0:00:11.609,0:00:13.863 Thank you very much for inviting me here, 0:00:13.887,0:00:15.894 and thank you to Carlin, wherever she is, 0:00:15.919,0:00:19.450 for tracking my progress and deciding[br]this was a story worthy of TED. 0:00:19.490,0:00:21.823 I think you've seen basking sharks,[br]hands up. 0:00:22.347,0:00:23.614 A few of you. Okay. 0:00:23.653,0:00:25.830 Basking sharks are awesome creatures. 0:00:25.854,0:00:27.177 They are just magnificent. 0:00:27.201,0:00:30.376 They grow 10 meters long; some say bigger. 0:00:30.773,0:00:32.788 They might weigh up to two tons. 0:00:32.812,0:00:34.376 Some say up to five tons. 0:00:34.400,0:00:36.653 They're the second-largest[br]fish in the world. 0:00:37.077,0:00:39.689 They're also harmless[br]plankton-feeding animals. 0:00:40.213,0:00:45.649 And they are thought to be able to filter[br]a cubic kilometer of water every hour 0:00:45.673,0:00:50.649 and can feed on 30 kilos[br]of zoo plankton a day to survive. 0:00:50.934,0:00:52.299 They're fantastic creatures. 0:00:52.323,0:00:53.680 We're very lucky in Ireland, 0:00:53.704,0:00:57.284 we have plenty of basking sharks[br]and plenty of opportunities to study them. 0:00:57.308,0:00:59.606 They were very important[br]to coastal communities, 0:00:59.630,0:01:01.066 going back hundreds of years, 0:01:01.090,0:01:05.160 especially around[br]the Claddaghduff, Connemara region 0:01:05.366,0:01:09.890 where subsistence farmers used to sail[br]out on their hookers and open boats, 0:01:09.988,0:01:12.715 sometimes way offshore[br]to a place called the Sunfish Bank, 0:01:12.739,0:01:14.516 about 30 miles west of Achill Island, 0:01:14.540,0:01:16.232 to kill the basking sharks. 0:01:16.257,0:01:18.429 This is a woodcut from about the 1800s. 0:01:19.153,0:01:21.904 They were very important,[br]for the oil out of their liver. 0:01:21.928,0:01:24.390 A third of the basking[br]shark's size is their liver, 0:01:24.414,0:01:26.197 and it's full of oil, gallons of oil. 0:01:26.221,0:01:28.310 That oil was used especially for lighting, 0:01:28.334,0:01:30.507 but also for dressing wounds[br]and other things. 0:01:30.531,0:01:32.417 In fact, the streetlights in 1742, 0:01:32.441,0:01:33.965 of Galway, Dublin and Waterford, 0:01:33.989,0:01:35.376 were lit with sunfish oil. 0:01:35.400,0:01:38.170 "Sunfish" is one of the words[br]for basking sharks. 0:01:38.330,0:01:39.885 They've been around a long time, 0:01:39.924,0:01:42.588 they're very important[br]to coastal communities. 0:01:42.647,0:01:45.941 Probably the best-documented[br]basking shark fishery in the world 0:01:45.965,0:01:47.477 is that from Achill Island. 0:01:47.501,0:01:49.876 This is Keem Bay up in Achill Island. 0:01:50.200,0:01:52.353 Sharks used to come into the bay, 0:01:52.377,0:01:55.378 and the fishermen[br]would tie a net off the headland, 0:01:55.402,0:01:57.034 string it out, an old Manila net, 0:01:57.458,0:02:00.306 and as the shark came round,[br]it would hit the net, 0:02:00.331,0:02:01.727 the net would collapse on it. 0:02:04.115,0:02:06.245 It would often drown and suffocate. 0:02:06.270,0:02:09.125 Or at times, they would row out[br]in their small curraghs 0:02:09.149,0:02:12.906 and kill it with a lance[br]through the back of the neck. 0:02:13.007,0:02:15.751 And then they'd tow the sharks[br]back to Purteen Harbour, 0:02:15.775,0:02:17.499 boil them up, use the oil. 0:02:17.523,0:02:21.447 They also used the flesh[br]as well, for fertilizer 0:02:21.471,0:02:24.367 and also would fin the sharks. 