Issue 69 - February 2021

ANGARI Foundation to Premiere ‘Generation Ocean: Sharks’ 360 Film

great hammerhead shark below boat_credit Kevin Davidson ANGARI Foundation 800x533 200dpi — great hammerhead shark below boat © Kevin Davidson ANGARI Foundation

ANGARI Foundation is excited to announce the release of its 360 film “Generation Ocean: Sharks,” premiering on January 27, 2021. The second of the “Generation Ocean” series, this short film follows Florida Atlantic University (FAU) shark scientist Stephen Kajiura and his research team from the FAU Elasmobranch Lab as they study the well-known blacktip shark migration, a natural phenomenon that brings blacktip populations down the eastern coast of the United States to South Florida every winter. The film also speaks to predator-prey dynamics and the interactions between blacktip and hammerhead sharks.

The 360 film experience fully immerses the viewer, providing them with an up close and firsthand perspective of the fieldwork and making them feel as if they are part of the research expedition. “Generation Ocean: Sharks” is set in Palm Beach County, Florida aboard oceanographic research vessel R/V ANGARI and a reconnaissance plane conducting aerial surveys. Both underwater and drone footage are also featured.

Kajiura, a professor of biological sciences and director of the FAU Elasmobranch Lab, began studying the migration 10 years ago when news outlets contacted him about shark sightings from their helicopters. “We were surprised to find tens of thousands of sharks hugging our shoreline in the winter months,” said Kajiura. “That’s 1,200 sharks per square kilometer (or approximately 2,000 sharks per mile) within 200 meters (650 feet) of dry sand beaches.” explains Kajiura whose shark migration research is supported by the Colgan Foundation.

Over the last decade, the FAU Elasmobranch Lab has expanded its research studies to include shark swimming kinematics, predatory behaviors, interspecies relationships, environmental triggers and more. This research involves several methods, many of which are demonstrated in the film. “We are delighted to be able to showcase our research to the public and, particularly, middle school and high school students to inspire them to also consider careers in marine science and conservation,” says Kajiura regarding the 360 film experience.

ANGARI Foundation produced the 360 film, in collaboration with the FAU Elasmobranch Lab, as part of ANGARI’s “Generation Ocean” series which immerses viewers in real-world marine science research expeditions. The film takes the audience through the entire research process, from scouting shark populations from a plane to tagging sharks off the back of a boat. Additionally, “Generation Ocean: Sharks” makes use of the one-of-a-kind 3D animated model of the great hammerhead shark Nemesis, which was produced and released by Digital Life, VRTUL and ANGARI Foundation last year.

“The premiere of our third 360 film and second of the “Generation Ocean” series is another great milestone for us,” said Kari Rosenberg, the vice president of Production at ANGARI Foundation. “We’re incredibly proud of this project, from the footage we were able to capture while working with the science team in the field to building a story that is not only fascinating but also compelling. It’s exciting and rewarding to be able to share such important research in a fully immersive way.”

Using innovative technology like 360 film and virtual reality headsets to bring marine science to the public and into schools is an important component of ANGARI Foundation’s mission. The Foundation will be releasing educational resources, including standards-oriented activities and lessons, to complement the film and facilitate a more in-depth and engaging marine science learning experience, be it in the classroom or via distance learning. Like all ANGARI Education assets, these will be made available at no cost to educators. In concert with the film release and this year’s blacktip shark migration, the Foundation will also be publicly livestreaming a panel discussion featuring local shark experts on February 17 at 6 PM EST.

The film will be available for viewing in full 360, with or without a virtual reality headset, on ANGARI Foundation’s YouTube channel. “Generation Ocean: Sharks” is poised to bring an important part of the ocean ecosystem to the forefront and gives everyone a more personal experience with some of the most exciting marine animals.

