1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:08,160 [♪ upbeat music playing] 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 4 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:12,280 [Anthony Mackie] Born and raised in New Orleans, 5 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:16,680 I've fished along Louisiana's bayous my whole life. 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:21,560 These historic waterways are a sportsman's paradise. 7 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,760 It's the fun, the adrenaline rush when you feel 8 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:26,240 the fish hit your line. 9 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,360 Did he stay on your line? Did he get off your line? 10 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:32,880 You never know what's gonna happen. 11 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:35,960 [glass shattering] 12 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,640 Playing a super hero is one thing, 13 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,760 but fishing here is where it feels real. 14 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:45,760 You never know what's gonna bite your line. 15 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,280 So, you have to stay focused, you have to stay in the moment. 16 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,160 But even in the calm waters of New Orleans, 17 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,560 there are predators just below the surface. 18 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:00,400 [gasps] 19 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:01,640 [screams] 20 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,360 [Anthony Mackie] Bull sharks in fresh water miles inland, 21 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:06,960 in my home town. 22 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,200 [reporter] We've all heard that there are sharks swimming 23 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:10,280 in the Lake. 24 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,440 [reporter] Maybe closer to the shore than you think. 25 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:13,520 [screams]. 26 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:15,360 [Anthony Mackie] From the Gulf of Mexico... 27 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:16,920 [gasps]. 28 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:18,840 [Anthony Mackie] To the Atlantic Coast, 29 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,320 sharks are targeting fishing boats and taking fish. 30 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:23,400 [fisherman] No! 31 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:24,760 [Anthony Mackie] Right off the line. 32 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:25,920 [Jasmin Graham] I think a shark got it. 33 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,000 [screaming]. 34 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:29,480 [Anthony Mackie] As an avid fisherman, 35 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:31,680 raising a family along these waters, 36 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:34,000 I wanna know what's behind this. 37 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:35,760 Right there. 38 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:40,400 So, I'm on a quest to find out why these apex predators 39 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,160 are swiping fishermen's hard earned catches. 40 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:44,720 Oh! You saw that? 41 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:45,920 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Go, go, go. 42 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:47,240 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Careful, she's gonna go. 43 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:49,520 [Anthony Mackie] And, see how bold new research... 44 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:51,040 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Grab that dorsal fin. 45 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:53,920 [Anthony Mackie] Could help prevent these frequent run ins. 46 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,160 That's a big fish. 47 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:57,720 That's amazing. 48 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:00,640 With sharks and fishermen both depending on these waters 49 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:05,240 to survive, the stakes couldn't be higher. 50 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:09,840 [♪ theme music plays] 51 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:15,720 [Anthony Mackie] You know, New Orleans is different. 52 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:17,920 Our vibe is different. 53 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:22,920 Some people think Louisiana's soul comes from 54 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,240 its music or food. 55 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,080 But I think it's the waters that shape our culture and 56 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:31,720 spawns my love for fishing. 57 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:35,320 This right here is where I grew up and 58 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,320 honed in my skills as a fisherman. 59 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:40,520 I was out here, damn near every day. 60 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:42,560 I mean, that's when I wasn't in trouble, 61 00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:45,160 that was the one thing that kept me out of trouble. 62 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:46,760 But I remember once when I was a kid, 63 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,000 somebody took a hot dog and caught a 70 pound catfish 64 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:51,520 out of that lagoon. 65 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:52,880 [laughs]. 66 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:54,360 It was the thing of legend. 67 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:55,800 He was on the news. 68 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:56,960 [laughs]. 69 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,920 So, this right here is Bayou St. John. 70 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,840 And this was my bridge where I would fish. 71 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,000 This was kinda like my playground. 72 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,880 It was so hot, you could sit in the water and fish. 73 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:15,960 So, being in the middle of the city, 74 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:17,760 it was just a easy place to catch dinner 75 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:19,920 'cause my mom loved perch. 76 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:21,240 So, I would come out and catch 'em and 77 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:23,080 she would clean 'em and cook 'em. 78 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:33,040 Growing up here, I didn't hear much about sharks swimming 79 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,280 in these waters, but since I moved back to New Orleans to 80 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:39,160 raise my family, that's all changed. 81 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:42,400 To find out why, I'm headed to another one of 82 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,000 my childhood fishing spots. 83 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:47,960 Southeast of the city is Venice, Louisiana, 84 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,800 also known as Tuna Town. 85 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,800 I've spent a lot of time on these wharfs with 86 00:03:55,880 --> 00:04:00,200 the fresh smell of fish coming in after a day's catch. 87 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:05,440 In recent years, business has boomed here. 88 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,840 A lot of these boats run charter trips while others are 89 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:12,360 commercial vessels with crews that make a living on 90 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:14,480 their daily catch. 91 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:20,280 But these days, Tuna Town sounds more like Shark City. 92 00:04:20,840 --> 00:04:23,160 [bystander] Good Lord, the sharks just eat you up. 93 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:27,240 If you hook five fish maybe get one. 94 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,080 [bystander] That's a lot of money out of our pocket. 95 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,400 It makes our job harder. 96 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:33,920 [angler] Dam! Look at that! 97 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:35,560 [Anthony Mackie] Out in the Gulf of Mexico, 98 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:37,720 sharks are tracking trawlers, 99 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,840 taking tuna and even tearing open shrimp nets. 100 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,240 [angler] This is a shark feeding frenzy. 101 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:45,920 [Anthony Mackie] Some boats are losing half of their catch, 102 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,280 costing them thousands of dollars a week. 103 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:51,200 [bystander] You lose a lot of fish to sharks, big sharks, 104 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:53,200 small sharks, they're everywhere. 105 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:55,680 Lose a lot of equipment, a lot of money. 106 00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:58,920 [Anthony Mackie] Scientists refer to this act as, 107 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,040 "Depredation." 108 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,480 To see it for myself, I'm headed out to the Gulf with 109 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,600 Captain Brett Ryan to do a little fishing. 110 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:14,880 All right. 111 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:17,280 {\an8}[Brett Ryan] You wanna hop aboard and we'll get this day 112 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:18,440 {\an8}going and come catch some fish. 113 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:20,960 {\an8}- Let's do it. - Hop in right there. 114 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:22,040 [Anthony Mackie] Wow! 115 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:24,440 - Welcome aboard. - Thank you. 116 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:27,280 [Anthony Mackie] To understand what's driving this conflict, 117 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,920 I also recruited a bona fide shark expert. 118 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:32,080 [Jasmin Graham] Good morning. 119 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:33,320 [Anthony Mackie] Anthony. Jasmine, nice to meet you. 120 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:34,400 {\an8}[Jasmin Graham] Nice to meet you. 121 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:35,680 {\an8}- Can I come aboard? - Absolutely! 122 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:36,960 {\an8}- Yes, please. - All right. 123 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:39,200 [Anthony Mackie] Marine biologist Jasmin Graham 124 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:42,600 studies shark ecology and evolution and is here 125 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,760 to decode any shark behavior we might see. 126 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:50,840 [Brett Ryan] We're gonna head out to West Delta 127 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:52,920 this afternoon. 128 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:57,160 We've noticed there is a lot of issues with shark depredation. 129 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:00,760 And it's becoming more and more prevalent. 