‘Blue Planet Now’ Recap: ‘Shark Paradise’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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At some point or another in our lives, we’ve all heard or uttered the phrase ‘knowledge is power’ and there’s good reason for that. Because this particular saying is filled to the brim with truth. For the more we know, the better equipped we are to handle the challenges that life throws our way. But while there is a supremely personal benefit when it comes to knowledge, there are even greater rewards for the planet when swaths of people are educated on a particular topic. For now, everyone knows what it is at stake in regard to say, a particular problem, and that kind of awareness allows for us to study it and find solutions that we can all pitch in and help with.
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Which is why I’m so supremely happy with the narrative that Blue Planet Now is sending our way. Because this particular documentary is working hard to educate the public on the power of climate change, and how we impact the natural world in ways we never thought possible. And sticking to this particular edict of knowledge over anything else, made the second entry in this series quite the fascinating tale. For ‘Shark Paradise’ worked hard to really offer up all kinds of facts and tidbits about everything we’ve discussed so far, all while injecting hope into our minds that wonders can indeed be accomplished when it comes to some of the seemingly impossible tasks ahead of us.

If anything, that last element should have immediately garnered your attention as it did mine when I was watching this episode. But we will get to that in a moment. Because we do need to discuss just the wonderful job this particular tale did when it comes to education. For I was unaware of the fact that our proclivity to wish to be closer to nature, even when observing from afar, can throw it off. Since we came to learn that blue whales are shy and the many tourists that come to see them in Mexico sometimes frighten them off, and thanks to research and education, we are learning to back away when we observe these majestic creatures. And research is also helping endangered species find a footing since the Monk seal is getting greater attention in Europe, and the observations being made there are allowing for humanity to interact better with these gentle animals so that they can potentially breed and thrive once again.

But while the knowledge aspect was fascinating, let’s dive into those conservation efforts and their impact since the long-term application of some of this research is inspiring. For example, there’s a reason that the bull shark thrives in the Bahamas. For the people there and the scientists that study them know that this is a great place for them to feed and to nurture their unborn pups and fisherman are happy to let them enjoy scraps in order to help the species flourish, and in North America, there are people working to build a better fishing trap so that the whales there don’t find themselves entangled on lines, which hurts the chances of the females giving birth, and it’s working. But really the centerpiece of the night was the group that is risking life and limb to collect the precious sperm and eggs that coral reefs send out into the ocean several times a year, all in the hopes of using it to reseed reefs that are dying and this is a bold and beautiful and aggressive plan that may just save these important parts of our eco-system.

Now, if that seems like a lot to cover in a single hour of TV, you’d be correct. But this documentary pulled this knowledge bomb off with little effort and I love that it had so much to teach us and that it also offered up some sobering factual images to hammer home our impact upon this world, since seeing plastics at the bottom of the ocean, which may never rot, was a disturbing image indeed. But what matters more is that research and knowledge are paying off in spades, and I love the fact that there are sound and wonderful plans in place to save marine life and the elements need to balance out this delicate eco-system. And my only hope is that others watching this series are inspired to help in some way, either by donating to a cause, spreading the knowledge found here or by outright asking others to watch this series to help their friends learn about the power and importance of our oceans and I honestly cannot wait to see what other incredible facts and hopeful solutions await us in next week’s episode. Until then. 

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