Name: How do you save a shark you know nothing about?
Uploaded: 2012-02-16T15:52:00Z
Duration: 16 min 29 s
Description: They're the second-largest fish in the world, they're almost extinct, and we know almost nothing about them. In this talk, Simon Berrow describes the fascinating basking shark ("great fish of the sun" in Irish), and the exceptional -- and wonderfully low-tech -- ways he's learning enough to save them.

They're the second-largest fish in the world, they're almost extinct, and we know almost nothing about them. In this talk, Simon Berrow describes the fascinating basking shark ("great fish of the sun" in Irish), and the exceptional -- and wonderfully low-tech -- ways he's learning enough to save them.

How do you save a shark you know nothing about?

Basking sharks, the second-largest fish on Earth, are slipping toward extinction, yet scientists know astonishingly little about them. Centuries ago, Irish communities relied on these gentle giants for oil, even lighting city streets with it. Modern researchers use creative, low-tech methods—like collecting DNA from black slime with a mop handle—to unravel their mysteries. With global populations possibly as low as 8,000 females, urgent and inventive science is crucial for their survival.