130 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:05,120 [Anthony Mackie] I have a friend, 131 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:06,960 he hit a pretty got sized fish. 132 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:08,360 Shark came and grabbed it. 133 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:10,440 And now, instead of him letting the fish go, 134 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:12,120 he doubled down. 135 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:14,520 So, the sharks' dragging him across the Gulf of Mexico. 136 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:15,600 [Jasmin Graham] Mm-hmm. 137 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:17,200 [Anthony Mackie] Five minutes later, he pops his head up, 138 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:18,640 he has a half a fish. 139 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:20,840 - Hmm. - I would have let that go. 140 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:22,600 [Anthony Mackie] We'll, you'd let it go! 141 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:24,040 [Brett Ryan] Was it worth the half a fish? 142 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:26,040 [Anthony Mackie] Right. 143 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,720 We're headed to a fishing spot where the battle between anglers 144 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,280 and sharks is no joke. 145 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:39,840 A few miles off shore, the rigs of the West Delta oil field 146 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:43,760 provide some of the best fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. 147 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:49,040 I've experienced this and Jasmin knows why. 148 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:50,760 [Jasmin Graham] So, it's a big aggregation of 149 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:52,240 a lot of different species. 150 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:54,080 It's why it's a great fishing spot. 151 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:55,160 [Anthony Mackie] Hmm. 152 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:56,880 [Jasmin Graham] And it's just as much biodiversity as we have 153 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:59,320 on coral reefs, we have on these artificial reefs. 154 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:01,080 [Anthony Mackie] Right. 155 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,640 Under water, these steel skeletons are a sanctuary for 156 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,640 a wide array of fish species. 157 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:11,560 Over time, algae and other life forms grow on these rigs, 158 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:14,080 forming a complex ecosystem. 159 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,920 It's an angler's paradise and a pretty good place to hang out, 160 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:19,920 if you're a hungry shark. 161 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:26,200 So, the chances of witnessing depredation firsthand are good. 162 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:28,520 - You ready? - Yep. 163 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:30,200 [Brett Ryan] Grab your weight. 164 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:32,560 Let it rip, tater chip. 165 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:36,800 [Anthony Mackie] Here we go. 166 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,440 [reel unspooling rapidly] 167 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:47,200 This is my first time being out here in a long time. 168 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:50,760 My uncle and I, we would come out to the rigs. 169 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:52,600 It's great, it brings up my childhood. 170 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,240 So, it's just fun to be here as an adult and do it again. 171 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:58,480 You don't know what you're gonna catch out here. 172 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:00,440 [Brett Ryan] Oh, that was a little nibble. 173 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,280 [Anthony Mackie] Yeah. Been nibbling for a minute. 174 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:05,440 [Brett Ryan] There goes a shark right by the boat. 175 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:06,840 Y'all keep an eye out. 176 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:07,920 [thuds] 177 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:09,000 Uh-oh! 178 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:10,280 [bystander] Got a fish on. 179 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:11,840 [reel unspooling rapidly] 180 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,040 [Anthony Mackie] It's a good size one. 181 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:18,320 [Brett Ryan] Uh-oh. That was a shark. 182 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:20,640 [Anthony Mackie] He came right under the boat. 183 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:22,840 Foof! Right there. 184 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,600 Well, the hook is gone. 185 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:29,680 And so is my fish. 186 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,200 And although I got a quick look at the shark, 187 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,120 I couldn't say for sure what the species was. 188 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,640 Luckily, Jasmin came prepared. 189 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:39,720 [Jasmin Graham] I'm just gonna swab it and hopefully get 190 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:44,040 some bit of that shark's DNA on it. 191 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:46,880 The good thing is, that we did see it at the surface, 192 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:50,000 and I was able to identify that it was a blacktip, 193 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:52,080 Carcharhinus limbatus, so. 194 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:53,520 [Anthony Mackie] Carcharhinus limbatus. 195 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:55,520 [Jasmin Graham] Yeah. So, if you're ever on Jeopardy. 196 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:56,960 - I got it. - You got it. 197 00:08:57,040 --> 00:08:58,120 [Anthony Mackie] I'll never forget it. 198 00:08:58,200 --> 00:08:59,200 - Yes. - Yes. 199 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:00,840 [Jasmin Graham] So, most identifying feature, 200 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:02,800 obviously black tips on its fins. 201 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:04,520 So, if it comes back and says that it is, 202 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,120 in fact, a blacktip, we know that it worked. 203 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:11,800 [Anthony Mackie] Recent DNA research proves that at least 204 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:16,000 15 different shark species are stealing fishermen's catches 205 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:17,960 out here in the Gulf. 206 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:21,520 One of the biggest culprits, the bull shark is responsible 207 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,000 for over one third of the fish heists. 208 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,440 Other species include close relative the sandbar shark, 209 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:32,000 along with blacktips, spinners and makos. 210 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,640 - Shark on the line! - Shark on the line. 211 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:40,640 [Anthony Mackie] As soon as we cast another line, 212 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:42,360 they're back for more. 213 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:43,440 [Jasmin Graham] Oh, there it goes. 214 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:45,040 - Yeah. - There it goes. 215 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:47,400 [Jasmin Graham] It's got it. 216 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:50,560 [Anthony Mackie] We aren't the only boat load of 217 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,080 anglers out here. 218 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:54,040 [Brett Ryan] What's the word? 219 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:56,680 [captain] We're getting murdered by sharks! 220 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:58,040 [Anthony Mackie] It feels like a losing battle. 221 00:09:58,120 --> 00:09:59,120 [thuds] 222 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:00,560 Whoa! 223 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:02,320 Even if you hook a fish. 224 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:04,320 [Brett Ryan] That is a shark eating that snapper. 225 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:06,680 [Anthony Mackie] The sharks think it's a free meal. 226 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:08,200 He's coming up. 227 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:10,200 [Jasmin Graham] Looks like a blacktip. 228 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:13,200 [Anthony Mackie] Got him. 229 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:18,160 He took my fish. 230 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:21,360 For sharks, gabbing a fish already struggling on a line 231 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:23,480 is easy pickings. 232 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:27,560 But for me, I wouldn't call this a relaxing fishing trip. 233 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:30,080 So why has shark depredation become such 234 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:32,640 a big problem in these waters? 235 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:35,160 [Jasmin Graham] We're fishing in the same spot 236 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:36,360 that the sharks are fishing in. 237 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:37,440 [Anthony Mackie] Yeah. 238 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:38,520 [Jasmin Graham] I mean, look, there's nothing else out here. 239 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:39,600 This is the structure. 240 00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:40,680 [Anthony Mackie] This is it, yeah. 241 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:41,880 [Jasmin Graham] So, that's where they're all gonna go. 242 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:42,960 [Anthony Mackie] Right. 243 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:45,000 [Jasmin Graham] Sharks learn really, really quickly. 244 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:47,960 So, they learn, you know, engine means food. 245 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:50,160 So, they start coming straight for the boats. 246 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,840 So, now we're in direct competition with them for 247 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:54,680 the same fish. 248 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:56,720 And that's why you get depredation. 249 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:57,800 [Anthony Mackie] Right. 250 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:00,080 [Jasmin Graham] 'Cause they gotta eat, we gotta eat. 251 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:01,920 We gotta figure out how we both eat. 252 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:03,160 [Anthony Mackie] Where's the helping hand? 253 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:04,720 It's like, we opened a, a buffet. 254 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:05,800 [Jasmin Graham] Yeah. 255 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:06,880 [Anthony Mackie] And they're just sitting around 256 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:07,960 waiting for a snack. 