0:02:24.391,0:02:27.232 This is probably the biggest threat[br]to sharks worldwide -- 0:02:27.256,0:02:29.295 the finning of sharks. 0:02:29.919,0:02:32.408 We're often frightened[br]of sharks, thanks to "Jaws." 0:02:32.432,0:02:35.486 Maybe five or six people[br]get killed by sharks every year. 0:02:35.510,0:02:38.685 There was someone recently, wasn't there?[br]Just a couple weeks ago. 0:02:38.709,0:02:40.676 We kill about 100 million sharks a year. 0:02:40.700,0:02:42.676 So I don't know what the balance is, 0:02:42.700,0:02:46.694 but I think sharks have more right[br]to be fearful of us than we have of them. 0:02:48.618,0:02:50.247 It was a well-documented fishery. 0:02:50.271,0:02:52.474 As you can see here,[br]it peaked in the '50s, 0:02:53.098,0:02:55.458 where they were killing[br]1,500 sharks a year. 0:02:55.819,0:02:58.990 And it declined very fast --[br]a classic boom-and-bust fishery, 0:03:00.277,0:03:02.949 which suggests that a stock[br]has been depleted 0:03:02.973,0:03:04.911 or there's low reproductive rates. 0:03:05.735,0:03:08.205 They killed about 12,000 sharks[br]within this period, 0:03:08.229,0:03:11.159 literally just by stringing a Manila rope 0:03:11.183,0:03:13.761 off the tip of Keem Bay[br]up in Achill Island. 0:03:14.277,0:03:16.690 Sharks were still killed[br]up into the mid-80s, 0:03:16.714,0:03:19.727 especially out of places[br]like Dunmore East in County Waterford. 0:03:19.751,0:03:22.580 About two and a half, 3,000[br]sharks were killed up till '85, 0:03:22.604,0:03:24.298 mainly by Norwegian vessels. 0:03:25.222,0:03:26.376 You can't really see, 0:03:26.400,0:03:28.939 but these are Norwegian[br]basking shark hunting vessels. 0:03:28.963,0:03:32.518 The black line in the crow's nest[br]signifies this is a shark vessel, 0:03:32.542,0:03:34.614 rather than a whaling vessel. 0:03:34.638,0:03:37.483 The importance of basking sharks[br]to the coast communities 0:03:37.507,0:03:39.185 is recognized through the language. 0:03:39.209,0:03:41.494 I don't pretend[br]to [know many Irish words], 0:03:41.518,0:03:45.076 but in Kerry they were often[br]known as "ainmhide Na seolta," 0:03:45.100,0:03:46.675 "the monster with the sails." 0:03:47.101,0:03:50.506 Another title would be "liop an dá lapa," 0:03:50.629,0:03:52.539 "the unwieldy beast with two fins." 0:03:53.320,0:03:56.729 "Liabhán mór," suggesting a big animal. 0:03:56.859,0:04:00.362 Or my favorite, "liabhán chor gréine,"[br]"the great fish of the sun." 0:04:00.386,0:04:01.922 That's a lovely, evocative name. 0:04:02.246,0:04:06.075 On Tory Island -- a strange place[br]anyway -- they were known as "muldoons." 0:04:06.100,0:04:07.121 (Laughter) 0:04:07.145,0:04:08.340 No one seems to know why. 0:04:08.364,0:04:10.699 Hope there's no one[br]from Tory here. Lovely place. 0:04:10.723,0:04:14.746 But more commonly all around the island,[br]they were known as the sunfish. 0:04:14.770,0:04:17.478 And this represents their habit[br]of basking on the surface 0:04:17.503,0:04:18.661 when the sun is out. 0:04:18.685,0:04:21.248 There's great concern[br]that basking sharks are depleted 0:04:21.272,0:04:22.785 all throughout the world. 0:04:23.009,0:04:25.002 Some say it's not population decline, 0:04:25.026,0:04:27.515 it might be a change[br]in the distribution of plankton. 