Sharks Unknown with Jasmin Graham
By Safina Center Fellow Jasmin Graham
Calling all shark fans! There is a new PBS Terra Series called Sharks Unknown with Jasmin Graham that you’ll definitely want to check out. This show represents a shift in the way shark shows and documentaries are made for several reasons:
1. Safina Center Fellow and scientist Jasmin Graham not only hosts the show but directs it, so the show’s original concept creation is centered on science and shark conservation first and foremost.
2. the production company producing the show, Fig Tree Films, is owned and operated by a woman of color, and the entire production team is either women and/or people of color.
3. the show explores a variety of shark science topics and shark species by following scientists of color as they conduct their research.
4. the show embraces culture and individual identity by not only highlighting the science and the sharks, but also highlighting the scientists who study them. Every scientist featured on the show is a member of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), and we are really excited to highlight all of the important work they do.
The first five episodes are out on YouTube. The first episode follows MISS’ Diversifying Ocean Sciences participants as they embark on a workshop to learn how to conduct scientific shark surveys, and along the way the audience also gets to learn how field research works.
The second episode highlights the unique aggregation of female leopard sharks off the coast of La Jolla shores and explores a peculiar behavior observed in the leopard sharks.
The fourth episode dives (literally) into climate change and how the ocean heat wave that hit south Florida in summer 2023, and future warming oceans may impact sharks.
The fifth episode shows how a community science project leveraging the surf community, particularly surfers of color, in the Los Angeles area is using eDNA to get a better understanding of the species present along the coast of Los Angeles.
There are a few more episodes coming out in 2024 that we can’t wait to share! If you are interested in checking out the series, you can visit the website for the show. If you’d like to learn more about how this show is changing the face of shark TV, you can watch a screening and Q&A with the director/host as well as one of the executive producers hosted by New England Aquarium, one of the sponsors of the show, here.