From Australia to Timor-Leste: A Journey to Rediscover Lost Shark Species

In this special episode of the Beyond Jaws podcast, co-host Dr. David Ebert takes center stage as he shares the exciting details of his latest expedition to Australia and Southeast Asia in search of lost sharks. Join Andrew as he interviews David...
In this special episode of the Beyond Jaws podcast, co-host Dr. David Ebert takes center stage as he shares the exciting details of his latest expedition to Australia and Southeast Asia in search of lost sharks. Join Andrew as he interviews David about the challenges and adventures he faced during the trip, as well as the thrilling potential discoveries that may have emerged.
Tune in to find out whether David’s quest was successful and to hear about the fascinating aspects of shark conservation that emerged from this unique journey. Don’t miss this chance to dive deep into the world of sharks with our expert co-host!
Connect with us:
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Dave:
Website: https://www.lostsharkguy.com/
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Andrew:
Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/
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The Importance of Collaboration and Networking in Scientific Research
In the realm of scientific research, particularly in fields like marine biology and conservation, collaboration and networking are essential, especially when exploring new regions and engaging with local communities. The podcast episode featuring Dr. David Ebert highlights several key aspects of this importance.
Building Relationships
Dr. Ebert emphasizes that much of his research success stems from the relationships he has cultivated over the years. Networking with colleagues, local researchers, and community members is vital for gaining insights and support. For instance, during his trip to Timor-Leste, he connected with Dr. Lowe Clausen, who facilitated introductions to local government officials and the fishing community. This type of networking is invaluable, as it allows researchers to tap into local knowledge and resources that can significantly enhance their work.
Local Expertise
When venturing into new and less-explored regions, having local collaborators is crucial. They possess knowledge about the terrain, species, and cultural practices that outsiders may overlook. Dr. Ebert worked closely with local Timorese individuals from the World Fish organization. Their familiarity with the area and its ecosystems helped him navigate the challenges of conducting research in a country with limited infrastructure and resources.
Cultural Sensitivity and Respect
Collaboration also fosters cultural sensitivity. Dr. Ebert approaches his work with respect and humility, recognizing that he is a guest in these communities. He does not impose his ideas but rather offers information and support, allowing local stakeholders to decide how to use it. This approach not only builds trust but also ensures that the research is relevant and beneficial to the local population.
Shared Goals and Capacity Building
Collaboration often leads to shared goals, enhancing the impact of research. By working with local communities, researchers can align their objectives with the needs and priorities of those communities. Dr. Ebert's efforts to train local individuals in species identification and conservation practices exemplify this. By empowering local researchers and stakeholders, he helps build capacity for ongoing conservation efforts, ensuring that the work continues even after he leaves.
Access to Resources and Funding
Networking can also open doors to funding opportunities. Dr. Ebert's project was funded by the Save Our Seas Foundation, which supports initiatives aimed at conserving marine biodiversity. Collaborating with established organizations can provide researchers with the financial backing needed to conduct extensive fieldwork, as well as the credibility that comes from being associated with reputable institutions.
Conclusion
In summary, collaboration and networking are fundamental to successful scientific research, particularly in unfamiliar regions. By building relationships with local communities and experts, researchers can enhance their understanding of the ecosystems they study, ensure cultural sensitivity, and create a lasting impact through capacity building. Dr. Ebert's experiences underscore the importance of these elements in advancing marine conservation efforts and discovering new species, ultimately contributing to the broader goal of preserving our planet's biodiversity.
The thrill and emotional rush of discovering new species is a profound experience for scientists like Dr. David Ebert, who likens it to the excitement of Christmas morning for a child. This analogy captures the essence of the adrenaline and joy that accompany such discoveries, which often happen unexpectedly during fieldwork.
Throughout the podcast episode, Dr. Ebert shares his experiences from his recent trip to Australia, Southeast Asia, and Timor-Leste, where he and his team were on a mission to find "lost sharks." The anticipation of encountering these elusive species creates a palpable excitement that fuels their daily endeavors. Each day is filled with the promise of discovery, akin to the thrill of unwrapping presents on Christmas morning.
When a new species is found, the emotional response is a mix of exhilaration and disbelief. Dr. Ebert describes the moment when he and his team stumbled upon critically endangered sharks that had not been seen for years. The rush of adrenaline in these moments is overwhelming, as they realize they are on the verge of documenting something significant. This feeling is not just about the scientific achievement; it is also about the joy of exploration and the connection to nature.
The podcast highlights how this excitement is infectious, inspiring the graduate students accompanying Dr. Ebert. They witness his unwavering enthusiasm and dedication, which serves as a motivating force throughout their long and challenging days in the field. The students find it inspiring to see someone with decades of experience still so passionate and energized by the prospect of discovery.
In essence, the thrill of discovering new species is not merely a professional milestone; it is a deeply emotional experience that resonates with the innate curiosity and wonder that drives scientists. The combination of adrenaline, joy, and the sense of adventure creates a unique and fulfilling journey, making every moment spent in pursuit of knowledge worthwhile.
The Necessity of Thorough Preparation and Awareness of Safety Concerns in Fieldwork
Conducting fieldwork in remote and potentially hazardous environments, such as those described in Dr. David Ebert's recent trip to Australia, Southeast Asia, and Timor-Leste, requires meticulous preparation and a keen awareness of safety concerns. The challenges faced during such expeditions highlight the importance of being well-prepared and vigilant.
1. Logistical Planning
Dr. Ebert emphasized the extensive logistics involved in planning his trip, which spanned five countries and included multiple flights and time zones. This level of complexity necessitates a thorough understanding of travel arrangements, including booking flights for a team of graduate students and coordinating with local collaborators. A well-structured itinerary is crucial to ensure that all team members are accounted for and that the research objectives can be met efficiently.
2. Research and Local Knowledge
Preparation also involves researching the specific environments and species that will be encountered. Dr. Ebert mentioned the importance of understanding the local ecosystems and the species of sharks he was targeting. This knowledge not only aids in species identification but also helps in anticipating potential hazards associated with the local wildlife and environment.
For instance, in Timor-Leste, Dr. Ebert learned about the presence of saltwater crocodiles, which posed a significant safety risk. Understanding the behavior and habitat of these animals was essential for ensuring the safety of the team while conducting research. Engaging with local experts and communities can provide invaluable insights into the risks present in the area.
3. Safety Protocols
When working in environments like Northern Australia, where crocodiles are prevalent, adhering to established safety protocols is vital. Dr. Ebert noted that the university had specific guidelines to follow, which included staying within the confines of the boat while tagging river sharks to avoid crocodile attacks. This highlights the necessity of having clear safety measures in place to protect researchers from wildlife hazards.
In contrast, when working in Timor-Leste, Dr. Ebert faced a different set of challenges, including poor infrastructure and the absence of emergency services. In such situations, being aware of the limitations and potential dangers of the environment is crucial. Dr. Ebert's approach involved relying on local knowledge and maintaining a high level of alertness to navigate safely through the terrain.
4. Health Precautions
Fieldwork in tropical regions often comes with health risks, such as malaria and dengue fever. Dr. Ebert mentioned the importance of taking precautions against mosquito-borne diseases, which is another critical aspect of preparation. Ensuring that all team members are informed about health risks and have access to necessary vaccinations and medications is essential for a successful and safe expedition.
5. Building Relationships and Community Engagement
Finally, Dr. Ebert's emphasis on building relationships with local communities underscores the importance of cultural awareness and respect. Engaging with local people not only facilitates smoother operations but also enhances safety. Locals can provide guidance on safe practices and areas to avoid, as well as share their knowledge about the environment.
In conclusion, thorough preparation and awareness of safety concerns are paramount when conducting fieldwork in remote and potentially hazardous environments. From logistical planning and research to adhering to safety protocols and engaging with local communities, each aspect plays a crucial role in ensuring the success and safety of the expedition. Dr. Ebert's experiences serve as a valuable reminder of the complexities and responsibilities involved in field research.
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Ladies and gentlemen and fellow shark scientists and
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enthusiasts and conservationists, we have a very special episode today.