0:04:27.539,0:04:28.696 It's been suggested 0:04:28.720,0:04:31.944 that these sharks would make[br]fantastic indicators of climate change, 0:04:31.968,0:04:34.379 as they're basically[br]continuous plankton recorders, 0:04:34.403,0:04:36.223 swimming around with their mouth open. 0:04:36.247,0:04:39.211 They're now listed[br]as vulnerable under the IUCN. 0:04:39.956,0:04:43.751 There's movements in Europe[br]to try and stop catching them. 0:04:43.840,0:04:46.296 There's now a ban on catching[br]and even landing them, 0:04:46.320,0:04:48.385 even landing ones caught accidentally. 0:04:48.809,0:04:50.397 They're not protected in Ireland; 0:04:50.421,0:04:53.406 in fact, they have no legislative[br]status in Ireland whatsoever, 0:04:53.430,0:04:55.360 despite our importance for the species 0:04:55.384,0:04:58.938 and also the historical context[br]within which basking sharks reside. 0:05:00.462,0:05:01.976 We know very little about them. 0:05:02.700,0:05:04.400 And most of what we do know 0:05:04.425,0:05:07.211 is based on their habit[br]of coming to the surface -- 0:05:07.235,0:05:10.637 we try and guess what they're doing[br]from their behavior on the surface. 0:05:10.661,0:05:13.729 I only found out last year,[br]at a conference on the Isle of Man, 0:05:13.753,0:05:16.467 just how unusual it is to live somewhere 0:05:16.491,0:05:20.038 where basking sharks regularly,[br]frequently and predictably 0:05:20.062,0:05:22.606 come to the surface to "bask." 0:05:23.026,0:05:25.121 It's a fantastic opportunity[br]for a scientist 0:05:25.145,0:05:26.946 to see and experience basking sharks. 0:05:26.970,0:05:28.319 They are awesome creatures. 0:05:28.343,0:05:31.799 It gives us a fantastic opportunity[br]to study them, to get access to them. 0:05:31.823,0:05:35.221 What we've been doing for a couple[br]years -- last year was a big year -- 0:05:35.245,0:05:37.796 is we started tagging sharks, 0:05:37.823,0:05:40.869 so we could try to get some idea[br]of sight fidelity and movement 0:05:40.893,0:05:42.051 and things like that. 0:05:42.075,0:05:47.175 So we concentrated mainly[br]in North Donegal and West Kerry 0:05:47.200,0:05:49.911 as the two areas[br]where I was mainly active. 0:05:49.935,0:05:51.505 And we tagged them 0:05:51.516,0:05:52.692 with a big, long pole. 0:05:52.716,0:05:55.342 This is a beachcaster rod[br]with a tag on the end. 0:05:55.366,0:05:58.037 You go up in your boat and tag the shark. 0:05:58.799,0:06:00.347 And we were very effective. 0:06:00.371,0:06:03.209 We tagged 105 sharks last summer. 0:06:03.233,0:06:06.884 We got 50 in three days[br]off Inishowen Peninsula. 0:06:06.908,0:06:08.465 Half the challenge to get access 0:06:08.489,0:06:10.703 is to be in the right place[br]at the right time. 0:06:10.727,0:06:14.196 But it's a very simple, easy technique;[br]I'll show you what it looks like. 0:06:16.520,0:06:19.371 We use a pole camera on the boat[br]to actually film the shark. 0:06:19.595,0:06:22.132 One, it's to try and work out[br]the gender of the shark. 0:06:22.292,0:06:24.561 This is a picture[br]that you can't really see 0:06:24.601,0:06:27.458 because we cut off the green tag[br]on the shark from Kerry. 0:06:27.556,0:06:31.219 We also deployed some satellite tags,[br]so we did use high-tech stuff as well. 0:06:31.243,0:06:33.151 These are archival tags. 0:06:33.176,0:06:35.115 What they do is store the data. 0:06:35.139,0:06:38.436 A satellite tag only works[br]when the air is clear of the water 0:06:38.549,0:06:40.446 and can send a signal to the satellite. 0:06:40.470,0:06:42.925 And sharks and fish[br]are underwater most of the time, 0:06:42.949,0:06:45.878 so this tag actually works out[br]the locations of shark, 0:06:45.902,0:06:49.264 depending on the timing[br]and the setting of the sun, 0:06:49.288,0:06:51.239 plus water temperature and depth. 