‘Shark Week’: Good Viewing, Good Cause, And An Awesome Press Kit

It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year- Shark Week! Everyone online seems to be a buzz with talk of Discovery Channel’s exciting week-long coverage of sharks, and they have some impressive new technology which they have used to bring you these episodes!

I’ve included some pictures below from the press kit I received from the Discovery Channel in promotion of this week. I have to say that everything from the bite out of the box to my very own adopted shark photo (Check the press kit photos below -Fineas is adorable isn’t he?) had me won over without even having to watch the two screeners they had included.

But of course I watched the screeners, and I have to say I was incredibly impressed with the new technology they showcased. Using an HD camera that shoots in super slow motion (2,000 frames per second – which is 20 to 30 times slower than normal slow motion footage), producer Jeff Kurr and shark expert Chris Fallows slow down the footage of a breaching shark from one second in real time to almost a full minute. This resolution provides so much detail that you can actually count every tooth inside the shark’s mouth – if you wanted to.

I appreciate Discovery Channel stepping up to play an active role in shark conservation. What most people don’t realize is that sharks are actually in trouble. Each year, commercial fishing kills more than 100 million sharks worldwide, including tens of millions just for their fins. Populations of multiple shark species including tiger, scalloped and smooth hammerhead and bull sharks, have declined by more than 97%! Sharks are our ocean’s top predator, and they play a vital role in marine ecosystems. Without them, these ecosystems would change forever.

Discovery Channel has announced its support of Oceana, the world’s largest international conservation organization focused solely on protecting and restoring the world’s oceans. As a part of the press kit that Discovery sent me, I was informed the network had donated money to Oceana on behalf our site, and I was touched and honored to be a part of a cause like this one.

So enjoy Shark Week, but also try to help support Oceana too if you can. To learn more about the important work that they do (such as obtaining bans on shark finning, improve national and international shark fisheries management, and reducing the unintentional capture of sharks) visit www.oceana.org.

Check out photos of the Shark Week press kit below!

Your Pop Culture Junkie,
Emma Loggins

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