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Normally, we have a guest on. Today, we do have
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a guest on, but he's actually our co-host. Dr. David Ebert is going to
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be talking about his latest trip for searching
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for lost sharks. And this is a doozy, because
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he may have found one. But you're going to have to listen to the rest of
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the episode to find out. So let's start the show. Hey
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everybody, welcome back to another episode of the
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Beyond Jaws podcast. I am today, I'm normally
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your co-host, but today I am your host because our
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guest, Dr. David Ebert is normally my other co-host
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and he's the guy you've been listening to ask questions to other
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guests and today he is going to be our guest because I
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asked him to come on the podcast to talk about his trip his
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latest trip to Australia, Southeast
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Asia, to look for more lost sharks.
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And the question when we always look
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at these types of trips is,
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are we gonna find sharks? What are the odds
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that we're gonna find sharks? So we're gonna find that out all today. It's gonna be
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a blast. Dave, are you ready
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Absolutely, Andrew. I'm so happy to
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be here on this podcast with you. Such
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I'm actually just glad to be back. made it back out
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of the places I just went to, which we'll get
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into some of the other adventure parts of the story during
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this special bonus episode. Absolutely. Yeah.
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Thanks for having me on as your guest this week. You
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Special guest. Yeah. Always a pleasure to have you on. You're welcome
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Look this has been you know, it's it's it's always cool because last year
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you went away to Ecuador and Peru this year you
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went to Northern Australia you went to East
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Timor you went to Indonesia
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she went to Jakarta and Bali I spent a little time in Singapore and
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then back to to Darwin Australia We're gonna talk all about
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those trips you know what your goals were but
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also like the prep for these types of trips because this is a lot of logistics a
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lot of countries that you don't travel to on a regular basis
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and so I want to just kind of chat you know and and a lot of
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collaborations there's a lot of people that you went with different people and
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of course shout out to Denise who is your videographer and
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we were going to be coming out with a lot of episodes and a lot of content
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coming out Video wise on on some
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some YouTube channels. We'll let you know when that comes out because we got one coming out quite
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soon if it's not already out by the time we put this up, but
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This is this is gonna be a lot of fun. So I'm looking forward to this. So Dave Let's
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just talk about what the goal of the trip was like where you
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Yeah well first of all, I want to say that this is a Project
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that's being funded by the Save Our Seas Foundation through
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one of their Keystone grants And I can't thank the
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Save Our Seas Foundation enough, because they've been really supportive of
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the Lost Sharks Program and Lost Sharks Project.
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And it's just really helped fill
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a niche here to try to get out and find these lost species that
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we've been looking for. And last year, as you know, I went to Ecuador and Peru.
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And we'll have more coming out of that as part of a documentary series. As
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you mentioned, we'll elaborate more in the next few weeks. But
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anyway, this was year two of the project, and this year we went to Northern
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Australia, the Northern Territories, Darwin, and
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met up with a good friend of mine, a colleague, Dr.
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Peter Kind, and a number of students from
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his lab. And then from there we went on to East
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Timor, which is also known as Timor-Leste. It's actually one
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of the newest countries in the world, which I'll talk about a little more in a moment. And
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then we did a swing all the way through Indonesia, starting
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in Bali. Then we went on to Jakarta. Then we wound up
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in the Rio Islands out in far Western Indonesia.
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And then at the end of the trip, we went and had a day or two in Singapore
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at the end, which was basically just kind of the jump off point for
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the end of the trip. And then we came back to Darwin and spent
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a few days there wrapping up some stuff. But you
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talk about your preparation for something like this. Yeah. Holy
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Well, here, let me just start. Let me just let me just start with this, because I
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mean, the first I've got a lot of questions around around the prep,
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but like the first and foremost is you want to make sure that
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there are there are specific things you are going to do in each
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and every place. Right. So let's let's just name
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them off and kind of just talk about what you what
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the purpose of in that and like briefly, you don't have to go into too
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Right. Now, the basic summary of
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the project is to highlight these lost sharks, as I call
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them, these species that may be disappearing with no one really
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paying much attention to because, you know, Things like white sharks, tiger sharks,
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they get a lot of publicity and there's actually
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a lot of protections for them. But the species I'm looking for, and again,
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I work a lot with collaborations, it's huge. I couldn't do what
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I do without the collaborations I have. And a lot of it's just come
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from setting up a network over the last 40 years of my career. And
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so it's really, the overall goal is
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to highlight these species before they disappear, before they
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go extinct. And I'll talk about really
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the first species that is part of this thing I'll get
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into in a moment. There is one species that we're looking for that actually has
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been officially declared extinct. And I'll talk about that a little
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more in a moment. But you asked about the prep into
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something like this. And keep in mind, this basically covered
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five countries over the course of a month, basically.
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I had like 10 flights. I covered 12 time
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zones. And
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conditions were varied from fairly nice
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in Darwin to kind of the outback basically in
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A little rough. A little rough. Rough in terms of like environment, right?
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I mean, you're talking about some of the places, there's really not any
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roads to speak of. You just kind of have to go with what's there. And
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so then you don't have a lot of really great facilities. But
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anyway, so I had to as far as prep, you know, I had to basically be a travel agent
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to book all the these flights, because I had a team of
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people going, which are a lot mostly graduate students
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from Pete Kine's lab. And so I had different students
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on different parts of the project. And they were on this project, because
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each of them is working in a different, different part of the cut
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Yeah, exactly. They all had they all knew the they all knew the the lay
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of the land, so to speak, when we go there. So that was important, too. So
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I had to book flights not just for myself, but for all the team. Then
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I had, of course, Denise Sotomayor was filming
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the whole journey as part of the project. And
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so that was a whole thing in itself. I kind of felt like a travel agent just getting that
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part together. Then the time goes into researching the
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whole project, like what we're going. OK, we're going to this location to do
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this. We're going to this location to do that. And as I was researching, a
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few locations came up that I wasn't anticipating. And
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probably the biggest one that came up in
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the whole project was Timor-Leste, East Timor, because
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I was not originally had that on my radar until
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a colleague of mine who I had published a paper with recently, I
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found out she's now, she was based in Palau, but
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now she's with World Fish, and she's based in Timor-Leste.
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And she coincidentally started sending me some photos
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of some sharks and rays, because she's not a shark person herself. And
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so she started sending me stuff, asking about these things. And
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so she wanted, anyway, so I
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was identifying, and I kind of said, oh, what are you doing in Timor-Leste? She says, oh, I
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live here now. I work here. And so that got my attention because nobody's
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done any research that I'm aware of
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on sharks and rays in Timor-Leste. So I, so
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I worked in that into the whole project and
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that turned out to be just a phenomenal, a phenomenal story
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in itself. And I'll, I'll get into talk a little bit about today, but
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I'll get into, we'll have a future episode where I'll get into this a lot more detail.
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Cause this was a whole, a whole issue. And if you know anything about
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East Timor. I'm sure a lot of people out there have to go look at a
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map to figure out where it is, but it's just, yeah, it's just,
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it's just like about an hour, an hour and a half flight from Darwin, Australia, which
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is up in the far Northern part. And, um, they, they
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had a long, I'll just give the short story, but they went through a brutal war
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And like recently, though, you recently the reason it was as
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if it was like 60 years ago. No, no. The war in the 1990s,
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The war, the war, the war just ended in 2002. Yeah. And then they
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had then they went through some civil unrest within the country, kind of different
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parties jockeying for power and stuff, trying to figure things out.
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And so they've had a very challenging recent history.
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They say they only became a country in, you know, 2002, 2003. They
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actually officially became a country. that it was recognized by
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the world. And so, the thing
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is, unfortunately, when the Indonesians left, they
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pretty much destroyed the country. And so it's still undergoing a
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lot of rehabilitation, rebuilding. There's a lot of
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foreign aid you see in there. When I was just
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there, you see a lot of foreign aid trying to rebuild it. But you
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get outside the capital of Dili, and I covered the whole country.