0:06:51.263,0:06:53.431 And you have to kind of[br]reconstruct the path. 0:06:53.455,0:06:54.628 What happens is, 0:06:54.652,0:06:57.742 you set the tag to detach[br]from the shark after a fixed period -- 0:06:57.766,0:06:59.164 in this case, eight months -- 0:06:59.188,0:07:01.296 and literally to the day,[br]the tag popped off, 0:07:01.320,0:07:03.199 drifted up, said hello to the satellite 0:07:03.223,0:07:06.092 and sent, not all the data,[br]but enough data for us to use. 0:07:06.116,0:07:09.360 This is the only way to really work out[br]their behavior and movements 0:07:09.384,0:07:10.575 when they're underwater. 0:07:11.477,0:07:14.375 And here's a couple[br]of maps that we've done. 0:07:14.400,0:07:18.555 In that one, you can see[br]that we tagged both off Kerry. 0:07:18.580,0:07:22.452 Basically, it spent all its time,[br]the last eight months, in Irish waters. 0:07:22.489,0:07:24.498 On Christmas, it was out[br]on the shelf edge. 0:07:24.522,0:07:26.466 Here's one we haven't ground-truthed yet 0:07:26.490,0:07:28.615 with sea-surface temperature[br]and water depth, 0:07:28.639,0:07:31.361 but again, the second shark[br]spent most of its time 0:07:31.416,0:07:32.765 in and around the Irish Sea. 0:07:32.789,0:07:36.566 Colleagues from the Isle of Man[br]last year actually tagged one shark 0:07:36.591,0:07:39.775 that went from the Isle of Man[br]to Nova Scotia in about 90 days. 0:07:39.799,0:07:43.122 Nine and a half thousand kilometers --[br]we never thought that happened. 0:07:43.146,0:07:47.070 Another colleague in the States[br]tagged about 20 sharks off Massachusetts. 0:07:47.094,0:07:48.534 His tags didn't really work. 0:07:48.558,0:07:50.391 All he knows is where he tagged them, 0:07:50.415,0:07:51.883 and where they popped off. 0:07:51.907,0:07:54.225 His tags popped off in the Caribbean, 0:07:54.249,0:07:55.776 and even in Brazil. 0:07:55.800,0:07:58.115 We thought basking sharks[br]were temperate animals 0:07:58.139,0:07:59.631 and lived in our latitudes, 0:07:59.655,0:08:02.847 but in actual fact, they're obviously[br]crossing the equator as well. 0:08:02.871,0:08:04.633 So very simple things like that, 0:08:04.657,0:08:06.687 we're trying to learn[br]about basking sharks. 0:08:06.712,0:08:11.261 One thing that I think[br]is a very surprising and strange thing 0:08:11.285,0:08:14.250 is just how low the genetic[br]diversity of sharks is. 0:08:14.274,0:08:17.735 I'm not a geneticist, so I won't pretend[br]to understand the genetics. 0:08:17.759,0:08:20.116 And that's why it's great[br]to have collaboration. 0:08:20.140,0:08:21.452 Whereas I'm a field person, 0:08:21.476,0:08:23.000 I get panic attacks 0:08:23.024,0:08:26.172 if I have to spend too many hours[br]in a lab with a white coat on. 0:08:26.196,0:08:27.427 Take me away. 0:08:27.451,0:08:30.031 So we can work with geneticists[br]who understand that. 0:08:30.755,0:08:33.335 So when they looked at[br]the genetics of basking sharks, 0:08:33.359,0:08:37.923 they found that the diversity[br]was incredibly low. 0:08:38.592,0:08:40.451 If you look at the first line, really, 0:08:40.475,0:08:43.931 you can see that all these different[br]shark species are all quite similar. 0:08:43.955,0:08:45.733 I think this means they're all sharks 0:08:45.757,0:08:47.687 and they've come from a common ancestry. 0:08:47.711,0:08:50.050 But if you look at nucleotide diversity, 0:08:50.105,0:08:54.324 which is more genetics[br]that are passed on through the parents, 0:08:54.349,0:08:57.182 you see that basking sharks,[br]if you look at the first study, 0:08:59.006,0:09:03.372 was order of magnitude less diverse[br]even than other shark species. 