Beyond All the Sharks is the companion podcast to the Netflix show All the Sharks. Hosted by the science team featured in the series, we - the Shark Docs - go beyond the screen to talk with local researchers and conservationists working on the front lines in each magnificent location featured on the show. From deep-sea fisheries to community-led shark protection, each episode reveals the real stories behind sharks and rays in some of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on the planet.
Learn with us—dive in!
For more information, visit our website: www.sharkdocs.org
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Beyond All the Sharks: Ecotourism, Fishing, and Biodiversity of the Maldives with Miyaru Programme
Season 1 · Episode 1
Thursday, July 17, 2025 • Duration 01:00:21
Beyond All the Sharks is the official companion podcast to the Netflix series All the Sharks. Want to learn more after watching the show?
Join hosts Dr. Chris Malinowski and Dr. Brendan Talwar as they connect with their new friends and fellow Shark Docs, Arzucan Zuzu Askin and Ahmed Ricky Mohamed from the Miyaru Programme in Fuvamulah, Maldives. Together, they explore shark and ray conservation, dive ecotourism, sustainable fisheries, and the evolving perceptions and uses of sharks in this vibrant region of the Indian Ocean.
🌊 In this episode, we cover:
– Shark and ray research and conservation in the Maldives
– The role of dive ecotourism and sustainable practices
– Deep-sea biology and shark ecology
– Fisheries impacts and community engagement
– Changing local and global attitudes toward sharks
🎧 Whether you're a scientist, conservationist, diver, or curious explorer, this episode dives into the connections between culture, conservation, and research in the Maldives—one of the most important and rapidly changing shark hotspots in the world.
🎙️ About our guests:
Arzucan “Zuzu” Askin is a National Geographic Explorer, conservation scientist, and co-founder of the Miyaru Programme. Trained at Oxford’s Seascape Ecology Lab, she specializes in shark-human interactions and the social dimensions of shark conservation.
Ahmed “Ricky” Mohamed is an underwater photographer, videographer, and dive shop owner based in Fuvahmulah. As part of Miyaru’s media storytelling team, he documents local shark populations and helps share the island’s conservation efforts with global audiences through visual media.
📸 Special thanks to:
– Andy Murch (https://www.sharksandrays.org | YouTube: @bigfishexpeditions8233 | Instagram: @bigfishexpeditions) – Arzucan Zuzu Askin, Ahmed Ricky Mohamed, and Lorea Dandoy for their photos and videos – Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah and owner Ahmed Inah (@inah_shark) for supporting our team both underwater and on land (https://www.pelagicdiversfuvahmulah.com/)
📚 Further Reading & Resources
For full references, links, and more scientific resources mentioned in this episode, visit our YouTube channel @SharkDocs.
🔗 Follow us for more shark science and ocean stories:
Beyond All the Sharks: Turtle Cannery to Ray Paradise at Heron Island with Dr. Heather Middleton
Season 1 · Episode 2
Monday, July 28, 2025 • Duration 37:14
In this episode of Beyond All the Sharks, marine ecologists Dr. Chris Malinowski and Dr. Brendan Talwar join fellow Shark Doc Dr. Heather Middleton on Heron Island—a remote research station nestled into Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Together, they explore how this iconic island has evolved from a turtle cannery into a hotspot for shark and ray science and what it teaches us about biodiversity, adaptation, and the urgent need for conservation. From the shallow reef flats to the deep impacts of climate change, this is a deep dive into one of the most vibrant marine ecosystems on the planet.
🦈 In this episode, we cover: – The transformation of Heron Island from turtle cannery to protected Green Zone – Ray and shark mating behavior, olfactory communication, and reproductive strategies – Epaulette sharks and their chemical cues: what pheromones can tell us about courtship – Research at the Heron Island Research Station and its role in global reef science – How climate change is affecting shark movement, mating, and survival – The importance of protected zones in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
🎧 Whether you're a marine biologist, conservationist, diver, or shark enthusiast, this episode offers fresh perspectives and emerging science from one of the world’s most studied reefs.
🎙️ About our guest:
Dr. Heather Middleton is a marine scientist and shark researcher based at the Heron Island Research Station. Her recent work focuses on the chemical ecology of elasmobranchs, including groundbreaking research on pheromones in epaulette sharks. She combines field ecology with behavioral studies to better understand how marine species interact, reproduce, and respond to environmental change.