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I mean, we went everywhere. And it's not a big country. but it would take hours
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to get anywhere because the roads are just so bad. And
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a lot of places you'd have to drive along creek beds and stuff. And
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again, I was there in the dry season, wet season, you can't get
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around very well in a lot of areas just because of the flooding
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that takes place there. And you also have interesting thing I'll
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talk a little more about is you have crocodiles are
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all over the place and you can't get in and out of some towns because there's
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Oh yeah, and that was a whole other thing is that we
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dealt with, and I actually dealt with this pretty much the whole trip from when we
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started off in northern Australia, we had crocodiles,
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we were out in the boat, we went out, oh let's back up and start off, we started off
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in northern Australia going out fishing for river sharks, which
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was a highlight for me, I'd always wanted to see
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these things in the wild, and I come from, this
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was a species that was thought extinct, for over the past
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hundred years. And it was only about 15 years ago, Pete Kind and
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some others got onto the fact that there was kind of a stronghold of
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these things in Northern Australia. And they've pretty much disappeared everywhere
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else. So Pete's been researching these things there.
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And we'll have him talk a little more detail in a future episode. But
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you go up there to fish for these things. We go up there and we're tagging them, tagging and
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releasing them with Pete and Julia Constance. And
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there's so many crocodiles around like you can't even like sit at
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the edge of the boat. You got to kind of stay in the middle of the boat because crocs literally
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will lunge out and take you off the boat. And you
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see a lot and you see crocodiles from things that are maybe four or five
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feet to 15 feet. Uh, at least one
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of them was probably 17, 18 feet. And I'll tell you
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after seeing a lot of 15 footers, you see one is 18 feet. You're like,
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Holy moly. That's a, that's a big fucking croc.
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And they're just, and they're just kind of sitting on those A lot of them are swimming across
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the river, they're sitting on the banks, they look like they're not doing anything. Believe
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So this is an interesting part, because we talk about the
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prep of this, looking at what kind of sharks you're going
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to look for for each place, right? And here's the thing
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that I have. These are places where a lot of times you haven't been.
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And some of them are a little rougher in
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terms of conditions than others. You
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have graduate students who've done work in there, so they have a little bit more of
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the lay of the land. But, you know, you're doing
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this, you know, associated with Save Our
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Seas, but a lot of it's just, it's you and your graduate students and
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things. How do you look out for safety when
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you plan these things? Because it's almost like you have
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Oh, yeah. I mean, I can only prepare so much of my, and a part of it is like looking at
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the species we might encounter, you know, kind of learning, knowing
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what the red list assessments are in these things and what we might find. And
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of course, the river sharks was a high priority on this whole thing.
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Timor-Leste was just a complete wide open thing. Now, when you're working in
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Australia, particularly through the university, you have
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a whole protocol you have to go through. Gotcha. And so there's a
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whole thing like, you got to do this, you got to do that, you got to be here, you got to stay here.
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And crocodiles are just one thing. There's some other stuff too.
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And keep in mind, We're working on sharks and sharks are kind of like low
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in the priority. What I'm really worried about, it's more of the other unknown
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safeties, crocodiles. And if you remember last year, I think I talked a
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little bit about last year's thing, a whole different set of things in
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Ecuador, particularly we had a lot of civil unrest when
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Yeah, because there was like a political part, there was a political election going
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There was an election going on and there were people being assassinated, political
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people, candidates. Drug cartels, you
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know, we got chased out of several fish markets. We were just told to leave or
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die. And so I'm just kind of contrasting
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last year to this year where we're more worried about some of the wildlife with
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So it was less like worrying about people and worrying about sort
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of some of the major events that were going on and
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worrying more about nature and just being safe and being aware of
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Right, yeah. And like I said, in Australia you have They got protocols you
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have to follow. And, you know, Pete went over all those things with us. And
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that, and that's when I go to countries like that, you kind of
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like got a set of protocols and you're aware of that. Now, when
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you go to Timor Leste, East Timor, that's a different
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story because there's really nothing there.
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You just have some of the people, you know, again, you're, I'm working with local people there. Uh,
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the Timorese, uh, with, uh, Dr. Lowe's Clausen's, she's actually
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a South African who did her PhD at a Rhodes university. where
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I did, but she's an earlier career researcher,
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and she actually worked on pipefish and seahorses. And so
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she didn't really know anything about sharks, and so she
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contacted me, and now we're actually gonna be
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doing some stuff on sharks, because she connected, this is
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why it's really important to work with people in country, because she connected me with all
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the people at the university, within the government, The
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person who's in charge of their blue economy unit and everything, and I had
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a chance to speak with them, give talks, do workshops. And
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so I was able to do a lot of that stuff while I was there.
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I made a lot for the short amount of time I was there, I made quite a bit of progress in
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terms of laying the groundwork for what I hope will be some future research
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over there. And then we went around everywhere. As I said, the
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dry season, we were just going. It was a little easier
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to get around, but the roads were not very good. It'd take you hours to
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go. you know, 10, 20 kilometers just sometimes, just
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because the roads were so bad. And then, you know, the interesting
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thing, just not to dwell all on the crocodiles, but there's
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so many crocodiles in Timor, you'd stop, like,
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you know, you may or may not be at some place
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where you could actually have a bathroom facility or something, and you can't actually
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walk off the road because you might get taken by a
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crocodile. And you would be like, there'd be situations where
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I'd be like walking across a bridge to the beach, and you
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look down to one side of the bridge and you see like this 15-foot crocodile. You
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look on the other side of the bridge and a bunch of kids are playing in the creek. And
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the locals have, you ask them about them, they're just like, well, you know, they
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live here too. And, you know, which I'd be
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About that. And they have names for all the, the local
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crocodiles that they're familiar with, they have names for all of them. The
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thing I hit on was almost every place
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we went, you talk to people and you get some story of, oh
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yeah, somebody got taken last week by a crocodile. Somebody got taken
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a few weeks ago, last month. There's some recent story about
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somebody at every place we went. And you're thinking like,
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my God, these things are like all over the place. And they're just like, well, you just got to be
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careful where you walk. And I'm thinking like, yeah, okay. Just
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be careful. But you know, you can easily forget. You're going along, look at the countryside, beautiful
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places, look at the ocean. And just so everybody understands, these
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are saltwater crocodiles. So it's like, yeah,
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so like we're, you know, on the beach looking at somebody fisherman's catch. And
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then we look up the beach, like about a hundred meters. And there's this big crocodile
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comes walking out of the bush, walks across the beach, goes and surf and goes swimming out.
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And so, um, you realize like, okay, I may not,
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even though it's like, it's a beautiful looking beach. I may not want to go swimming out here because
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it might not end well for me. And, um, So,
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that was kind of some of the prep stuff. That
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stuff you can't really, all you can do is talk to the locals and be as alert as
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you can on where you are. I talked a little
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bit about the megafauna, but you got things you weren't concerned about.
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You prep as best you can for it, but you got things
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like malaria, dengue fever, and those types of
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diseases from mosquitoes you got to be concerned about
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as well. So, you do the best you can in terms of those types
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of precautions. you have to realize some places, I have
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Yeah, that's crazy. I would not have thought of that, especially Timor-Leste, right?
