In the documentary Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie, the Marvel actor dives into the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters to explore the Crescent City’s lesser-known aquatic residents. Alongside several experts, including marine biologist Jasmin Graham, Mackie investigates critical issues such as fishing-related depredation and the increasing shark encounters that may signal broader environmental challenges in the Gulf. Graham, president and co-founder of Minorities in Shark Science and project coordinator at the National Science Foundation’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participations Marine Science Laboratory Alliance Center of Excellence, brings her extensive expertise to the forefront in this documentary.
Her latest book, Sharks Don’t Sink, has been highlighted in TIME’s list of best new books for July 2024, underscoring her profound knowledge and unique perspective on shark behavior and conservation. This recognition further cements her status as an authority in her field.
As part of Nat Geo’s SharkFest, Graham, who specializes in elasmobranch ecology and evolution, spoke with Just N Life about her career path, working with Anthony Mackie, and advice for others seeking a career in marine biology.
Yolanda Baruch: Can you explain what initially sparked your interest in studying sharks?
Jasmin Graham: I fell in love with the ocean while fishing with my dad. But I hadn’t really interacted with sharks until I was in college. I met a professor who was doing research on sharks, and I started working in his lab, researching how hammerhead sharks are related to each other. That’s really when I fell in love with sharks. I tried a bunch of other things in undergrad in terms of marine science research, but I just kept coming back to sharks because they’ve been around so long, they’re such well-adapted animals, and they’re fairly misunderstood. I’ve always had a soft spot for the underdog, so that’s why I like studying sharks.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the underdog, so that’s why I like studying sharks.”
Jasmin Graham
YB: How was it working with Anthony Mackie on this topic?
JG: It was great. He was a pleasure to work with. It was a really great team. One of the most fun shows that I’ve worked on. We all were very focused on trying to make a show that was science-driven and had a conservation lens to it. So it was great working with Anthony and us all having sort of the same goal. Him being a fisherman and me being a fisherman, we were able to connect on that aspect of things and really include the fishermen’s perspective on this topic of depredation, which often isn’t talked about. Often, fishermen aren’t sort of highlighted or regarded well in conservation, so to be able to include the fishing perspective in this story was really great. To be able to work on this with someone who is deeply connected to the ocean in the same way that I am, through fishing, was really cool.
YB: Can you share the defining moment or experience that solidified your passion for marine biology and shark research?
JG: I knew that I wanted to be a shark researcher when I went out for the first time with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources when I was in college, and we went on a shark survey. We were monitoring the health of the shark populations, and I actually got to interact with my first shark in the wild. That was a really big experience for me because it was a bonnethead—a really small, very cute shark. To see this image that is counter to the image that we receive culturally about sharks being these big man-eaters, and to see this little shark that was really in need of our protection, and to be part of studying it and making sure that it thrived and survived, and getting to hold it in my hands and release it back into the water with a tag after collecting the data that we needed from it, was really impactful. So that’s when I really decided, hey, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
There’s so much we don’t know even though these animals have been here for such a long time.”
Jasmin Graham
YB: What are some of the most surprising discoveries you’ve made in your research on sharks?
JG: One surprising thing from my research with hammerhead sharks is that there are two conflicting theories on how hammerheads are related to each other and how they have evolved. Despite all of my work in undergrad to try to reconcile those two hypotheses, I still came up with a third hypothesis that wasn’t the same as the other two. It was really interesting to me that one group of animals can cause so much confusion among scientists, and that there’s so much we don’t know even though these animals have been here for such a long time. We’re still learning and gaining insight into how they evolve and how they use their adaptations. My work with sawfish in Florida was also surprising because it’s a critically endangered species of ray. We didn’t know where they were spending a lot of time as adults and large juveniles. My research uncovered that they were spending a significant amount of time near Cape Canaveral in Florida, which was an area we didn’t expect them to be hanging out in. So that was pretty cool as well.
YB: What advice would you give to aspiring marine biologists, especially those interested in shark research?
JG: I would encourage anyone interested in marine science to get involved in whatever way they can, whether that be reading books, watching documentaries, going to aquariums, or trying to get involved with research and activities in their local communities. If you live inland, aquariums are a really great place to connect with the ocean without being on the coast, so I highly recommend connecting with folks at aquariums to learn more about ocean animals and marine research.
SharkFest and Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie are available to stream now on Disney +.