257 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:09,680 - Yeah. - Yeah. 258 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:12,240 [Anthony Mackie] These sharks are smart and they know 259 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:14,680 an easy meal when they see one. 260 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:19,560 And this is a phenomenon that seems to be spreading. 261 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:24,920 In New Orleans, away from the Gulf's artificial reefs, 262 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,440 frustrated fishermen say bull sharks are taking 263 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:29,560 their fish too. 264 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:34,320 To see for myself, I'm headed back to the Big Easy to actually 265 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,720 try to catch a shark in the city. 266 00:11:40,680 --> 00:11:42,200 [Anthony Mackie] New Orleans. 267 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:43,800 I love this city, man. 268 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:45,960 And apart from a few years in New York, 269 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:48,560 I've lived here my whole life. 270 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:50,320 New Orleans is one of those cities where 271 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,000 people enjoy life, you know? 272 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:54,720 And that's what makes it so great. 273 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:58,800 It's the home of jazz, gumbo and Mardi Gras. 274 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:02,720 And these days, a growing shark population. 275 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,320 To get a handle on why their numbers are rising, 276 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:09,440 I'm headed to a spot on the edge of town. 277 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:11,880 The lake is five minutes up here. 278 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:15,560 Where the sharks are swimming pretty close to home. 279 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:18,200 We fish under this bridge down by the pillars, 280 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:21,880 'cause the pillars have become an ecosystem. 281 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:26,440 At 630 square miles, Lake Pontchartrain is 282 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:29,280 the largest inland body of water in Louisiana. 283 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:33,160 The lake is actually a tidal lagoon, 284 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:35,920 {\an8}connected by channels to the Gulf of Mexico. 285 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:41,280 {\an8}That means sharks can enter the lake directly from the Gulf. 286 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:46,600 [reporter] There are sharks swimming in Lake Pontchartrain. 287 00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:48,320 [Kenny Lopez] One local fisherman, 288 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:51,160 {\an8}he caught a nearly six foot bull shark 289 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:53,440 {\an8}right along the sea wall. 290 00:12:57,680 --> 00:12:59,720 [Anthony Mackie] I'd fished in Lake Pontchartrain. 291 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:03,000 It's literally in my backyard. 292 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:05,800 I take my boat out, I take my kids out on Lake Pontchartrain. 293 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:08,520 'Cause we're so naive to what's around us, like, 294 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:09,840 "Oh, there's nothing in the lake," 295 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:11,880 but the lake's full of sharks. 296 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:16,440 To get to the bottom of this, I'm fishing with a guy who knows 297 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:18,880 what these predators are doing here, 298 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:20,600 so far from the sea. 299 00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:22,760 You got dinner or bait? 300 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:27,360 This is local shark scientist, Marcus Drymon. 301 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:28,760 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Now when you think back to fishing 302 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:29,960 {\an8}when you were a kid, 303 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,680 {\an8}do you ever hear of people catching bull sharks in here? 304 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:33,840 - Yeah. - Okay. 305 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:35,240 [Anthony Mackie] Every now and then my uncle would come back in 306 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:37,760 with a shark, but they were smaller sharks. 307 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:40,240 They weren't massive predators. 308 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:41,800 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] What I'm after here today 309 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,120 are bull sharks and bull sharks can live 310 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:45,880 in completely fresh water. 311 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:48,920 And anything in between fresh and saltwater. 312 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,240 So, it's inherent to bull sharks in general. 313 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:53,000 - Oh wow. - Yeah. 314 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:56,040 [Anthony Mackie] For bull sharks it's like a super power. 315 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,440 Their ability to swim in fresh water is nearly unique. 316 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,680 Which is great for them but not so wonderful for 317 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:04,400 all the fishermen. 318 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:09,080 So, Marcus is keeping tabs on them and looking for ways 319 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:13,360 to keep the conflict between sharks and anglers to a minimum. 320 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:17,680 So, what is the goal as far as the bull sharks? 321 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:18,760 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] In this part of the world, 322 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:22,960 a lot of folks are attributing depredation to bull sharks. 323 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:24,160 They're saying, "Hey, what's going on? 324 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:26,560 If the sharks are biting my fish that often, 325 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:28,200 there must be a lot more sharks in the water." 326 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:29,320 [Anthony Mackie] Hmm. 327 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:30,800 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] And in the past 30 years, 328 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:33,040 especially in the United States, we've done a really good job of 329 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:36,240 protecting sharks and so the populations are increasing. 330 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:37,320 [Anthony Mackie] Mm-hmm. 331 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:38,400 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] But the thing is, we don't 332 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:40,280 have a great feel for which parts of 333 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:41,480 Lake Pontchartrain they like the best. 334 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:42,560 [Anthony Mackie] Yeah. 335 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:43,640 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] What are the inlets where they 336 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:44,720 might be coming in? 337 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:46,680 Where are the areas where the water is just right 338 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:47,760 for a bull shark? 339 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:49,920 But that's exactly what we'll be trying to figure out. 340 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,280 If we catch one, is we'll put in a little transmitter. 341 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:55,040 [Anthony Mackie] For more than 15 years, 342 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:59,120 Marcus has been catching, tagging and releasing sharks. 343 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:02,920 To date, he's tagged more than 10,000 in the Gulf 344 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:04,640 and Lake Pontchartrain. 345 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:06,520 - Oh! - Fish on. 346 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:07,800 [Anthony Mackie] Oh, you son of a... 347 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:10,120 So, maybe I can help him by tagging my first. 348 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:12,320 [reel unspooling rapidly] 349 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:14,640 Oh, this side. 350 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,360 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Please be a shark. 351 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:19,320 Please. 352 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:20,640 [Anthony Mackie] That's one. 353 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:22,400 Ooh! That's one. 354 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:24,720 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Oh boy! That's a baby bull shark. 355 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:27,280 [Anthony Mackie] That's a baby? 356 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:28,600 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] That's as small as they get. 357 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:29,720 [Anthony Mackie] Wait. 358 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:31,760 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] That's as small as they get. 359 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:34,440 [Anthony Mackie] So, they're in the womb that big? 360 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:35,520 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Yeah. 361 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:37,080 Just gently lift it up and I'm gonna grab it right 362 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:38,160 when it gets here. 363 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:40,080 - Yep. - One, two, three, go. 364 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:42,440 [Anthony Mackie] Go. Ahh. 365 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:46,480 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Perfect. Look at that. 366 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:47,800 That's amazing. 367 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:48,880 [Anthony Mackie] It's crazy. 368 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:49,960 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Pop this hook out, see? 369 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:51,040 [Anthony Mackie] Yeah. 370 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:52,120 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] When you see a little belly button, 371 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:53,200 you know it was just born. 372 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:54,440 It's called the umbilical scar. 373 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:55,720 - And you see how it's open? - Yeah, yeah, yeah. 374 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:56,800 - Born in July. - So, he's just born. 375 00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:58,080 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] So, he was just born, like, 376 00:15:58,160 --> 00:15:59,360 two months ago. 377 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,200 [Anthony Mackie] Wow. 378 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:03,200 That's crazy, man. 379 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:08,080 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] So, check this out. 380 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:09,760 That's a female. 