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I mean, yeah, the main town, yeah, the main town, you speculate, yeah,
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no problem. But yeah, so we got, we were in some pretty remote areas and
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you still could get, most places you could get some internet, which
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was, which was amazing to us. So I was glad we could,
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because in case there was some issue we could I don't get
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a hold of somebody. I don't know who is going to come out there because they don't exactly have like
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emergency services. It's
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a beautiful country. I really enjoyed it. And I say, we're going to try to get some more. I'm
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going to try to follow up and do some more research there. We're going to work
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with Lowe and some of the other people I met there in the
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dive community and with the government and the university, try
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to develop a project to document the species that
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occur there. So that's, that's kind of looking like a really, really potential
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long term, interesting project. And we're already, we're already seeing some really
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interesting species that they've been catching out
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there. So I won't go into it here, but there's some really, there
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were some lost sharks we definitely stumbled across out there. And so there could be some
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really interesting. more things to come. So kind of stay tuned on that
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Well, let me let me ask you this, too, because you're in a number
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of different countries, a number of different cultures, and you've done this before. You've done this
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for quite some time now, like, you know, 30, 40 years of
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going to different countries, you know, meeting new
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people. Sometimes there's language barriers, sometimes
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there isn't. Especially now, we
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talk a lot about parachute
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science. A lot of people are concerned about
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that. Because back in the day when you were first starting off in
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science, and sometimes it even happens today, there are certain scientists and
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organizations who will go into a country. I'm just
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defining what parachute science is. They go into a country, get the data that
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they want, publish on it, work it out, publish on
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it, and not really give back to
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the people there. But you tend to work with the
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people when you go there. You interact with people, you have a lot of
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friends that still to this day, like in Taiwan, all
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over Africa, not just South Africa, but all over Africa where you've done
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workshops and things like that. When you go into a new country,
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like Timor-Leste, How do you approach the
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people who are taking you around, not only just the graduate students, but
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the local people who you met? What's the
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process there that you take that other people can learn from when
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they go into new countries so that they don't, you don't
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wanna disrespect anybody, you wanna make sure that you're
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thankful and just share that data
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A lot of it's just a lot of us come from networking and you know
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you just haven't over the years I just get to know people I network and if
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I don't know somebody directly I'll I'll talk to someone else in
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the case of this one with um actually for the whole trip it
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was all people I knew contacts and like and even the Timor-Leste which
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had never been explored I I did a paper about
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a year ago with uh with Lo Clausens who's with World
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Fish and she was based in Palau and then
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it was and it was kind of a little bit of a fluke It doesn't always happen this
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way, but she contacted me about identifying some sharks
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and rays they were seeing. And she mentioned she was in Timor-Leste.
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And then that led to, oh, what are you doing there? And she's, oh, I
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live here now and I'm doing some work. And so I was, so
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I started, we started communicating back and forth and then she hooked
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us up, hooked me up with some of the other people there to get by.
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Cause you know, World Fish is an NGO and there's a lot of countries like Timor.
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There's a lot of NGOs in there. There's a lot of aid. Programs
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in there and so like and so she was able to
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hook me up with some of the government people
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the head of their blue economy unit for example some of the people
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at the university there and So and so we just
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started corresponding and I said like, you know, hey, I could you know, we
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can do some workshop I can do a workshop there just a short at
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least an introductory thing on how to identify stuff We got it. We
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got buy-in from the dive community there So I
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had like I have a I got a fairly wide net cast
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there, but it was all because of this one individual, Lo, who I
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knew from a previous project I'd worked on. She basically
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connected me in there. So we had correspondence. It goes through
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sort of the get to know each other phase. And
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then so I went there and had a chance to go explore the whole island.
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There are a couple of Timor people
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who work for World Fish because they have local people working
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for them as well. And so they were kind of invaluable in the
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whole thing, really, because they know the terrain very
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well. They obviously speak the language. The language wasn't as
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big a barrier, because most people could speak some level of
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English there, and where they couldn't, these guys were great. Actually, Portuguese
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is the main language over there, so it's not even a...
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And there's Timorese, a local language as
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well. They've got a few languages, but English was able to get around. Yeah,
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so there was a couple of guys, Junior and Sam, who were
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on the whole journey with us. Another guy named Jerry, they're all
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local Timorese people, and they work for World Fish. And
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we spent some time going over things to identify them with.
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I gave them a copy of my field guide, the
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sharks of the world. And just show you know spend a
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little bit of time showed him what to do talk with the fishing community So
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it's just really networking talking to people and I you
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know I never go in there like I'm gonna like I never go in there's like I'm
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gonna crusade to do something I always take more of the Approach
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of you know, hey I can provide information You guys
391
00:24:37,762 --> 00:24:40,923
need to decide what you want to do with it Yeah, you know as far as with the
392
00:24:40,983 --> 00:24:44,685
government like I'm not in there telling like don't fin don't fish sharks this
393
00:24:44,705 --> 00:24:48,233
is I just You know, right, especially in Timor, where we don't know anything,
394
00:24:48,573 --> 00:24:51,875
we're developing like a list of species now, and we're seeing some really
395
00:24:51,955 --> 00:24:55,237
interesting species, we didn't even, we had no idea. And so like,
396
00:24:55,377 --> 00:24:58,878
all this information will collate. And then, again,
397
00:24:58,918 --> 00:25:02,120
I, you know, I've already been in touch, you know, met with the head
398
00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:05,302
of their Blue Economy Unit and stuff and, yeah, university people. So
399
00:25:05,322 --> 00:25:08,846
I'm just going to provide this information. I'll work with them, I'll train the local people
400
00:25:08,906 --> 00:25:12,087
with them. Hopefully we'll be able to get some additional funding so I can go
401
00:25:12,147 --> 00:25:15,389
back and do a more deeper dive. I mean, I only had
402
00:25:15,449 --> 00:25:18,890
really, it doesn't sound like a lot, but I had five full-on days,
403
00:25:19,830 --> 00:25:23,092
five, six days really full-on just going through the place.
404
00:25:23,132 --> 00:25:26,173
I mean, look, I could cover the country in that time, and I
405
00:25:26,193 --> 00:25:29,414
went to all the main areas, made the contacts, and hopefully I'll
406
00:25:29,434 --> 00:25:32,916
lay the groundwork for some future work and go
407
00:25:32,976 --> 00:25:36,540
back and do some more training there. Hopefully,
408
00:25:36,580 --> 00:25:39,821
out of this whole thing, we'll be able to develop a database of species, what's
409
00:25:39,861 --> 00:25:43,101
being caught. And then, you know, I'm like, kind
410
00:25:43,141 --> 00:25:46,722
of done my part there. And, you know, hopefully, we'll get a few scientific papers
411
00:25:46,822 --> 00:25:50,023
out of it. And, you know, I'll collaborate with the local people there to write
412
00:25:50,043 --> 00:25:53,844
up some papers as they want. And then, kind
413
00:25:53,864 --> 00:25:57,024
of, here's the information. And hopefully, they'll, they can decide as,
414
00:26:00,550 --> 00:26:03,933
Yeah, that's really cool. I mean, I think that's it's a really interesting
415
00:26:03,993 --> 00:26:07,276
way How long did it take you to learn to do
416
00:26:07,397 --> 00:26:10,840
all this? you know what I mean, like, you know you sometimes you were traveling when
417
00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,203
you were young and and and you know, I would say not to
418
00:26:14,343 --> 00:26:17,506
be an insult but like naive of You know what the
419
00:26:17,606 --> 00:26:20,929
like what you know now right like you've gathered so much information and
420
00:26:20,970 --> 00:26:24,732
so much experience You know Like for
421
00:26:24,832 --> 00:26:27,973
some people who are listening to this who might want to do the same thing, they want
422
00:26:27,993 --> 00:26:31,193
to discover new species or they want to describe a new species, they might be doing it
423
00:26:31,474 --> 00:26:34,894
just as you have suggested in the past is like pick something that
424
00:26:34,914 --> 00:26:38,375
you don't know, we don't know much about and study that. Sometimes those
425
00:26:38,455 --> 00:26:41,896
are in countries we haven't really explored before. And
426
00:26:42,496 --> 00:26:46,176
so like how would you recommend and how did you sort
427
00:26:49,592 --> 00:26:53,055
The first thing is I kind of just got it. I mean, I
428
00:26:53,075 --> 00:26:56,497
learned a lot working like with my doing my master's degree
429
00:26:56,537 --> 00:26:59,620
here in California. Right. I just because I was working with people, I
430
00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:03,823
kind of, you know, I just work with mainly the fishing community. Yeah. And
431
00:27:03,923 --> 00:27:07,226
so I just learned to like work with people like in the fishing
432
00:27:07,266 --> 00:27:10,568
community and like and it's a little different in different countries. But,
433
00:27:10,588 --> 00:27:13,891
you know, some of it translates very easily. And then after that, from
434
00:27:13,931 --> 00:27:18,082
there, I just got to know People,
435
00:27:18,162 --> 00:27:21,283
like, you know, I've mentioned this story, and I knew Leonard Coppagno, who
436
00:27:21,303 --> 00:27:24,483
was in San Francisco, and he took a job in South Africa. And that kind of led
437
00:27:24,503 --> 00:27:27,704
to my, really my next step in my career, was going
438
00:27:27,724 --> 00:27:30,865
to South Africa. And then just, I would just go
439
00:27:30,905 --> 00:27:34,785
to fishing communities around there, villages and stuff, and just talk
440
00:27:34,805 --> 00:27:37,906
to the people, and just kind of get to know them,
441
00:27:37,946 --> 00:27:41,227
and, you know, made friendships, you know, as I went along. And it was just
442
00:27:41,527 --> 00:27:44,698
literally, and most people, you kind of show up there, Especially if you're
443
00:27:44,718 --> 00:27:48,739
a foreigner, they kind of like you're you're sort of a novelty, like especially
444
00:27:48,759 --> 00:27:52,400
in areas where they haven't really seen too many foreigners. And, you know,
445
00:27:52,420 --> 00:27:55,661
like out and the kind of towards the
446
00:27:55,681 --> 00:27:59,822
end of the trip was out in the Western Indonesia, which
447
00:27:59,882 --> 00:28:03,083
is very, you know, I mean, they you go out, they see
448
00:28:03,123 --> 00:28:06,584
very few Westerners, you know, out there, very, very few, very,
449
00:28:06,944 --> 00:28:10,064
very few white people. I mean, you see any others or no other white people out there when I
450
00:28:10,104 --> 00:28:13,829
was there and I was working with Naya Simone. It's one of Pete's PhD
451
00:28:13,869 --> 00:28:17,271
students. And she's been on the podcast talking about wedge fish
452
00:28:17,311 --> 00:28:20,512
and stuff. And she was really the guide. She
453
00:28:20,552 --> 00:28:23,793
really helped make things happen throughout Indonesia. Because we started off
454
00:28:23,833 --> 00:28:28,034
in Bali. And I know Bali's a bit of a tourist
455
00:28:28,074 --> 00:28:33,096
destination. But I was not in the tourist parts of Bali. But
456
00:28:33,136 --> 00:28:36,377
we were in the fishing part where they still have fishing going on.