0:09:03.600,0:09:05.672 You can see this work[br]was only done in 2006. 0:09:05.696,0:09:09.721 Before 2006, we had no idea of the genetic[br]variability of basking sharks. 0:09:09.757,0:09:14.769 We had no idea: Did they distinguish[br]into different populations? 0:09:14.794,0:09:16.069 Were there subpopulations? 0:09:16.093,0:09:18.244 And that's very important[br]if you want to know 0:09:18.268,0:09:21.045 what the population size is,[br]and the status of the animals. 0:09:21.069,0:09:24.680 So, Les Noble in Aberdeen kind of found[br]this a bit unbelievable, really. 0:09:24.704,0:09:29.288 So he did another study[br]using microsatellites, 0:09:29.313,0:09:31.924 which is much more expensive,[br]much more time-consuming, 0:09:31.948,0:09:35.209 and to his surprise,[br]came up with almost identical results. 0:09:35.233,0:09:38.145 So it does seem to be[br]that basking sharks, for some reason, 0:09:38.169,0:09:39.939 have incredibly low diversity. 0:09:39.963,0:09:42.721 And it's thought maybe[br]it was a genetic bottleneck, 0:09:42.781,0:09:44.852 thought to have been 12,000 years ago, 0:09:44.876,0:09:47.400 and this has caused a very low diversity. 0:09:47.424,0:09:49.384 And yet, if you look at the whale shark, 0:09:49.408,0:09:52.123 which is the other[br]plankton-eating large shark, 0:09:52.147,0:09:53.618 its diversity is much greater. 0:09:53.642,0:09:56.077 So it doesn't really make sense at all. 0:09:56.101,0:09:58.535 They found that there was[br]no genetic differentiation 0:09:58.559,0:10:01.020 between any of the world's oceans[br]of basking sharks: 0:10:01.044,0:10:03.282 even though they're found[br]throughout the world, 0:10:03.306,0:10:05.464 you couldn't tell[br]the difference, genetically, 0:10:05.488,0:10:08.921 from one from the Pacific, Atlantic,[br]New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa. 0:10:08.945,0:10:10.524 They all basically seem the same. 0:10:10.548,0:10:13.453 Which, again, is kind of surprising;[br]you wouldn't expect that. 0:10:13.477,0:10:15.824 I don't understand or pretend[br]to understand this; 0:10:15.848,0:10:17.758 I suspect most geneticists don't either, 0:10:17.782,0:10:19.176 but they produce the numbers. 0:10:19.200,0:10:21.527 So you can actually estimate[br]the population size 0:10:21.551,0:10:23.721 based on the diversity of the genetics. 0:10:23.745,0:10:28.282 And Rus Hoelzel came up with[br]an effective population size: 0:10:29.321,0:10:31.154 8,200 animals. 0:10:31.178,0:10:34.082 That's it -- 8,000 animals in the world. 0:10:34.106,0:10:36.328 You're thinking,[br]"That's ridiculous. No way." 0:10:37.052,0:10:39.930 So Les did a finer study, 0:10:40.000,0:10:42.778 and he found out it came out about 9,000. 0:10:42.802,0:10:45.683 Using different microsatellites[br]gave the different results, 0:10:45.707,0:10:50.348 but the mean of all these[br]studies is about 5,000, 0:10:50.372,0:10:51.976 which I personally don't believe. 0:10:52.000,0:10:53.630 But then, I am a skeptic. 0:10:53.654,0:10:56.083 But even if you toss a few numbers around, 0:10:56.107,0:10:59.524 you're probably talking an effective[br]population of about 20,000 animals. 0:10:59.548,0:11:04.063 Do you remember how many they killed[br]off Achill in the 70s and the 50s? 0:11:04.087,0:11:05.783 So what it tells us, actually, 0:11:05.807,0:11:09.059 is that there's actually a risk[br]of extinction of this species 0:11:09.083,0:11:10.976 because its population is so small. 