381 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:12,320 [Anthony Mackie] To track our baby as she grows up, 382 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,080 we're gonna need to implant a transmitter. 383 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:17,400 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] All right. Let's do it then. 384 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:20,000 [Anthony Mackie] And, amazingly, turning most sharks upside down 385 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:22,400 puts them in a trance-like state. 386 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:25,880 It's called tonic immobility, 387 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:28,680 like a natural state of paralysis. 388 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,960 This way, Marcus can get to work without adding to her stress. 389 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:36,680 So, you say that this shark is about a month or two old. 390 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:37,840 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Yeah, that's right. 391 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:39,640 [Anthony Mackie] And, at 30 inches. 392 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:40,920 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Yeah. 393 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:42,000 [Anthony Mackie] You know, it's, 394 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:43,880 it's a good distance to the Gulf. 395 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:44,960 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] So, you ask yourself, 396 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,480 what's a little shark like this doing all the way up here? 397 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:48,920 [Anthony Mackie] Yeah, what's a girl like this doing 398 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,400 in a neighborhood like this? 399 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:52,600 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] That's exactly right. 400 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:54,120 And the answer is, it's the perfect neighborhood for 401 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:55,880 this shark to be in right now. 402 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,400 I mean, it's, it's perfect in terms of protection, 403 00:16:58,480 --> 00:16:59,800 it's a safe neighborhood. 404 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:01,800 It's a neighborhood with lots of food. 405 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:03,000 And it's a neighborhood where there's 406 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:04,160 not a lot of bad guys, so. 407 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:05,240 [Anthony Mackie] Right. 408 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:06,760 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] This is what we could call a primary nursery. 409 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:09,120 So, you know, if you think about the big mothers, you know, 410 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:11,400 it's like humans, they have birth, basically, 411 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:12,880 once a year. 412 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:15,320 and then she comes into an area like this and she drops 'em off. 413 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:16,680 [Anthony Mackie] Right. 414 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:19,640 Right here, in Lake Pontchartrain. 415 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:22,960 So, it turns out that many of the sharks causing havoc 416 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:25,120 in my backyard are just kids. 417 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:27,480 Well, close. 418 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:31,160 And growing up near New Orleans, these trainee predators realize 419 00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:34,360 that a fish on the hook is there for the taking. 420 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:38,040 It's shocking to me because I grew up so close to here. 421 00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:40,640 And I would fish literally right outside this inlet. 422 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,720 The idea of a shark being in my backyard is crazy, 423 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,400 and to catch a baby still with the umbilical cord, 424 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:47,760 it's mind blowing. 425 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:50,480 People are coming through here with their boats to go have 426 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:55,560 lunch on the lake and there's sharks outside their house. 427 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:58,920 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] So, that's all she needs. 428 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:00,280 Do you wanna be the one to put her back? 429 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:01,760 [Anthony Mackie] I would love to. 430 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:03,800 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] I just hold 'em just like that. 431 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:05,720 There you go, you got it. 432 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:08,120 [Anthony Mackie] You're not going to take my finger. 433 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:09,920 And just drop her in? 434 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,000 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Just drop her in whenever you're ready. 435 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:14,080 [Anthony Mackie] It's a beautiful fish. 436 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,080 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] It's a beautiful, beautiful fish. 437 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:17,400 [Anthony Mackie] All right, little lady. 438 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:19,240 I'll see you in a few years. 439 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:22,560 Gone. 440 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:23,640 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Completing the circle. 441 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:25,200 [Anthony Mackie] Wow. 442 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:27,600 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Come on. Come on. 443 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:31,000 [Anthony Mackie] By tracking baby bull sharks, 444 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:34,640 identifying which areas they prefer and sharing that data 445 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,760 with anglers, Marcus hopes to reduce depredation 446 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:40,040 in these waters. 447 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:41,960 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Well done, that's awesome. 448 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:43,560 [Anthony Mackie] That's amazing. 449 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:46,720 And now that I know baby sharks shelter here in the lake 450 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:50,520 as they mature, I'm hoping other fishermen can learn to 451 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:52,640 accept them in our neighborhood. 452 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:59,000 But when these sharks grow up and swim out to deeper waters... 453 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:01,240 [screaming]. 454 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:04,160 [Anthony Mackie] They're bigger and even more intimidating. 455 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:09,400 And research shows bull sharks can really get around. 456 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:14,600 Some even travel to the Gulf all the way from Southern Florida, 457 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,400 where I'm about to see for myself that depredation is 458 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:19,560 also on the rise. 459 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:24,600 [Anthony Mackie] I've come to Florida, 460 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:27,360 the self-styled fishing capital of the world, 461 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,120 to get a different viewpoint on the problem. 462 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:33,760 Just caught us some fresh shark bait. 463 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:37,920 There are now more than a million boats registered here 464 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:39,720 in the Sunshine State, 465 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:43,200 putting more and more anglers in direct conflict with sharks. 466 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:45,520 [angler] There it is! 467 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:48,360 Oh, that's a bull shark. 468 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:50,840 [angler] I think a shark got it. 469 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:52,240 [angler] A shark came by and nabbed him, 470 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:54,080 split him right in half. 471 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:58,080 [Anthony Mackie] Anglers say bull shark numbers have surged 472 00:19:58,160 --> 00:19:59,920 and shark fishing tournaments, 473 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,920 which already killed tens of thousands a year, 474 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:04,480 are pushing for more. 475 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:07,200 [protester] Save our sharks! 476 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:10,280 {\an8}[Anthony Mackie] Meanwhile, conservationists point out that 477 00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:13,160 bull sharks are a vulnerable species that 478 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:15,520 deserve continued protection. 479 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:16,920 I'm interested to see 'em down there. 480 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:18,360 {\an8}[Jasmin Graham] Sharks in the movies, 481 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:22,040 {\an8}they're portrayed as these mindless, man-eaters. 482 00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:24,960 But actually sharks are really afraid of us 483 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:27,200 because we're scary, right? 484 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:28,280 [Anthony Mackie] Right. 485 00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:30,680 [Jasmin Graham] We kill a hundred million sharks a year. 486 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:33,680 Sharks kill one or two people a year. 487 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:36,520 [Anthony Mackie] Shark biologist, Jasmin Graham, 488 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:40,800 thinks protecting sharks is in everyone's best interests. 489 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:42,600 Even the fishermen. 490 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:45,160 To help me understand, we're at a spot off 491 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:47,600 the east coast of Florida near Jupiter. 492 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:50,600 It's called Deep Ledge. 493 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:54,480 {\an8}Out here, four miles offshore, 494 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:56,080 {\an8}the cold waters of the Atlantic 495 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:59,560 {\an8}are split by a warmer current coming in from the south. 496 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:01,560 {\an8}The Gulf Stream. 497 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:07,080 This conveyor belt of nutrients and plankton 498 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:12,400 attracts a huge range of fish species, including sharks. 