457
00:28:36,397 --> 00:28:40,479
And we found two spectacular sharks
458
00:28:41,403 --> 00:28:44,665
critically endangered species there was one we're kind of looking
459
00:28:44,705 --> 00:28:47,827
for and we spent some time talking to the fishermen and again this is
460
00:28:47,847 --> 00:28:51,029
where Naya was really you know she knows the terrain she knows the
461
00:28:51,069 --> 00:28:54,150
people we're talking with people and everything we kept getting is
462
00:28:54,311 --> 00:28:57,432
uh we haven't seen these things for years and these were species well one
463
00:28:57,452 --> 00:29:01,135
of them we thought was you know maybe you know on the serious decline
464
00:29:01,155 --> 00:29:04,557
well it's critically endangered and the last day we're there
465
00:29:04,577 --> 00:29:08,199
it was it was a this is how it happens sometimes
466
00:29:08,699 --> 00:29:12,113
you know one of the team members, Julia
467
00:29:12,133 --> 00:29:15,234
Constance, carrying some sharks. And we go,
468
00:29:15,274 --> 00:29:19,377
oh, let's go check those out. Went over to where they brought the sharks. And
469
00:29:19,397 --> 00:29:22,738
the next thing we see are all these other sharks that we're looking for. And
470
00:29:22,778 --> 00:29:25,860
we're like, oh, my God. And then it turned out the one we're looking for, we
471
00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:29,402
found. But it turned out there was a second one there that
472
00:29:30,062 --> 00:29:33,244
we didn't, that now this is even rarer than the other
473
00:29:33,304 --> 00:29:37,826
one we're looking for. So we kind of got a twofer. So that
474
00:29:37,887 --> 00:29:41,072
stuff keeps me going. I mean, I've been doing this for years. I
475
00:29:41,092 --> 00:29:44,334
get so pumped up with that. But then the thing is, the thing
476
00:29:44,374 --> 00:29:47,555
just disappeared. They took it and they're taking it away. And so
477
00:29:47,575 --> 00:29:51,037
I had to follow them, and Naya followed too, because literally,
478
00:29:51,517 --> 00:29:54,979
and this is kind of the thing is, 30 seconds either way, we'd
479
00:29:54,999 --> 00:29:58,241
have missed them. Either too soon, too late, we'd have missed the whole
480
00:29:58,281 --> 00:30:02,143
thing. And so we ended up finding two species that haven't
481
00:30:02,163 --> 00:30:05,304
been seen for years. And so now we've been able to
482
00:30:05,344 --> 00:30:08,986
document them. And we talked to the fishermen. We know where they caught them, where
483
00:30:09,006 --> 00:30:12,285
they are. We got some more information. talking more
484
00:30:12,325 --> 00:30:16,206
about that later on and some stuff we're doing with this
485
00:30:16,286 --> 00:30:21,307
project. But anyway, that was Bali. And then we went on to Jakarta. After
486
00:30:21,347 --> 00:30:25,687
that, I met with another colleague of mine who I've known for years, Fahmi,
487
00:30:27,068 --> 00:30:30,768
who has his doctorate. He's worked for the Indonesian Fisheries Service
488
00:30:32,529 --> 00:30:36,149
Agency. And so we spent time going
489
00:30:36,169 --> 00:30:39,310
through his collection. He's got a phenomenal collection. And I found a
490
00:30:39,350 --> 00:30:42,595
few species that he's recently collected that
491
00:30:42,635 --> 00:30:46,056
well he knew what they were he he showed me what they were and i was like oh man we haven't seen
492
00:30:46,096 --> 00:30:49,277
these in years and and and then and
493
00:30:49,437 --> 00:30:52,878
interestingly pulled out a few deep sea sharks that um
494
00:30:53,599 --> 00:30:56,760
he was trying he hadn't been able to identify yet and a couple of them
495
00:30:56,780 --> 00:31:00,141
turned out to be range extensions like big range extensions and
496
00:31:00,561 --> 00:31:03,690
one of them looks like it's probably a new species So that was kind
497
00:31:05,371 --> 00:31:09,194
Oh yeah. Just to be able to find it and be like, yeah, I think that's new. I haven't seen that one before,
498
00:31:09,714 --> 00:31:12,856
Yeah, I know. And so we kind of got the
499
00:31:12,896 --> 00:31:16,058
whole, then from there after Jakarta, and well, let me back up a bit. In
500
00:31:16,098 --> 00:31:19,300
Jakarta, one of the things we went there for was
501
00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:23,043
to look for where had been the Java stingray, stingray.
502
00:31:23,343 --> 00:31:26,865
Right. And that was extinct, or there was a published paper
503
00:31:27,766 --> 00:31:30,908
Yeah, Julia, who was on the show at the beginning of the year
504
00:31:30,948 --> 00:31:34,291
in January, and Pete Kine, And I published a
505
00:31:34,332 --> 00:31:37,934
paper, I have a paper, actually it's in press now,
506
00:31:38,794 --> 00:31:42,376
declaring the species extinct. And it's the first time you've had a marine. Big news around.
507
00:31:42,456 --> 00:31:45,538
It's huge, huge news. And so we went out and
508
00:31:45,558 --> 00:31:48,740
wanted to go see like, why is this thing probably gone? And because it
509
00:31:48,780 --> 00:31:51,922
was, so we went to the location in Jakarta where this thing apparently had
510
00:31:51,942 --> 00:31:55,084
been landed. You know, it was landed in 1862. So we're doing
511
00:31:55,104 --> 00:31:59,006
the best we can to identify it. But
512
00:31:59,046 --> 00:32:02,881
we went out, we did a lot of looking around and Talking with Julia and
513
00:32:03,021 --> 00:32:06,563
interviewing her and Naya as well, pretty much the
514
00:32:06,623 --> 00:32:09,784
habitat for this species was pretty much probably wiped out
515
00:32:09,824 --> 00:32:13,766
by 1900 once Jakarta started to build because they
516
00:32:13,786 --> 00:32:17,757
did a lot of it as land reclamation which took out a lot of the mangroves. Right.
