'Shark' Side of the Moon

In “Hammerheads: Shark Side of the Moon” from National Geographic, Dr. Pelayo Salinas De León of the Charles Darwin Foundation conducts a study to prove that the migration patterns of scalloped hammerhead sharks are linked to the lunar cycle. He tags and tracks pregnant females on their reproductive migration around the tropical eastern pacific in the hopes that the data gathered will encourage the creation of new conservation policies to protect the species during this crucial migration period.

PELAYO: "If you want to protect a shark, one of the first questions is where? Because especially for large migratory sharks, like scalloped hammerheads, that often travel long distances, it's going across a lot of national jurisdictions, and we have pretty limited agreements on how to manage Marine resources. So, one of the major challenges is knowing what areas we would need to protect in order to conserve shark population" (National Geographic, 2024).

NARRATOR: "Understanding the biological superhighways sharks take, and what drives their migrations, gives scientists the tools to protect them. The scalloped hammerhead is critically endangered. If Pelayo's hypothesis is correct, learning more about their secret lives and movements could be the key to saving them, and with further study, other migratory species" (National Geographic, 2024).

PELAYO: "By gathering this data, by better understanding the migrations they take, hopefully we'll be able to increase the protection, not only around the Galapagos, but through their entire migratory pathway" (National Geographic, 2024).

PELAYO: "Overfishing and illegal fishing practices is the biggest threat to the conservation of the scalloped hammerhead shark, and this is why they are critically endangered" (National Geographic, 2024).

NARRATOR: "Beyond the Galapagos' 40 miles of protected waters, the open ocean is full of lethal obstacles" (National Geographic, 2024).

PELAYO: "There are curtains of hooks, fishing nets everywhere, and they have to take these migrations to mangroves through unprotected waters and survive their journey. So, with our data we hope to achieve knowledge that is necessary to tell the decision makers, ‘you need to establish a fishing ban during this time of the year’. You have to protect these biological corridors so we can protect hammerheads across their entire life cycle" (National Geographic, 2024).

NARRATOR: "After months of tracking these females the mysterious lives of scalloped hammerheads are finally becoming clearer. Incredibly, Pelayo's data confirms the key moments in the migration of pregnant hammerheads do sync with the full moon" (National Geographic, 2024).

Review

Dr. Pelayo's study on the reproductive migration of scalloped hammerheads is significant in several aspects. The data gathered is the first instance in which a shark species has displayed a behavioral connection to the lunar cycle, indicating a type of inherent intelligence that contradicts the perception of sharks as extremely primal animals motivated by the hunt. This relationship is fascinating to think about, and honestly quite beautiful. It displays an intricacy between the natural processes of the universe and the beings that inhabit it.

Alongside this rather spiritual interpretation of the study is its most important takeaway: how this research could be used to protect the species from extinction. The data illustrates the location and timing of the scalloped hammerheads migration, giving scientists a better understanding of their movements that could be used to support legislation for fishing bans along the migratory path. With overfishing and accidental catches being the cause of this species' endangerment, studies such as these could be monumental in understanding what needs to be done to protect them. I am inspired by this study and wonder how my own research efforts might be able to inform new strategies for protecting the environment from outdoor recreation.

References

National Geographic. (2024, July 20). Hammerheads: Shark Side of the Moon (Full Episode) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyIjxzl5Nbs&t=8s