499 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:17,840 And Jasmin wants us both to get in the water with them. 500 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:21,200 [Jasmin Graham] Now you're going into their territory. 501 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:22,400 How you feeling? 502 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:24,600 [Anthony Mackie] Uh, I'm a little, I'm a little nervous. 503 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:26,440 I'm interested to see how they react. 504 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:28,200 'Cause I've never seen them in their habitat, 505 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:30,880 I've only seen them being pulled out of their habitat. 506 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:33,800 But, my problem is, I'm not the best swimmer. 507 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:38,080 So, I don't wanna be the bait that brings the sharks in. 508 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:39,320 [Jasmin Graham] All you have to do, 509 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:41,080 I recommend what we call star fish. 510 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:42,760 Get as flat as possible. 511 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:46,680 The more surface area you have, the more buoyant you are. 512 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:49,320 [Anthony Mackie] So, if the shark gets too close, 513 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:51,280 I should hit it in the nose, right? 514 00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:52,680 [Jasmin Graham] Well, you don't need to hit it. 515 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:53,800 You just need to, like... 516 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:55,600 [Anthony Mackie] Where I'm from, we punch 'em in the nose. 517 00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:56,800 [Jasmin Graham] Well, don't punch. 518 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,080 We don't need to punch 'em. 519 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:01,800 All you have to do is just gently like, no. 520 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:03,280 Just guide 'em and then, 521 00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:05,280 and they'll be like, "Oh, all right." 522 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:06,800 [Anthony Mackie] So, it's like dating. 523 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:08,240 [Jasmin Graham] Please continue. 524 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:09,320 [Anthony Mackie] I'm just saying. 525 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:10,840 "Oh, no, sir, thank you." 526 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:12,080 [Jasmin Graham] Once you see 'em, 527 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:13,560 you'll have a appreciation. 528 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:15,640 I think anyone that swims with sharks has 529 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:17,880 a much better understanding and respect for them. 530 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:19,120 [Anthony Mackie] Right. 531 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,800 [Jasmin Graham] All right. So, you ready to get in? 532 00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:23,680 - I'm ready. - Let's do it. 533 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:24,800 [Anthony Mackie] Don't punch in the nose. 534 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:25,880 [Jasmin Graham] Don't punch the shark. 535 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:26,960 [Anthony Mackie] Don't punch in the nose. 536 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:28,040 [Jasmin Graham] Do not punch the shark. 537 00:22:28,120 --> 00:22:30,360 [Anthony Mackie] Don't do it. I got it, I got it. 538 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:35,960 [bystander] All right, you guys, let's get ready. 539 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,280 [Anthony Mackie] Let's do it. 540 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:40,880 All right. 541 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:44,440 [bystander] Alrighty. Three, two, one. 542 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:48,320 [Anthony Mackie] We're in. 543 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:50,480 And I'm just gonna hold on to my home girl, Jasmin, 544 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,000 you know, to make sure she's okay. 545 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:59,800 And out of nowhere, the biggest shark I've ever seen 546 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:01,840 comes out of the blue. 547 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:03,560 Oh! What? 548 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:04,640 You saw that? 549 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:06,920 [Jasmin Graham] Yeah. That was so cool. 550 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:14,920 [Anthony Mackie] There really is a shark down there. 551 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,120 [Jasmin Graham] It is a, a shark. 552 00:23:18,120 --> 00:23:20,520 [Anthony Mackie] And it's not alone. 553 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:25,240 They swim so close. 554 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:26,360 [Jasmin Graham] Yeah. 555 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,120 It's wild, they're so pretty. 556 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:32,200 [Anthony Mackie] They really are so terrifyingly 557 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:34,440 graceful and majestic. 558 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:38,200 In fact, coming face to face with these incredible creatures 559 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:40,200 is nothing like I expected. 560 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:41,600 They seem so chill. 561 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:43,680 [Jasmin Graham] Yeah. I told you. 562 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:46,200 They're not worried about us. 563 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,360 So, you gotta respect them, you gotta respect their space. 564 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:57,080 [Anthony Mackie] Yeah. Okay. 565 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:58,600 [Jasmin Graham] You leave them alone, 566 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:00,160 they'll leave you alone. 567 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:02,280 You cool. 568 00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:05,120 [Anthony Mackie] Realizing they don't want a piece of me, 569 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:09,320 it's time to let go of my fear and enjoy the spectacle. 570 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,000 [Jasmin Graham] Female sandbar right down there. 571 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:17,680 [Anthony Mackie] Ah, that's crazy. 572 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:22,040 Up to eight feet long and more than 200 pounds 573 00:24:22,120 --> 00:24:25,440 of calm, agile shark. 574 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:33,000 A little deeper, fully grown bull sharks 575 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,840 along with duskies and silky sharks too. 576 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:41,280 All of them just minding their own business. 577 00:24:41,360 --> 00:24:43,280 [Jasmin Graham] Woo! You did it. 578 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:44,560 [Anthony Mackie] I swam with sharks. 579 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:46,920 [Jasmin Graham] You did it, it's happened. 580 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,600 [Anthony Mackie] Oh my God. 581 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:50,120 No, that was great. 582 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:51,880 You really looked out for me, I appreciate that. 583 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:52,960 [Jasmin Graham] No problem. 584 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:54,040 [Anthony Mackie] The first time I had to grab you. 585 00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:55,120 - Yeah. - You know? 586 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:56,200 [Jasmin Graham] Yeah. 587 00:24:56,280 --> 00:24:57,640 [Anthony Mackie] Then I worked my way up to it. 588 00:24:57,720 --> 00:24:59,240 [Jasmin Graham] And you stayed calm. 589 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:01,160 - Stayed calm. - I was impressed. 590 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:02,320 [Anthony Mackie] It was pretty amazing. 591 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:05,200 They kept coming up and swimming around us and through us. 592 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:06,400 I mean, they were four feet away. 593 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:08,480 [Jasmin Graham] Yeah. 594 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:11,720 But I always say, if I'm diving and I don't see a shark, 595 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:14,160 I'm actually concerned, 'cause that means that 596 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:16,120 the ecosystem isn't healthy. 597 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:18,960 So, we have some fish that eat coral, they eat algae. 598 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:20,040 [Anthony Mackie] Right. 599 00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:21,240 [Jasmin Graham] And, if there were no predators, 600 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:23,760 they would stay in the same spot and they'd just eat all of 601 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:25,200 the vegetation in the area. 602 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:26,280 [Anthony Mackie] Yeah. 603 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:27,520 [Jasmin Graham] But, if you have sharks, 604 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,600 just them being present is controlling fish, 605 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:32,120 so they're kind of policing them, 606 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,120 herding them, making them eat at different areas. 607 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:36,400 [Anthony Mackie] It's impressive. 608 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:38,440 It's really impressive. 609 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:45,240 As apex predators, sharks play a vital role in preserving 610 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:48,360 delicately balanced ecosystems. 611 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:53,400 Without them, fishermen could have nothing to catch. 612 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:57,360 So, it's beneficial for all of us to find ways of reducing 613 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:01,680 depredation without turning sharks into the bad guys. 614 00:26:03,360 --> 00:26:06,000 Here in Florida, there's a team of scientists going to 615 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:09,200 new depths to do just that. 616 00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:16,080 [Anthony Mackie] Off the coast of West Palm Beach, 617 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:18,600 one scientist is hopeful that fishermen and 618 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:20,840 sharks can get along. 619 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:22,040 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] We're above one of our 620 00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:24,760 wreck sites where we have the listening stations. 621 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:27,800 We're gonna be listening for tagged bull sharks. 622 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:30,480 [Anthony Mackie] Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou has 623 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:33,640 been studying shark behavior for 25 years. 624 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:37,920 {\an8}His team is monitoring bull sharks at a group of 625 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:41,400 {\an8}ship wrecks about 100 feet below the surface. 