0:11:11.000,0:11:12.531 In fact, of those 20,000, 0:11:12.555,0:11:14.723 8,000 were thought to be females. 0:11:14.747,0:11:17.434 There's only 8,000 basking shark[br]females in the world? 0:11:17.458,0:11:19.304 I don't know. I don't believe it. 0:11:19.725,0:11:23.368 The problem with this[br]is they were constrained with samples. 0:11:23.392,0:11:24.975 They didn't get enough samples 0:11:24.999,0:11:28.719 to really explore the genetics[br]in enough detail. 0:11:29.314,0:11:33.801 So, where do you get samples from[br]for your genetic analysis? 0:11:34.270,0:11:36.338 Well, one obvious source is - 0:11:36.374,0:11:37.825 dead sharks, washed up. 0:11:38.158,0:11:41.813 We might get two or three dead sharks[br]washed up in Ireland a year, 0:11:41.838,0:11:43.360 if we're kind of lucky. 0:11:43.384,0:11:45.734 Another source would be[br]fisheries' bycatch. 0:11:45.758,0:11:48.747 We were getting quite a few caught[br]in surface drift nets. 0:11:48.771,0:11:51.557 That's banned now, and that'll be[br]good news for the sharks. 0:11:51.581,0:11:53.498 And some are caught in nets, in trawls. 0:11:53.522,0:11:57.140 This is a shark that was actually[br]landed in Howth just before Christmas -- 0:11:57.164,0:12:00.191 illegally, because you're not allowed[br]to do that under EU law -- 0:12:00.215,0:12:04.952 and was actually sold[br]for eight euros a kilo as shark steak. 0:12:04.977,0:12:06.801 They even put a recipe up on the wall, 0:12:06.825,0:12:08.603 until they were told it was illegal. 0:12:08.627,0:12:10.474 They actually did get a fine for that. 0:12:10.506,0:12:13.299 Any of you tried it, no?[br]I don't think it's that nice. 0:12:13.730,0:12:16.688 So if you look at[br]all those studies I showed you, 0:12:16.780,0:12:19.436 the total number of samples worldwide 0:12:19.460,0:12:20.984 is 86, at present. 0:12:21.758,0:12:23.850 So it's very important work, 0:12:23.874,0:12:25.969 and they can ask[br]some really good questions, 0:12:25.993,0:12:30.276 and tell us about population size[br]and subpopulations and structure, 0:12:30.300,0:12:32.953 but they're constrained[br]by lack of samples. 0:12:33.644,0:12:35.493 When we were out tagging our sharks -- 0:12:35.517,0:12:38.827 this is how we tagged them on the front[br]of a RIB, get in there fast -- 0:12:38.851,0:12:42.202 occasionally, the sharks do react. 0:12:42.241,0:12:44.992 On one occasion, when we were[br]up in Malin Head in Donegal, 0:12:45.016,0:12:48.413 the shark smacked the side[br]of the boat with his tail, 0:12:48.438,0:12:51.582 more, I think, in startle to the fact[br]that a boat came near it, 0:12:51.606,0:12:53.493 rather than the tag going in. 0:12:53.576,0:12:57.566 And then when myself and Emmett[br]got back to Malin Head, to the pier, 0:12:57.590,0:13:00.032 I noticed some black slime[br]on the front of the boat. 0:13:00.956,0:13:03.685 I used to spend a lot of time[br]on commercial fishing boats, 0:13:03.709,0:13:05.188 and I remember fishermen saying 0:13:05.212,0:13:08.035 they can tell when a basking shark[br]has been caught in a net, 0:13:08.059,0:13:09.939 because it leaves a black slime behind. 0:13:09.963,0:13:11.794 So that must have come from the shark. 0:13:11.818,0:13:15.212 Now, we had an interest[br]in getting tissue samples for genetics 0:13:15.236,0:13:17.222 because we knew they were very valuable. 