517
00:32:17,937 --> 00:32:21,420
And so pretty much this species. I'm
518
00:32:22,140 --> 00:32:25,443
after being where I was and looking there. Yeah, it's probably gone.
519
00:32:25,983 --> 00:32:29,105
It's we went out, we did stood out, went out, do those surveys out on
520
00:32:29,125 --> 00:32:32,408
the boat there in the Java Sea. But it's it's
521
00:32:32,448 --> 00:32:35,790
habitats gone. And so she expects this
522
00:32:35,810 --> 00:32:39,453
thing's probably been extinct for over 100 years now. And
523
00:32:39,473 --> 00:32:42,895
again, this that this highlights what
524
00:32:42,935 --> 00:32:46,457
I do, because this is a shark that there's nobody's
525
00:32:46,518 --> 00:32:50,216
thought about. And yet here it is gone extinct and almost
526
00:32:50,977 --> 00:32:55,519
until we raised some awareness of this and Julia did this paper, nobody
527
00:32:55,559 --> 00:32:59,541
even knew this thing. And, and so kind of what I do is
528
00:32:59,621 --> 00:33:03,182
to try to find these things before they go. And I mentioned
529
00:33:03,242 --> 00:33:06,604
a couple of sharks we found in Bali. Okay. Even though they were, they'd
530
00:33:06,624 --> 00:33:09,825
been caught by fishermen and they were dead. We know like where to go look for
531
00:33:09,865 --> 00:33:13,287
these things now. So we could go back with bruvs or whatever to find live
532
00:33:13,347 --> 00:33:16,920
ones, but we know where to go look now. And then, of course, I
533
00:33:16,980 --> 00:33:20,422
had a great time. I've known Fahmi for a long time. We've described new species
534
00:33:20,462 --> 00:33:23,603
together. He's just a wonderful guy. I keep coming back
535
00:33:23,623 --> 00:33:26,944
to this theme you asked about how I know what to do when I go there. I've
536
00:33:26,984 --> 00:33:30,265
just learned over the years, Andrew. And it's just getting to know people.
537
00:33:32,826 --> 00:33:36,767
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I ran identification training
538
00:33:36,807 --> 00:33:40,349
workshops 12 years ago that Fahmi
539
00:33:40,369 --> 00:33:43,670
was at. And we've known each other before
540
00:33:43,710 --> 00:33:46,818
that. So I've had opportunities to meet these people and get to
541
00:33:46,858 --> 00:33:50,101
know them. It's building relationships with them and that
542
00:33:50,141 --> 00:33:53,284
takes time and it takes, you know, I'm not showing up there like, okay, I
543
00:33:53,304 --> 00:33:56,586
need to get this, this, this, and this. You know, I go out there, I have tea, I
544
00:33:56,626 --> 00:33:59,969
have coffee, have lunch. You build a relationship. You build
545
00:34:00,009 --> 00:34:03,092
relationships. And so these people, cause I
546
00:34:03,132 --> 00:34:06,315
may not see these guys for years, but they'll contact me when they got something new.
547
00:34:07,175 --> 00:34:10,367
Yep. So, yeah. So anyway, so after Jakarta, which, I
548
00:34:10,387 --> 00:34:13,588
have to say, of everywhere I went, I don't need to go to Jakarta again if I don't
549
00:34:13,648 --> 00:34:17,369
have to. But everywhere else was lovely. We
550
00:34:17,389 --> 00:34:22,630
went out to Rio Islands, which was fairly remote. And
551
00:34:22,690 --> 00:34:25,890
I was running some training identification workshops for a lot
552
00:34:25,910 --> 00:34:29,351
of the Indonesian CITES inspectors were out there. So
553
00:34:29,371 --> 00:34:32,652
that was a great chance to make a whole range of new
554
00:34:32,992 --> 00:34:36,573
contacts, you know, having whatever 50, 60 people
555
00:34:36,613 --> 00:34:39,917
in the room. Going over and it was like a two three
556
00:34:39,977 --> 00:34:43,639
day Thing where I went through and we lectured and I was most
557
00:34:43,679 --> 00:34:47,242
of us understood English, but Naya was she also spoke But
558
00:34:47,282 --> 00:34:50,604
she was translating into Indonesian for us and because I don't that's
559
00:34:50,624 --> 00:34:54,026
the thing too is I don't speak these languages I have no problem going
560
00:34:54,066 --> 00:34:57,428
in there. I got somebody that knows how to Interpret that
561
00:34:57,468 --> 00:35:00,570
helps that helps a lot So I was able to go out there and
562
00:35:00,610 --> 00:35:03,872
do you know do some of that's do that do this training
563
00:35:03,892 --> 00:35:07,310
workshop? we went out to the a couple of the fish markets
564
00:35:07,350 --> 00:35:11,992
there, the traders. Found a number, oh man, somewhere
565
00:35:12,452 --> 00:35:16,733
probably about 10 species that are critically endangered at
566
00:35:17,114 --> 00:35:21,095
this market, including a couple that were really rare to find. And
567
00:35:21,175 --> 00:35:24,596
so that's going to be a whole other thing we did. But it was great because here
568
00:35:24,636 --> 00:35:28,918
I'm actually doing what I like to do. I'm showing, training people Not
569
00:35:28,938 --> 00:35:32,421
that these people don't already know a lot already because they're societies inspectors but
570
00:35:32,461 --> 00:35:35,543
I'm giving a little bit of nuance that I think I like to feel is kind of
571
00:35:35,583 --> 00:35:38,786
helping them out and They're very grateful for it.
572
00:35:38,846 --> 00:35:42,449
And now I got a whole bunch of other contacts all spread out through Indonesia
573
00:35:43,310 --> 00:35:46,613
to work with and we also went out to some of the islands there where Naya
574
00:35:46,653 --> 00:35:49,776
is doing some of her work and Because a big thing, you
575
00:35:49,796 --> 00:35:52,978
know, she's looking for the wedge clownfish, which she
576
00:35:53,158 --> 00:35:56,430
showed me some that she'd found last year And this
577
00:35:56,450 --> 00:36:00,012
is a species that we thought, another species we thought was extinct
578
00:36:00,113 --> 00:36:03,275
because it hadn't been seen for years. And now we have a few records of
579
00:36:03,315 --> 00:36:06,737
this thing within the last two, three years now. And
580
00:36:07,258 --> 00:36:10,781
so that's, that was really cool. But, and there's some, you know,
581
00:36:10,981 --> 00:36:14,163
fascinating being out in these villages, because let's say
582
00:36:14,203 --> 00:36:18,046
most of them have never seen a Westerner or met a Westerner before. And
583
00:36:18,086 --> 00:36:21,308
so it's really kind of cool for me interacting with them and kind of things that make
584
00:36:21,509 --> 00:36:24,667
kind of really makes you feel kind of warm inside is like,
585
00:36:24,687 --> 00:36:27,889
you know, these people don't have like a lot to begin with, but they're
586
00:36:27,929 --> 00:36:31,050
so graceful, like to have a chance to
587
00:36:31,070 --> 00:36:34,492
meet somebody, you know, from like the United States. And
588
00:36:34,532 --> 00:36:37,973
that, you know, they're offering me like, you know, give me a little Coke is a sort
589
00:36:37,993 --> 00:36:41,134
of a, you know, you know, thanks for coming by. And I'm like, Oh, no, you don't have to do
590
00:36:43,195 --> 00:36:47,037
Coke. No, Coke. No. C-O-K-E. Coke. Coca-Cola.
591
00:36:47,853 --> 00:36:53,075
Oh, okay. Yeah. I was worried it was a different type of Coke. Coca-Cola.
592
00:36:59,138 --> 00:37:02,660
Get your mind out of the gutter. I just wanted to confirm just
593
00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:06,021
to make sure people think you're not going on these crazy things.
594
00:37:10,074 --> 00:37:13,376
Just wanted to be sure, just try to do my duties as
595
00:37:14,997 --> 00:37:18,458
But it's the kind of thing that's almost more
596
00:37:18,538 --> 00:37:22,540
rewarding to me personally, just the kindness of these people and
597
00:37:22,580 --> 00:37:26,362
like their kids come in there and they come from school. I had some pictures
598
00:37:26,823 --> 00:37:30,204
on social media and it was just great.