626 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:45,680 Like the oil rigs in the Gulf, 627 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:48,400 these wrecks became artificial reefs, 628 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:52,000 making them popular with anglers and sharks. 629 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:55,880 And as a result, the area is now a depredation hot spot. 630 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:58,920 {\an8}[Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] So, it's creating animosity between 631 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,120 {\an8}fishers and, and sharks. 632 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,600 So, we wanna try and help alleviate that in a way that 633 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:06,880 doesn't require killing the animals. 634 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:10,360 [Anthony Mackie] Instead, Yannis wants to uncover 635 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,120 the secrets of the sharks' movements. 636 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:15,720 Figure out where they go and when. 637 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:19,960 And learn which parts of the shipwrecks the sharks favor. 638 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:22,960 So, he's tracking them with a underwater network 639 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:25,080 of acoustic receivers. 640 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:27,320 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Oh, there's a few sharks below us. 641 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,040 There are bull sharks still here. 642 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:32,400 [Anthony Mackie] To trace their movements, 643 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:35,040 Yannis needs to fit as many sharks as he can with 644 00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:37,960 an acoustic transmitter. 645 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:41,440 And today, he's calling on my angling skills to bring 646 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:43,480 another one to the boat. 647 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:47,600 The only trouble is, I don't see any fishing rods. 648 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:50,560 So, what's the process today for catching a shark? 649 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:51,840 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] We're just gonna basically drop 650 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:55,160 the line into the water and hopefully 651 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:56,800 hook one up pretty quickly. 652 00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,080 And that's when the kind of the fight is on because these 653 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:00,800 are really, really strong animals. 654 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:02,120 [Anthony Mackie] And we're pulling 'em in by hand? 655 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:04,440 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] We're pulling 'em in by hand. 656 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:08,280 [Anthony Mackie] So here it is in a nutshell. 657 00:28:08,360 --> 00:28:12,440 To catch and tag a bull shark, we have to pull it in by hand, 658 00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:17,160 collect some vitals, implant the transmitter and let it go. 659 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:18,920 Easy, right? 660 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:20,600 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] So, if you wanna take the bait. 661 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:21,680 [Anthony Mackie] Yeah. 662 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:23,800 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Drop that over the side. 663 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:28,040 The big danger here is with one of these big animals, 664 00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:29,560 if you get wrapped up, 665 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:30,920 then there's that danger of you going over the side. 666 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:32,000 [Anthony Mackie] You're going over, right. 667 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:33,200 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] We also have, at the end of 668 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:34,600 that line, we have that float. 669 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:36,520 So, we've had really big sharks like tigers, 670 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:38,760 if it gets to the point where it's not controllable, 671 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:41,280 just throw the whole thing over the side and just follow 672 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:42,480 the float, 'cause they're just gonna be towing the float 673 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:43,560 and they tie themselves up. 674 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:44,640 - Oh. - Like, Jaws. 675 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:45,760 [Anthony Mackie] Like, Jaws. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 676 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:47,040 I didn't wanna bring up, Jaws. 677 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:48,120 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] No. 678 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:49,760 It was a, it has a big influence on me, 679 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:51,760 so that's part of the reason I'm here. 680 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:53,560 [bystander] There's one here. 681 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:55,960 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Yep, see one right down there. 682 00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:58,880 [Anthony Mackie] Right after the bait goes down, 683 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:02,480 three huge bull sharks come to check it out. 684 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:03,640 Oh, that's a big shark. 685 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:04,760 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Careful with the shark. 686 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:06,600 - It's coming in. - Keep looking at it. 687 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:07,720 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] There we go, there we go. 688 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:09,160 [Anthony Mackie] He took it, whoa. 689 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:11,080 Whoa. 690 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:12,160 They're following him. 691 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:13,240 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Yeah. 692 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:14,520 They get a lot bolder when they're in groups. 693 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,160 When they're solo, they're really cautious. 694 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:20,400 So, now we play the game. 695 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:21,760 Start bringing it in. 696 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:23,960 [Anthony Mackie] The game is like a tug of war. 697 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:26,960 To win, we need to pull the shark up high enough to 698 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:28,760 safely secure it alongside the boat. 699 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:29,840 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] It's coming up. 700 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:31,400 [Anthony Mackie] Ah, man. 701 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:32,960 [grunts] 702 00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:34,600 [laughs] 703 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:37,680 But this fish isn't ready to give in. 704 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:44,160 How many pounds would you say this fish weighs? 705 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:45,440 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] I'm gonna guess 700, 800 pounds. 706 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:46,520 [Anthony Mackie] 800? 707 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:47,600 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] That's my guess. 708 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:50,040 [Anthony Mackie] Yeah. Definitely. 709 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:52,640 [groans] 710 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:54,160 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] There we go. 711 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,240 Coming, it's coming up, coming up. 712 00:29:57,320 --> 00:29:58,360 [bystander] There we go. 713 00:29:58,440 --> 00:29:59,600 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Okay, slow ahead, slow ahead. 714 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:01,000 [Anthony Mackie] Whoa, whoa. 715 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:04,040 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Okay guys. Get it on. 716 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:06,040 Get it, careful, careful, careful. 717 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:08,800 This is a big animal; that can cause a really serious bite. 718 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:10,280 So, obviously I don't wanna get bit, 719 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:11,840 and I don't want anybody else to get bit. 720 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:14,240 [Anthony Mackie] That's a big fish. 721 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:17,160 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Don't, careful, she's gonna go. 722 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:22,440 Okay, here she comes, here she comes. 723 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:24,360 Grab that dorsal fin. 724 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:26,240 [bystander] Grab dorsal. 725 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:28,600 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Got it? Got it? 726 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:30,160 Hold it tight. 727 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:32,960 Okay, pull in the slack, pull in the slack. 728 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:36,800 Okay. That's good for now. 729 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:40,280 [Anthony Mackie] Look at that. Look at that. 730 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:43,840 [groans] 731 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:45,160 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] All right, first bull shark. 732 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:47,920 [laughter] 733 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:50,960 [Anthony Mackie] That was not easy. 734 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:52,840 But there's no time to rest. 735 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:54,480 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] So, bull sharks are quite hardy, 736 00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:56,400 but we still wanna get her processed and released 737 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:57,840 as quickly as possible. 738 00:30:57,920 --> 00:30:59,200 [Anthony Mackie] Wow. 739 00:30:59,960 --> 00:31:02,000 This shark has never been tagged. 740 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:04,600 It's a perfect addition to Yannis' project. 741 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:07,800 It's 83. 742 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:09,240 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] 183? 743 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:11,680 - Two meters, six. - 206. 744 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:13,960 - 47. - King 47. 745 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:16,280 [Anthony Mackie] Over eight feet from nose to tail, 746 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:18,560 this is an adult female. 