Beyond All the Sharks: From Catsharks to White Sharks with South Africa's Dr. Alison Kock
Season 1 · Episode 3
Monday, October 6, 2025 • Duration 34:24
South Africa is a global hotspot for shark and ray biodiversity — home to over 200 species, including many found nowhere else on Earth. In this episode of Beyond All the Sharks, Chris & Brendan team up with their friend and fellow Shark Doc, Dr. Alison Kock of South African National Parks (SANParks), to dive into the science, conservation, and management of these incredible animals along South Africa’s ~3,000 km coastline.
From white sharks in False Bay to endemic catsharks and shysharks, Dr. Kock has dedicated her career to protecting species that play a critical role in ocean ecosystems.
Save Our Seas Foundation – https://saveourseas.com/project-leader/alison-kock/
📊 IUCN Red List Assessment for White Shark
Rigby et al., 2022 – https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3855/212629880
📈 Preliminary recovery of White Shark in the NW Atlantic
Curtis et al., 2014 – https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099240
🌊 White Shark habitat shift towards Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Bowlby et al., 2023 – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X23008622
Beyond All the Sharks: Sharks Find Refuge in Bahamian Mangroves with Dr. Matt Smukall
Season 1 · Episode 4
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 • Duration 33:27
🌍 The Bahamas: A Shark Sanctuary Under Threat
Chris and Brendan join their friend and colleague Dr. Matt Smukall, Director of the Bimini Biological Field Station @BiminiSharkLab to discuss all things shark and ray in The Bahamas, including the ongoing battle to save the mangrove forests of North Bimini from unsustainable, short-sighted development. These mangroves provide an outsized benefit to local wildlife, ecotourism, and fisheries in the western Bahamas, and trading them for a golf course or a few condos is a terrible mistake.
Thanks to:
📸 @Sharkman_Dan – Filming and Editing
📸 Wyatt Albert @wadewithwyatt - Photo and Video Contributions
🔗 Follow us for more shark science and ocean stories:
Kessel et al., 2016 – https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.12987
Hansell et al., 2018 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2017.09.016
Talwar et al., 2020 – https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2020.105683
Smukall et al., 2022 – https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15067
🔬 Species-Specific Research
Caribbean reef shark IUCN Red List assessment:
Carlson et al., 2019 – https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/60217/3093780
Caribbean Reef Shark life history:
Beyond All the Sharks: Galápagos Currents of Conservation with MigraMar
Friday, December 12, 2025 • Duration 01:16:32
The Galápagos is one of the world’s most iconic marine ecosystems, but the sharks and other megafauna that roam these waters don’t recognize borders. Many species move across thousands of kilometers, linking Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and beyond. Understanding those movements is vital for designing effective marine reserves while supporting sustainable fisheries.
In this episode, MigraMar’s Dr. Alex Hearn and Dr. César Peñaherrera-Palma break down decades of tagging research, remote-video surveys, and long-term ecological work that reveal where sharks go, how they move, and how they use “swimways” through the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Their science helped drive the creation of the Hermandad Marine Reserve—an important milestone for migratory corridors—but the work is far from finished.
Even with new protections, major threats remain. Join us to learn more!
🔗 Follow for more shark science and ocean stories: 📸 Instagram: @shark_docs 🎯 www.sharkdocs.org
Episode Guide 00:00 Intro 03:06 Darwin’s Arch to Darwin’s Pillars 05:15 Tiger sharks, killer whales & currents 29:58 Galápagos as a shark hotspot 36:49 Shark Highway of the EPO 41:02 Movement variability across species 46:30 Protecting sharks from fishing 52:14 Hermandad & Ecuador’s debt swap 54:20 Sustainable fishing & longline ban 01:01:00 Fisheries & management 01:09:35 Supporting healthy oceans 01:11:48 Shark Count Galapagos App 01:14:19 Outro
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📸 Special thanks to:Andy Murch – www.sharksandrays.org | YouTube: @bigfishexpeditions8233 | Instagram: @bigfishexpeditions; Dr. Heather Middleton, Dr. Lawson (@_alinya), and Dr. Wheeler for their photos and videos; and Dive Spear and Sport – for supporting our dive team at Heron Reef
📚 Further Reading & Resources For full references and links to the scientific literature mentioned in this episode, visit our YouTube channel @SharkDocs