599
00:37:34,727 --> 00:37:38,330
Yeah, and if you saw some of the pictures I post, it's like it's You
600
00:37:38,350 --> 00:37:41,592
talk about some of the, I talked about crocodiles and diseases, like just
601
00:37:41,632 --> 00:37:45,555
trying to navigate around, like look at the little bridge they put in there to
602
00:37:45,595 --> 00:37:49,417
get out to the docks. I think I got some pictures posted on Instagram. Uh,
603
00:37:49,477 --> 00:37:53,360
you know, you want to be really freaking careful cause you could fall
604
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:56,822
and hurt yourself really badly out there and stuff. And,
605
00:37:59,304 --> 00:38:02,806
I mean, I think I think that's that's really good. Like when you get to make
606
00:38:02,846 --> 00:38:06,008
those connections, it's part of the process, right? It's part
607
00:38:06,028 --> 00:38:09,251
of the trips. It's not just finding these sharks that haven't been found
608
00:38:09,291 --> 00:38:12,913
in a while. It's it's meeting new people. It's understanding different
609
00:38:12,953 --> 00:38:16,075
cultures, being a part of like being exposed to
610
00:38:16,115 --> 00:38:19,517
those different cultures. And I think that's that's a really cool
611
00:38:19,577 --> 00:38:23,740
part about being a scientist, especially when you're traveling internationally, is
612
00:38:23,820 --> 00:38:27,322
to have that openness and have that You
613
00:38:27,422 --> 00:38:30,783
know urge to be able to learn from
614
00:38:30,824 --> 00:38:34,085
different people and connect with different people all over the world Yeah, I think a thing is
615
00:38:34,485 --> 00:38:37,746
It's like it's been I've
616
00:38:37,766 --> 00:38:41,288
got an explorer heart. I like to explore and I like yeah, and
617
00:38:41,308 --> 00:38:44,489
I like to not just go in there Just like okay. I'm gonna find
618
00:38:44,529 --> 00:38:47,970
the shark. Okay. I mean, that's a cool thing to do But like just the
619
00:38:48,010 --> 00:38:51,231
connections the people I meet those are the memories I
620
00:38:51,251 --> 00:38:54,925
probably take away more than anything with some of those
621
00:38:54,965 --> 00:38:58,168
things. And those are the most rewarding things. Feeling like I'm
622
00:38:58,208 --> 00:39:01,991
able to, especially at this point, too, in my career where I'm working
623
00:39:02,011 --> 00:39:05,193
with some really dynamic young grad students and I'm able to pass along a
624
00:39:05,233 --> 00:39:08,636
lot of my knowledge and experience to them. And they're
625
00:39:08,656 --> 00:39:12,159
very grateful. I mean, I had three of Pete's grad
626
00:39:12,199 --> 00:39:15,361
students for basically, I don't want to say held
627
00:39:15,381 --> 00:39:18,644
hostage for like three and a half weeks as we were traveling around
628
00:39:18,684 --> 00:39:21,921
the place, but I think they they didn't have a chance to
629
00:39:21,981 --> 00:39:25,142
work with me, you know, going around the place, I think was very, it
630
00:39:25,963 --> 00:39:29,184
was good. They really enjoyed it. They enjoyed that, having that connection, that
631
00:39:29,224 --> 00:39:32,826
time together and everything. And, um, so, so
632
00:39:32,846 --> 00:39:35,987
yeah, that's, that's really the big reward to me is just, uh, the people to
633
00:39:36,027 --> 00:39:39,309
work with and the people I meet and, uh, be able to pass along
634
00:39:39,349 --> 00:39:42,651
that knowledge. So yeah, it was, it was a, it was a wonderful trip.
635
00:39:42,731 --> 00:39:45,912
And, uh, we're, as, as you mentioned, and I mentioned, we, we
636
00:39:45,972 --> 00:39:50,632
documented this thing as a part of the save our seas, uh, Project
637
00:39:50,733 --> 00:39:53,915
and we'll be put we'll be having some videos coming up in the next
638
00:39:53,955 --> 00:39:57,418
few months some little video stories about the journeys the
639
00:39:57,458 --> 00:40:01,501
difference different things about it talking about some of the Hardships
640
00:40:01,561 --> 00:40:04,984
and some of the rewards of doing the whole of doing the whole project And
641
00:40:05,504 --> 00:40:08,807
you know, I just want to again just give a big shout out Thanks
642
00:40:08,847 --> 00:40:12,830
to save our seas because they're just there's just not a lot of organizations
643
00:40:13,351 --> 00:40:17,814
that will fund this type of type of work that I do and
644
00:40:18,034 --> 00:40:21,174
You know and again One thing you mentioned too about knowledge is
645
00:40:21,234 --> 00:40:24,696
like, you gotta know a lot of the species and I really worked my
646
00:40:24,736 --> 00:40:27,978
whole life trying to learn all the different species I can as best I can, it's a
647
00:40:32,001 --> 00:40:36,423
That's awesome. A couple more questions before we end this. The
648
00:40:36,543 --> 00:40:40,246
first is, the way
649
00:40:40,286 --> 00:40:43,868
you describe when you find a new species, it happens so quickly,
650
00:40:44,328 --> 00:40:48,088
right? And a lot of times, unexpectedly, on the trip. You
651
00:40:48,468 --> 00:40:51,970
know why you're out there and you want to discover something, but you've already mentioned
652
00:40:51,990 --> 00:40:55,252
a couple times where Fisher's going by and he's got something and
653
00:40:55,272 --> 00:40:58,514
you're like, well, what is that? Hold on a second, can I take a look at that? All
654
00:40:58,534 --> 00:41:01,836
of a sudden you're like, oh my gosh, I don't think I've ever seen
655
00:41:01,876 --> 00:41:05,178
this before. I don't think anybody's ever seen, your colleagues are there, the grad students
656
00:41:05,198 --> 00:41:08,420
are like, wow, what is this? What's the feeling that
657
00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:11,942
goes through your body? What are the emotions that you feel when
658
00:41:12,082 --> 00:41:15,403
all of a sudden you're on the verge, I think this is something that's
659
00:41:16,973 --> 00:41:20,316
it's kind of a mix between this absolute adrenaline rush
660
00:41:21,416 --> 00:41:24,659
and Christmas. Okay, waking up
661
00:41:25,059 --> 00:41:28,241
waking up Christmas morning is a five year old. And
662
00:41:28,281 --> 00:41:32,344
just, you know, what Santa leave me? Yeah. And,
663
00:41:32,805 --> 00:41:36,047
and then just having this, like on this, like on these trips here, it's
664
00:41:36,067 --> 00:41:39,309
like, it's like a, it's like a, it's a total
665
00:41:39,369 --> 00:41:42,652
adrenaline. It's just you're just every day, just pumped up
666
00:41:43,352 --> 00:41:46,480
to go out there. And I mean, it's kind of One of
667
00:41:46,500 --> 00:41:49,742
the comments, uh, you know, some of the students made is like, they
668
00:41:49,762 --> 00:41:52,965
were just, yeah, they found it. They thought it
669
00:41:52,985 --> 00:41:56,387
was a little bit inspiring that every day we had long, hard days
670
00:41:56,447 --> 00:41:59,510
and like every day, I'm just ready to go. Like, let's do this, man. We're going to
671
00:41:59,550 --> 00:42:02,772
go do this. And they found like, that was, they thought that was
672
00:42:02,832 --> 00:42:06,635
pretty cool considering I'm, I'm the age of most of their parents running
673
00:42:06,695 --> 00:42:09,877
around with them. And, uh, and I'm just like every day, I'm like, let's go,
674
00:42:09,997 --> 00:42:13,260
let's do this, man. You know, I was like, cause I I'll sleep in the plane when we head
675
00:42:13,660 --> 00:42:16,824
home and I've been catching up on some rest since I've
676
00:42:16,844 --> 00:42:20,788
been home. But yeah, if you can just imagine this overwhelming
677
00:42:20,828 --> 00:42:24,211
adrenaline rush combined with being a five-year-old on
678
00:42:24,251 --> 00:42:28,492
Christmas morning. That's the best way to describe it.