747 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:21,920 Like many sharks, flipped on her back, 748 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:25,440 she enters a trance-like state and will be less stressed out, 749 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:28,560 which is lucky because now I have a pretty, 750 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:32,240 let's say, delicate job to do. 751 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:33,400 All the way in? 752 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:34,480 [bystander] Yeah. 753 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:36,080 [bystander] Yeah, all the way in, then you rotate it. 754 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:38,840 [Anthony Mackie] Yannis wants me to swab the shark's anus, 755 00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:42,080 so we can test her feces for fish DNA. 756 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:44,360 - Oh boy. - Thank you very much. 757 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:45,560 [Anthony Mackie] There you go. 758 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,640 The sample will show whether she's eating the same prey 759 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:50,480 the fishermen are after. 760 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:52,600 When I woke up this morning, I didn't think I would be giving 761 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:54,600 a shark a anal swab. 762 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:56,760 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] What a lucky guy. 763 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:00,360 [Anthony Mackie] Finally, just like our baby shark 764 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:01,840 in Louisiana, 765 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:05,040 the team surgically implants a transmitter. 766 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:08,880 Once this shark is released, Yannis will be able to track 767 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:12,120 her movements for up to five years. 768 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:13,440 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] We're really interested in knowing 769 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:15,480 where they're exactly hanging out. 770 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:16,960 Where they're moving to and when. 771 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:18,040 [Anthony Mackie] Right. 772 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:19,120 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] But what we've noticed is that some 773 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:21,280 of these wrecks can have a lot of sharks on them, 774 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:23,000 whereas other wrecks don't. 775 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:26,520 So, what makes a wreck attractive to bull sharks 776 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:28,320 versus unattractive? 777 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:29,440 So then if we can figure that out, 778 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:31,400 then we can perhaps design artificial reefs where 779 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:34,200 you're not gonna get them colonized by sharks. 780 00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:36,520 And so, we can try and reduced that depredation 781 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:37,760 without viscous, you know, 782 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:39,840 feeling the need to go and kill the animals. 783 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:41,880 [Anthony Mackie] That's amazing. 784 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,160 It's a radical idea. 785 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:46,880 Build sharkless reef for fishing and eliminate 786 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:50,360 the conflict zones, not the sharks. 787 00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:54,440 Just the sheer amount of power and strength that this 788 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:57,800 animal exhibits, to be able to hold her and tag her, 789 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:01,720 and like, get this close to her, it's really humbling. 790 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:03,840 It's really humbling. 791 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:05,360 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] All right. So we're ready to 792 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:06,440 release her. 793 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:07,880 [Anthony Mackie] All right. How does that work? 794 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:09,360 [Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou] Okay, so. 795 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:11,280 Go, push her away. 796 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:12,480 And just give her a push off. 797 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:15,200 There you go. There she goes. 798 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:18,320 [Anthony Mackie] Hopefully, shark free reefs could cut 799 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,000 depredation here in Florida, 800 00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:23,200 but in Louisiana, 801 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:25,960 protecting the interest of sharks and fishermen is 802 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:28,400 even harder, 803 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:32,960 because the entire coastline is under threat. 804 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:40,080 [Anthony Mackie] In New Orleans, fishermen are forced to share 805 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:44,440 the city's waterways these days with young bull sharks. 806 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:49,720 But, as I know all too well, there's another problem that's 807 00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:52,720 making all of our lives more precarious. 808 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,080 It's no secret the city is uniquely vulnerable to 809 00:33:56,160 --> 00:33:59,000 hurricanes and storm surges. 810 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:01,720 We're in a very special part of town for me, 811 00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,040 this is the, the Seventh Ward. 812 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:05,720 This was my old stomping ground. 813 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:06,800 This was my neighborhood, 814 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:10,000 that was wildly devastated with Katrina. 815 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:13,680 Today, almost two decades after Katrina, 816 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:15,560 the Louisiana coastline continues to 817 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:17,800 change and fracture. 818 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:22,480 And the impacts for my city are still potentially devastating. 819 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:25,520 My dad built this house and it was my mom, my dad, 820 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:30,720 my five siblings and I, and we used to play on this levy. 821 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:33,000 We used to go down to the end of the canal here, 822 00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:36,360 and dig worms to go on the bayou and fish. 823 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:42,200 In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina roared through New Orleans, 824 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:44,240 countless levies were breached, 825 00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:46,120 including this one, 826 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:50,600 breaking directly behind our house and into our backyard. 827 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:56,840 [reporter] The flooding here is getting worse after waters from 828 00:34:56,920 --> 00:34:59,640 Lake Pontchartrain broke through a levy. 829 00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:02,600 Authorities are focused on search and rescue 830 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:05,000 before it's too late. 831 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:07,080 [Anthony Mackie] You know, August 29th will always be 832 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:10,080 etched in my mind because so many people, 833 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:12,920 so many friends, so many family members were, um, 834 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:15,640 were affected by it. 835 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:20,280 You know, they were a bunch of people I know that were 836 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:22,520 trapped in their attics. 837 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:25,560 You know, I had family members that were airlifted out. 838 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:30,400 So, there's no, 839 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:34,320 there's no way to explain or describe that experience. 840 00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:39,520 It was very difficult to think that I didn't have 841 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:42,840 a home to go to. 842 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:46,920 It literally washed away my youth. 843 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:48,680 And that's what brought me back. 844 00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:51,880 That's why I moved back home. 845 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:53,520 You know, I wanted to build my future here. 846 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:55,760 I wanted to have my family here. 847 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:05,960 The floods here took many people by surprise. 848 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:10,960 But scientists understand why they were so destructive. 849 00:36:11,040 --> 00:36:14,720 The wetlands that shelter our young bull sharks should also 850 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:19,080 protect the city and the coast against a storm surge. 851 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:24,600 But in my lifetime, so much of that natural buffer has eroded. 852 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:27,240 Re-engineering the Mississippi River, 853 00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:30,440 the oil industry, carving through wetlands 854 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:32,800 and rising seas. 855 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:36,280 {\an8}The combined effect is that Louisiana is vanishing 856 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:38,160 {\an8}into the Gulf. 857 00:36:38,240 --> 00:36:42,240 {\an8}An area the size of Manhattan is lost every year. 858 00:36:47,240 --> 00:36:50,280 There's been an intense amount of erosion around New Orleans. 859 00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:52,280 You'll see it when you fly into the airport. 860 00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:54,720 The entire wetland is slowly going away. 861 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:56,720 The Cyprus trees are going away. 862 00:36:56,800 --> 00:36:58,600 And everybody's aware of it. 863 00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:00,960 But we haven't done anything about it. 864 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:04,800 The loss of our wetlands leaves us wide open to storms 865 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:06,760 like Katrina. 866 00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:10,080 But, how does affect the young bull sharks that 867 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:12,360 call these areas home? 868 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:15,360 [Brad] Hey Marcus. How you doing? 