0:13:17.246,0:13:18.903 We would use conventional methods; 0:13:18.927,0:13:21.244 I have a crossbow --[br]you see it in my hand there, 0:13:21.268,0:13:25.653 which we use to sample whales[br]and dolphins for genetic studies as well. 0:13:25.678,0:13:27.653 So I tried that, I tried many techniques. 0:13:27.677,0:13:29.606 All it was doing was breaking my arrows, 0:13:29.630,0:13:32.149 because the shark's skin[br]is just so strong. 0:13:32.179,0:13:34.955 There was no way we were going[br]to get a sample from that. 0:13:36.079,0:13:37.656 That wasn't going to work. 0:13:37.680,0:13:40.237 So when I saw the black slime[br]on the bow of the boat, 0:13:40.261,0:13:43.238 I thought, "If you take[br]what you're given in this world ..." 0:13:43.262,0:13:44.426 So I scraped it off. 0:13:44.450,0:13:48.845 I had a little tube with alcohol in it[br]to send to the geneticists. 0:13:48.869,0:13:51.924 So I scraped the slime off[br]and sent it to Aberdeen, 0:13:51.948,0:13:53.464 and said, "You might try that." 0:13:53.488,0:13:55.098 And they sat on it for months. 0:13:55.122,0:13:57.934 It was only because we had[br]a conference on the Isle of Man. 0:13:57.958,0:13:59.497 But I kept emailing Les, saying, 0:13:59.521,0:14:01.616 "Have you had a chance[br]to look at my slime?" 0:14:01.640,0:14:03.483 And he was like, "Yeah, yeah. Later." 0:14:03.507,0:14:06.330 He thought he'd better do it[br]because I never met him before; 0:14:06.354,0:14:09.109 he might lose face if he hadn't done[br]the thing I sent him. 0:14:09.133,0:14:11.984 And he was amazed that they actually[br]got DNA from the slime. 0:14:12.008,0:14:13.843 They amplified it and they tested it, 0:14:13.867,0:14:16.665 and they found, yes,[br]this was actually basking shark DNA, 0:14:16.689,0:14:18.626 which was got from the slime. 0:14:20.468,0:14:21.633 So he was very excited. 0:14:21.657,0:14:24.942 It became known as "Simon's shark slime." 0:14:24.966,0:14:27.857 And I thought, "Hey, you know,[br]I can build on this." 0:14:27.881,0:14:31.643 So we thought, OK, we're going to try[br]to get out and get some slime. 0:14:31.667,0:14:35.301 So having spent three-and-a-half[br]thousand on satellite tags ... 0:14:38.387,0:14:41.824 I then thought I'd invest 7.95 --[br]the price is still on it -- 0:14:41.848,0:14:44.038 in my local hardware store in Kilrush 0:14:44.062,0:14:45.832 for a mop handle, 0:14:45.856,0:14:48.776 and even less money on some oven cleaners. 0:14:48.800,0:14:52.271 And I wrapped the oven cleaner[br]around the edge of the mop handle 0:14:52.295,0:14:53.776 and ... 0:14:53.800,0:14:55.358 (Laughter) 0:14:55.382,0:14:58.913 I was desperate to have an opportunity[br]to get some sharks. 0:14:58.937,0:15:03.729 And this was into August now,[br]and normally sharks peak in June, July, 0:15:03.754,0:15:06.743 and you rarely see them,[br]or rarely can be in the right place 0:15:06.767,0:15:08.318 to find sharks into August. 0:15:08.342,0:15:10.772 We were desperate,[br]so we rushed out to the Blaskets 0:15:10.796,0:15:12.866 as soon as we heard[br]there were sharks there, 0:15:12.890,0:15:14.417 and managed to find some sharks. 0:15:14.441,0:15:18.504 So by just rubbing[br]the mop handle down the shark 0:15:18.529,0:15:20.097 as it swam under the boat -- 0:15:20.121,0:15:22.631 you see a shark[br]running under the boat here -- 0:15:23.455,0:15:24.797 we managed to collect slime. 0:15:24.821,0:15:26.069 And here it is. 0:15:26.093,0:15:29.822 Look at that lovely black shark slime. 0:15:29.846,0:15:34.439 And in about half an hour,[br]we got five samples. 0:15:34.463,0:15:36.216 Five individual sharks were sampled 0:15:36.240,0:15:39.072 using Simon's Shark Slime Sampling System. 