679
00:42:31,356 --> 00:42:34,560
And speaking of which, not calling you old,
680
00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:37,964
but you're not as young as you were in your 20s, doing a
681
00:42:38,024 --> 00:42:41,429
trip like this for a month where every day you're going
682
00:42:41,609 --> 00:42:45,031
out, You know traveling through some
683
00:42:45,151 --> 00:42:48,371
pretty gnarly terrain Look
684
00:42:48,411 --> 00:42:52,933
at me being old and trying to use gnarly as a word describe but
685
00:42:53,953 --> 00:42:57,414
But you know like it takes a lot on the body for any anybody
686
00:42:57,454 --> 00:43:01,475
by any age you've been doing this for quite a long time But
687
00:43:01,515 --> 00:43:04,755
like going out for like a month and doing this straight, you know You're
688
00:43:04,775 --> 00:43:07,916
always meeting new people talking new people going over just
689
00:43:07,956 --> 00:43:11,117
different terrain if there's a lot to experience in
690
00:43:11,177 --> 00:43:14,699
one of those trips How do you get through
691
00:43:15,900 --> 00:43:19,523
You know at this point in your career bring young enthusiastic students
692
00:43:19,563 --> 00:43:22,766
with you And try and keep up is that
693
00:43:22,806 --> 00:43:26,109
it well, I honestly I I keep
694
00:43:26,149 --> 00:43:30,152
a pretty regimented Workout
695
00:43:30,813 --> 00:43:34,235
and sort of a health care just take care of myself in general in
696
00:43:34,295 --> 00:43:37,715
general and then I keep a pretty I work out pretty,
697
00:43:37,975 --> 00:43:41,877
pretty good for my age and I won't mention it specifically, but
698
00:43:41,937 --> 00:43:45,218
it's north of 60, let's say. And, uh, and so, but I
699
00:43:45,298 --> 00:43:49,340
39, we'll just go with an even that perfect, even maybe 40, maybe
700
00:43:49,660 --> 00:43:52,902
39 is good. Uh, no, but I, I just, it's, it's really, it's, it's
701
00:43:53,202 --> 00:43:56,963
a lot of it. A lot of it is mental. You got to have a positive attitude.
702
00:43:57,123 --> 00:44:01,085
That's why I say like, it's having this overwhelming adrenaline rush and,
703
00:44:01,385 --> 00:44:04,486
and like a kid at Christmas that, that helps you got to have
704
00:44:04,506 --> 00:44:07,744
the right mental attitude. And then I say, I just keep trying
705
00:44:07,764 --> 00:44:11,326
to keep my body in shape as best I can, you know, and
706
00:44:11,386 --> 00:44:14,847
just try to work out and just eat right. And
707
00:44:15,907 --> 00:44:19,509
so like I can, you know, my goal is always to keep up with the kids. And
708
00:44:20,029 --> 00:44:23,190
so, you know, and so if I can just, so
709
00:44:23,210 --> 00:44:26,311
that's my goal and I don't, I'm just going to keep doing it as
710
00:44:26,351 --> 00:44:29,752
long as my body holds up and I can do it. You know, my
711
00:44:29,772 --> 00:44:33,393
dad's 93 and, you know, he's still climbing
712
00:44:33,433 --> 00:44:36,751
around on the roof and doing stuff. It makes me more nervous
713
00:44:36,791 --> 00:44:39,915
than him, so if I can be 93 and
714
00:44:40,115 --> 00:44:43,619
doing that, you know, at my age now, I can still
715
00:44:43,659 --> 00:44:47,023
keep going and I'm just gonna keep going until I
716
00:44:47,063 --> 00:44:50,407
can't, you know? It's just, yeah. So that's all
717
00:44:52,779 --> 00:44:56,280
So quite the crazy
718
00:44:56,340 --> 00:44:59,620
trip, amazing trip, all the words you can
719
00:44:59,700 --> 00:45:03,401
use to describe it, the ups and downs and
720
00:45:03,921 --> 00:45:07,142
very, very interesting. Just to let everybody know, we're going
721
00:45:07,182 --> 00:45:10,362
to be able to show some more content on
722
00:45:10,382 --> 00:45:13,703
that visually. We'll have some videos out and a number of different
723
00:45:13,723 --> 00:45:16,884
episodes, not only the trip that you just went on, but the trip that you went on
724
00:45:16,924 --> 00:45:21,107
last year. We have some videos coming out. very, very shortly. And
725
00:45:21,167 --> 00:45:24,871
so keep an eye out on this podcast. We'll announce when they're
726
00:45:24,911 --> 00:45:28,074
published. We'll put up links. And so you
727
00:45:28,114 --> 00:45:31,738
can actually see what Dave experiences when
728
00:45:32,419 --> 00:45:35,622
you're on these trips. And I think it's really important for
729
00:45:35,662 --> 00:45:39,046
people to visualize the different fish markets, what it looks like, how
730
00:45:39,086 --> 00:45:42,309
you interact with people. Even some of the things you
731
00:45:42,329 --> 00:45:45,590
probably like, you may not like to see, you know, as in dead sharks or dead flat
732
00:45:45,610 --> 00:45:48,791
sharks and things. Yeah. But then you, you have to, you know, you have to
733
00:45:48,831 --> 00:45:51,972
deal with it and, and sometimes, you know, you may discover a new
734
00:45:52,012 --> 00:45:55,193
species just, just from those piles of dead sharks that
735
00:45:55,213 --> 00:45:58,395
you see. And it's, it's, it's interesting, definitely as
736
00:45:58,435 --> 00:46:01,996
a scientist and, and as you said, like, you know, a bit of an explorer.
737
00:46:03,056 --> 00:46:06,338
And so love to see that so I can't wait till we get those
738
00:46:06,398 --> 00:46:09,780
out for everybody Dave if people want to
739
00:46:10,320 --> 00:46:13,421
you know find out you know how to Follow you you've been putting up
740
00:46:13,801 --> 00:46:17,023
a lot of cool things on Instagram lately as you normally do but about
741
00:46:17,043 --> 00:46:20,305
the trip So people want to find out how to do that
742
00:46:20,405 --> 00:46:23,986
how to follow you how would they do so Instagram's best just
743
00:46:26,407 --> 00:46:30,409
Also, you find Lost Sharks on Facebook. I
744
00:46:30,469 --> 00:46:33,790
do post on X occasionally, but mostly Instagram, Facebook, but you
745
00:46:33,810 --> 00:46:37,452
can find Lost Shark, Lost Shark Guy on, on
746
00:46:37,592 --> 00:46:40,633
X. And then also I post on LinkedIn. So any of
747
00:46:40,673 --> 00:46:44,554
the, any of the major platforms, but I would suggest go to Instagram
748
00:46:47,171 --> 00:46:51,513
Perfect. Dave, thank you so much for sharing this and
749
00:46:51,553 --> 00:46:55,535
going on these trips and being able to discover more sharks. And we thank your
750
00:46:55,615 --> 00:46:59,937
colleagues, the graduate students that went out with you, Pete Kine, everybody
751
00:47:01,057 --> 00:47:04,319
that was out on the trip with you. And I can't wait to
752
00:47:04,359 --> 00:47:08,300
hear more about it. I've already heard a lot about it, and it's always interesting,
753
00:47:08,420 --> 00:47:11,981
and I can't wait for everybody else to get to see what
754
00:47:12,021 --> 00:47:15,902
you've been able to see over the last couple of years. Just a piece of
755
00:47:15,942 --> 00:47:19,263
your career, but something that's absolutely remarkable. So
756
00:47:25,405 --> 00:47:29,326
Absolutely. How about next episode? You could co-host. How about that? Perfect. Perfect.
757
00:47:29,347 --> 00:47:32,568
I'll co-host with you. Wonderful. Thanks a lot, Dave. We'll talk to