869 00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:16,760 - Hey Brad, how's it going? - Good to see you. 870 00:37:16,840 --> 00:37:17,880 - Good to see you. - Yeah. 871 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:19,480 - Thanks for taking me. - Yeah. Absolutely. 872 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:20,840 [Brad] What we got going on today? 873 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:22,000 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] Let's put up a hydrophone. 874 00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:23,920 [Anthony Mackie] To find out, my new fishing buddy, 875 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:27,560 Dr. Marcus Drymon, is expanding a coastal network of 876 00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:31,760 underwater receivers, like the one Yannis uses in Florida. 877 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:33,560 {\an8}[Dr. Marcus Drymon] By putting a hydrophone here, 878 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:36,680 {\an8}we're in the first step of gathering the data we need to be 879 00:37:36,760 --> 00:37:38,280 able to determine habitat use. 880 00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:41,360 And that'll help us in the future to know if changes to 881 00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:44,680 the coastal landscape are altering the movements of 882 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:46,160 bull sharks in this area. 883 00:37:46,240 --> 00:37:48,320 [Anthony Mackie] With a network of these hydrophones in 884 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:51,920 and around Lake Pontchartrain, Marcus can get a clear picture 885 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:55,640 of the bull sharks movements and ever changing habitat. 886 00:37:55,720 --> 00:37:57,480 [Dr. Marcus Drymon] As coastal erosion is increasing, 887 00:37:57,560 --> 00:38:00,520 those habitats are destroyed for these young bull sharks, 888 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:02,200 so they have to go somewhere else. 889 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:05,320 And if that coastal erosion is moving these suitable habitats 890 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:09,080 further and further inland, closer and closer to areas of 891 00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:10,360 high human development, 892 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:12,160 then naturally, that's where those bull sharks 893 00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:14,080 are going to be going. 894 00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:17,480 [Anthony Mackie] That could mean city anglers losing more fish to 895 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:19,960 even more sharks. 896 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:29,440 But armed with the knowledge of juvenile bull sharks 897 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:31,320 migration patterns, 898 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:34,240 anglers might be able to fish at times and 899 00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:38,000 in places that have fewer sharks around. 900 00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:43,440 That maybe one answer. 901 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:48,240 But, as Louisiana's coastline continues to change, 902 00:38:48,320 --> 00:38:51,960 sharks are losing vital habitats. 903 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:57,520 So, I'm going to team up with some real home town heroes 904 00:38:57,600 --> 00:38:59,880 who are working hard to change that. 905 00:39:06,720 --> 00:39:08,120 [Anthony Mackie] East of New Orleans, 906 00:39:08,200 --> 00:39:10,440 there's a band of ecowarriors, 907 00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:13,520 working to put the brakes on coastal erosion. 908 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:18,680 Possibly saving the sharks and the city. 909 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:24,560 New Orleans is a bowl and that bowl keeps getting deeper 910 00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:27,760 and deeper the more coastal erosion we have, 911 00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:31,440 the more soil we lose, the more the city sinks. 912 00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:34,440 For the sharks and the people who live here, 913 00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:37,080 the stakes are incredibly high. 914 00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:41,920 The marsh and the canals are our lines of defense against 915 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:43,920 flooding and hurricanes. 916 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:46,280 So, it's important that we realize that, 917 00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:48,200 you know, we're a ticking time bomb. 918 00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:50,320 It's all fun and games to go the Quarter until 919 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:52,520 the Quarter's under six feet of water. 920 00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:54,640 Fortunately, the French Quarter stayed 921 00:39:54,720 --> 00:39:57,440 relatively dry during Katrina. 922 00:39:57,520 --> 00:40:01,920 But, as sea levels rise, the city's man-made defenses will be 923 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:04,520 pushed to their limits. 924 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:06,160 Instead of building more levies, 925 00:40:06,240 --> 00:40:08,600 one group has a different plan of attack. 926 00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:10,120 Good morning, everyone. 927 00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:11,640 [all] Morning. 928 00:40:11,720 --> 00:40:13,680 [Anthony Mackie] These volunteers are foot soldiers in 929 00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:16,440 the battle against erosion. 930 00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:19,800 And they're fighting to bring back our lost wetlands. 931 00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:25,320 Today, the team and I are headed out east of New Orleans, 932 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:29,360 to plant some grass along a section of eroding marshland. 933 00:40:33,720 --> 00:40:35,720 Without the tree roots to hold them together and 934 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:40,040 a protective grass barrier, the banks are washing away. 935 00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:42,840 To put things right, the volunteers and I will have to 936 00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:44,680 get a little muddy. 937 00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:45,800 I've fished these waters, 938 00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:47,640 I never thought I would walk in 'em. 939 00:40:47,720 --> 00:40:51,560 I didn't know the mud was this, uh, this juicy. 940 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:53,560 [laughs] 941 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:55,200 [Gardner Goodall] We have some cut grass that 942 00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:56,840 we harvested from a canal. 943 00:40:56,920 --> 00:40:58,840 And so now we're ready to roll and start planting it. 944 00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:01,480 So, everyone's ready to get dirty and wet. 945 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:02,800 [laughter] 946 00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:04,360 - All right. - Let's go. 947 00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:07,200 [Anthony Mackie] Oh-oh, yeah, that's the soot, baby. 948 00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:09,600 That's the soot, baby. 949 00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:10,720 [groans] 950 00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:14,040 This is the definition of gumbo. 951 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:16,440 That's what this is. 952 00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:22,800 Man, I really liked these shoes. 953 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:24,680 Not anymore! 954 00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:27,640 Each clump of grass has to individually planted 955 00:41:27,720 --> 00:41:29,520 in the muck. 956 00:41:29,600 --> 00:41:31,000 So, it's tiring. 957 00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:33,280 It's hard work. 958 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:36,040 So how many have you all, this is your first time doing this? 959 00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:41,480 So y'all knew what to expect! 960 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:43,200 [bystander] And we still came out. 961 00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:46,240 [Anthony Mackie] Nobody said, "Get ready." 962 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:48,640 I should have asked more questions. 963 00:41:50,520 --> 00:41:54,640 So, right here, right here. 964 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:59,080 Gardner's group hopes to plant 30,000 trees and 965 00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:03,360 33,000 grass plugs along the central wetlands. 966 00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:05,560 [Gardner Goodall] When you think about the value 967 00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:07,400 of wetlands, it being nursery ground, 968 00:42:07,480 --> 00:42:09,720 {\an8}this grass is gonna play that role beautifully, right? 969 00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:11,800 {\an8}It's gonna stop that wave action on the shore, 970 00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:15,640 provide vital habitat, migratory birds, also fish 971 00:42:15,720 --> 00:42:18,640 and crabs coming here using it for spawning grounds 972 00:42:18,720 --> 00:42:20,040 as a nursery. 973 00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:22,120 And, of course, it is the last line of defense 974 00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:23,760 against hurricane. 975 00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:25,800 [Anthony Mackie] Get your back in there, buddy. 976 00:42:26,720 --> 00:42:28,400 [grunts] 977 00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:32,320 It's the ultimate win-win. 978 00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:35,680 We're protecting New Orleans against flooding and restoring 979 00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:40,000 habitat for all kinds of valuable wildlife, 980 00:42:40,080 --> 00:42:42,160 including bull sharks. 981 00:42:42,240 --> 00:42:43,960 I grew up in these waters, you know, 982 00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:47,880 and to see the coastal erosion and where it was and 983 00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:51,200 where it is now, just in my lifetime is, 984 00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:53,000 is really substantial. 985 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:55,920 I want my sons to be able to come out here and be able to 986 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:59,240 enjoy this area the way I did. 987 00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:04,400 But it's amazing to see how much work goes into 988 00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:07,160 rectifying what we destroy. 989 00:43:07,240 --> 00:43:12,400 Have to make better decisions to correct our bad decisions, 990 00:43:12,480 --> 00:43:15,680 which is a good thing, right? 991 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:18,400 America deserves more Louisiana. 992 00:43:24,040 --> 00:43:27,680 Like most fishermen, sharks used to terrify me. 993 00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:29,840 But now I see them in a new way. 994 00:43:29,920 --> 00:43:33,640 {\an8}These apex predators are crucial to the balance of life 995 00:43:33,720 --> 00:43:35,960 {\an8}in our oceans. 996 00:43:37,680 --> 00:43:42,160 {\an8}To make a living here, our fishing industry needs them. 997 00:43:42,240 --> 00:43:44,160 {\an8}And by working with scientists, 998 00:43:44,240 --> 00:43:47,040 {\an8}we can find new ways to avoid conflict, 999 00:43:47,120 --> 00:43:52,080 {\an8}protect our sharks and restore our fragile coastline. 1000 00:43:55,560 --> 00:43:58,520 {\an8}And that's the Louisiana I want. 1001 00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:01,080 {\an8}[in French] Let the good times roll, y'all!