Catch up TV

Series 2: Episode 5

Naturalist Steve Backshall and a team of dive experts embark on an expedition to the eastern Pacific Ocean. Steve joins forces with renowned shark scientist Mauricio Hoyos to dive the largest marine protected area in North America – the Revillagigedo National Park in Mexico. Here, they hope to witness some of the richest marine life on the planet – whale sharks, Galapagos sharks, hammerhead sharks and giant manta rays are known to gather here in huge numbers.\n\nFrom the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, the team travels over 700km into the open ocean. Their goal is to dive unexplored areas around the remote volcanic island of Clarion to discover whether this might be a shark nursery. Shark populations are crashing globally, as they are targeted by the illegal shark fin trade. Sharks are slow breeders – some species only have a few young at a time, and they take a long time to reach maturity. When commercial fishing boats catch one shark, it’s not just one life lost – it can be a whole generation. If Steve and Mauricio can discover where shark mothers give birth, they can help protect a new generation of these ocean giants.

Source: BBC 2