0:15:39.096,0:15:40.911 (Laughter) 0:15:40.935,0:15:46.266 (Applause) 0:15:46.290,0:15:49.544 I've been working on whales and dolphins[br]in Ireland for 20 years now, 0:15:49.568,0:15:51.107 and they're a bit more dramatic. 0:15:51.131,0:15:53.167 You probably saw[br]the humpback whale footage 0:15:53.191,0:15:55.301 we got a month or two ago[br]off County Wexford. 0:15:55.325,0:15:57.575 And you always think[br]you might have some legacy 0:15:57.599,0:15:59.093 you can leave the world behind, 0:15:59.117,0:16:02.052 and I was thinking of humpback[br]whales breaching and dolphins. 0:16:02.076,0:16:04.461 But hey -- sometimes[br]these things are sent to you 0:16:04.485,0:16:06.677 and you just have to take them[br]when they come. 0:16:06.701,0:16:08.798 So this is possibly[br]going to be my legacy -- 0:16:08.822,0:16:10.464 Simon's Shark Slime. 0:16:10.488,0:16:12.122 We got more money this year 0:16:12.146,0:16:15.351 to carry on collecting[br]more and more samples. 0:16:16.691,0:16:19.631 One thing that is very useful[br]is that we use a pole camera -- 0:16:19.655,0:16:22.068 this is my colleague, Joanne,[br]with a pole camera -- 0:16:22.092,0:16:24.031 where you can look underneath the shark. 0:16:24.055,0:16:27.457 What you're trying to look at is,[br]the males have claspers, 0:16:27.548,0:16:30.168 which kind of dangle out[br]behind the back of the shark. 0:16:30.192,0:16:32.789 So you can quite easily tell[br]the gender of the shark. 0:16:32.813,0:16:37.107 If we can tell the gender of the shark[br]before we sample it, 0:16:37.384,0:16:40.491 we can tell the geneticist[br]this was taken from a male or a female. 0:16:40.515,0:16:43.018 Because in the moment,[br]they have no way, genetically, 0:16:43.042,0:16:45.580 of telling the difference[br]between a male and a female, 0:16:45.604,0:16:46.763 which I find staggering, 0:16:46.787,0:16:49.372 because they don't know[br]what primers to look for. 0:16:49.396,0:16:51.710 Being able to tell the gender of a shark 0:16:51.734,0:16:55.976 is very important[br]for things like policing the trade 0:16:56.000,0:17:00.396 in basking shark and other species[br]through the sightings, 0:17:00.420,0:17:02.635 because it is illegal[br]to trade in these sharks. 0:17:02.659,0:17:04.696 And they are caught and are on the market. 0:17:04.721,0:17:06.790 So as a field biologist, 0:17:06.816,0:17:09.262 you just want to get encounters[br]with these animals, 0:17:09.286,0:17:10.675 and learn as much as you can. 0:17:10.700,0:17:14.109 They're often quite brief,[br]they're often very seasonally constrained. 0:17:14.134,0:17:17.039 You just want to learn as much[br]as you can as soon as you can. 0:17:17.063,0:17:18.829 But isn't it fantastic 0:17:18.854,0:17:22.353 that you can then offer[br]these samples and opportunities 0:17:22.377,0:17:25.196 to other disciplines,[br]such as the geneticists, 0:17:25.221,0:17:27.675 who can gain so much more from that. 0:17:27.700,0:17:31.406 So as I said, these things[br]are sent to you in strange ways. 0:17:31.430,0:17:32.676 Grab them while you can. 0:17:32.700,0:17:34.642 I'll take that as my scientific legacy. 0:17:34.666,0:17:37.753 Hopefully, I might get something[br]a bit more dramatic and romantic 0:17:37.777,0:17:39.026 before I die. 0:17:39.050,0:17:42.111 But for the time being,[br]thank you for that. 0:17:42.179,0:17:44.016 And keep an eye out for sharks. 0:17:44.159,0:17:46.129 So thank you and thank you for listening. 0:17:46.153,0:17:48.100 (Applause)