About ANGARI Foundation

ANGARI Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation established in 2016 and headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL. The Foundation is dedicated to creating a global community that is interested, knowledgeable and invested in marine and environmental sciences by directly supporting research initiatives that foster a greater trust and dialogue between scientists and the public. ANGARI Foundation uses innovative technology, film and other media to raise awareness and strengthen science education. Many of the Foundation’s primary initiatives involve R/V ANGARI, its 65-foot oceanographic research vessel that serves as an exceptional research and education platform. For more information visit www.angari.org.

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Related Topics:ANGARI Foundation film ocean shark

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Issue 69 - February 2021

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Issue 69 - February 2021

An Angler’s Winter Chore May Spark an Idea to Make the World a Better Place

a man is fishing on a rock next to a river

It’s not pretty. Turning fishing lines into new products is labor-intensive, requiring a series of workers to manually comb through, sort, clean, remove hooks and weights, and separate out miles of encrusted debris in an entangled fishing line. So as you pile up a few reels of the line to be recycled this winter, the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is asking for your ideas on how to help grow the volume of line recycled each year.

Teaming up with fishing tackle company Berkley, the BoatUS Foundation’s Recast & Recycle Contest seeks out new ideas and improvements to the process, new ideas for recycled products, or technology breakthroughs for the current process that will increase the volume of line and soft baits that are recycled. Entry is simple – all you have to do is send a short video or one-page summary explaining your idea. Thirty thousand dollars in prize money is at stake for the three best ideas submitted through May 14, 2021.

“It’s great that anglers recycle,” said BoatUS Foundation Director of Outreach Alanna Keating. “Now we need to ask for help with scaling up recycling with a greater volume of line, whether it’s a time- and labor-saving process improvement or creating a new market to fully sustain recycling efforts.”

Judges will add weight to contest submissions that actually work, are practical, innovative, and have the potential to have a significant impact.

The first-place prize is $15,000, second place receives $10,000, and $5,000 will be awarded for third place. Contest submissions can address any part of the process (or multiple parts) of taking discarded fishing lines and soft plastics from the end of life to a new beginning. Professionals, amateurs, and students alike are encouraged to apply, as are school teams and groups. Contest entries can be submitted with as little as a link to a video demonstration of the idea or a one-page graphic summary. Videos are limited to 4 minutes.

Contest rules and conditions, details on the current recycling process, and videos on how various plastics and soft baits are recycled can be found at the Recast & Recycle website BoatUS.org/Contest.

About the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water

The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national leader promoting safe, clean, and responsible boating. Funded primarily by donations from the more than 700,000 members of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the nonprofit provides innovative educational outreach directly to boaters and anglers with the aim of reducing accidents and fatalities, increasing stewardship of America’s waterways, and keeping boating safe for all. A range of boating safety courses – including 36 free state courses – can be found at BoatUS.org/Courses.

About Pure Fishing

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Conservation Photography

The pink hairy squat lobster – Photo taken in Indonesia – Jack’s February Underwater Photograph

This marine crustacean is commonly known as the “Pink hairy squat lobster”, also known as the “Fairy crab”. Its scientific name is Lauriea siagiani. Actually, L. siagiani is not really a lobster, but belongs to a group of crabs called Anomurans.

Anomurans are decapod crustaceans, meaning they have ten appendages (legs). But unlike their relatives called brachyuran (the true crabs), the two rear appendages are small and are hidden under the shell, together with the respiratory organs or gills.

The fairy crabs are tiny. Adults typically measure no more than 1.5 centimetres; thus they are of no value from the point of view of a commercial fishery. However, despite their small size, and because of it, they are spectacularly beautiful. Their body is almost translucent; their legs show edges of intense, nearly florescent pinkish-purple color, with purple spots and lots of white hairs covering the entire body.

Anomuran crustaceans live in almost all oceans, but this particular species, the fairy crab, lives associated with a species of sea sponge called the “Giant barrel sponge” (Xestospongia testudinaria) which abounds in coral and rocky reefs off the coast of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Bali) and Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Fairy crabs are usually difficult to photograph because they are very shy and hide under the projections on the sides of the sponges.