25,630 --> 00:24:31,030 there are distinct sub-populations. 542 00:24:31,030 --> 00:24:33,210 >> That's a big shark! 543 00:24:33,210 --> 00:24:35,450 >> As we probe further into their genetic sequence, 544 00:24:35,450 --> 00:24:37,870 I expect that we'll find differences 545 00:24:37,870 --> 00:24:41,060 between Atlantic whale sharks and Indo-Pacific whale sharks 546 00:24:41,060 --> 00:24:43,150 because it's very unlikely that whale sharks are going 547 00:24:43,150 --> 00:24:44,870 around the bottom of South America. 548 00:24:44,870 --> 00:24:55,270 It's just too cold for them down there. 549 00:24:55,270 --> 00:25:00,330 >> NARRATOR: The oceans are still full of mysteries. 550 00:25:00,330 --> 00:25:03,540 Whale sharks may be the biggest fish in the sea, 551 00:25:03,540 --> 00:25:07,450 but so far we only know very little 552 00:25:07,450 --> 00:25:11,030 about these gentle giants. 553 00:25:11,030 --> 00:25:12,480 >> I love being offshore with the animals, 554 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:15,480 and those days when it's really hot and really still, 555 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:16,870 and all you can hear is the swishing 556 00:25:16,870 --> 00:25:19,840 of tails and dorsal fins through the water. 557 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:21,630 And I like to think about the fact 558 00:25:21,630 --> 00:25:23,330 that this species has been on the planet 559 00:25:23,330 --> 00:25:24,480 for 70 million years. 560 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,450 So back in the days when it was dinosaurs 561 00:25:27,450 --> 00:25:30,660 and not tourists that were roaming the Yucatan, 562 00:25:30,660 --> 00:25:32,180 whale sharks were already here. 563 00:25:32,180 --> 00:25:33,450 They were already probably doing exactly 564 00:25:33,450 --> 00:25:37,570 what we're seeing them do right now. 565 00:25:37,570 --> 00:25:39,420 I always come back from the field 566 00:25:39,420 --> 00:25:41,630 with renewed energy for science and renewed energy 567 00:25:41,630 --> 00:25:45,120 for trying to understand the biology that's all around us. 568 00:25:45,120 --> 00:25:47,270 Anyone who tells you that there isn't great stuff 569 00:25:47,270 --> 00:25:48,780 yet to be discovered in the oceans 570 00:25:48,780 --> 00:25:50,390 hasn't stuck their head underwater lately, 571 00:25:50,390 --> 00:26:15,510 because there's still plenty of cool stuff to see. 572 00:26:15,510 --> 00:26:17,660 >> Major funding for this program was provided 573 00:26:17,660 --> 00:26:20,540 by the Batchelor Foundation, 574 00:26:20,540 --> 00:26:23,420 encouraging people to preserve and protect 575 00:26:23,420 --> 00:26:28,420 America's underwater resources. 576 00:26:28,420 --> 00:26:31,330 And by Divers Direct, Emocean Club, 577 00:26:31,330 --> 00:26:33,810 inspiring the pursuit of tropical adventures 578 00:26:33,810 --> 00:26:36,390 and scuba diving. 579 00:26:36,390 --> 00:26:41,390 And by the Do Unto Others Trust.