Tracking a Rarely Seen, Endangered ‘Ninja’ Shark in the Philippines

Rutgers marine scientist Thomas Grothues is well known for his expertise in tracking fish. He was recruited last year by a colleague from England to track a rarely seen shark species in the Philippines… The underwater adventure – in which Grothues played a prominent role – was featured recently in the documentary Ninja Sharks, which aired as part of the Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week… Grothues, an associate research professor in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, spent a month with Simon Oliver, a scientist from the University of Chester in England, and others tracking pelagic thresher sharks – which are found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans… The biggest threat to these sharks, Grothues says, is overfishing. While some fishermen catch them for sport, other fishermen are after their fins, liver oil, tails and flesh.