WSVN — You see it in the movies, in documentaries; people interacting with sharks. Now you can catch, tag and release sharks through a University of Miami research program and 7News' Patrick Fraser got to tag along.
If most people saw this shark in the water, they would quiver in fear. These young grad students erupt in delight.
Samantha Owen. "I'll take a day on this boat than a day at the beach any day."
Most of them are graduate students from the University of Miami, part of a unique research project that has caught and released nine different types of sharks in South Florida's waters.
Laurel Zaima: "I've always had a passion for shark conservation. They are just trying to survive, not try to get us, so they should not be afraid."
Today the UM researchers are joined by high school seniors from across the country who tag along to help catch the sharks.
Joey Bonner: "It's one thing to watch it in the Discovery Channel and see it there, but to see it in person, to see how magnificent of a creature it is, incredible. Wow."
10 hooks are set out off the South Florida coast, a buoy marks them. We wait an hour then we come back to check the lines.
Patrick Fraser: "South Florida has plenty of sharks. The key of course is to catch them, well catch them and release them quickly."
After a few lines are pulled in, not a nibble. Captain Mark Perni wants to change the luck. Near Key Biscayne, he grabs the next line.
It's a big bull shark. Watch as she is pulled in. Three of the women, jump on the estimated 500 pound shark and push her onto the platform..
Rachel Skubel: "You are so conscious of what you are doing. You are in a zone because you know you have a job to do."
The testing begins. Her mouth is opened and a pump placed in to keep water flowing thru her gills. That protects the shark and also keeps her calm. I blast the shark's eye with sea water to see make sure she is not too stressed.
One of the high school students measures her, 8.9 feet to be exact. Another volunteer snips a piece of skin.
Christian Pankow: "Many studies are going on with that little piece of fin, from genetics to feeding ecology, to toxins in this animal. You can learn so much with a tiny piece of shark."
She is tagged, in case she is ever caught again. It doesn't affect the big animal at all, then blood is drawn.
Gabi Goodrich: "My research specifically is with sharkmunology."
Gabi Goodrich is using the blood to try to duplicate the immune system that has allowed sharks to survive over the past 450 million years.
Gabi Goodrich: "We can try to figure out what makes them heal so fast and then put it to human trials, so people who have had major surgeries can go from months to weeks of healing time."
The students are then allowed to feel the sharks hide.
Katie Maitlind: "I expected it to feel kind of slippery. It was kind of rough and sandpaper texture and it was really cool."
Within a few short minutes, the bull shark is returned to the water. Watch as she swims away then turns to look back at the boat and the people watching her. If only we could know what she is thinking.
Dr. Neil Hammerschlag: "They are amazing animals. I can't describe a more perfect creature than sharks."
The shark project is headed by Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, who is now allowing anyone to pay a small fee and come out on the boats in a program called Citizen Science.
Dr. Neil Hammerschlag: "So we actually bring people that range in age as young as 10 years old. We have had people in their 80's come out on the boat and help us collect data on sharks. Ultimately that data is used to help conserve sharks."
Protect the sharks and help people.
Stephen Cain: "I thought about sharks my whole life and now that I'm here doing this, it's everything I ever wanted."
Tag along, catch a shark and return them to the waters they have swam in for millions of years.
Off South Florida's coast, I'm Patrick Fraser. 7News.
To go on the shark expedition, visit: http://rjd.miami.edu/participate