Kaush Subramaniam: Award-Winning Conservation Storyteller Talks About Sharks, Fossils, and Global Conservation Efforts
This week, we chatted with Kaush Subramaniam, a wildlife conservation biologist and award-winning photographer who tells the stories of conservation efforts across the globe. We learnt about Kaush's work in conservation storytelling, shark conservation efforts, the role of social media in wildlife awareness, and insights into shark fossil records. Let's dive in!
So my background is in wildlife conservation. I did my Master's thesis on whale sharks so I have a decent amount of experience with sharks. These days I work mainly in conservation storytelling. So I still spend a lot of time around scientists, which also involves being in the water with sharks and other species that are misrepresented in the media. I'm really happy to be talking to you guys about sharks today.
What inspired you to move away from academia into the visual storytelling side of conservation?
I've always been a creative person, as well as quite science-minded. And I've always had a camera in my hand since I was younger. But it kind of came together when I was doing my master's thesis because it involved documenting encounters between sharks and people, and so I had the camera in my hand anyway, and it just kind of snowballed from there. We did have a module in our masters on science communication which was quite eye-opening because it talked about how there'd been decades of science previously, that was great science, but the scientists didn't really communicate it in a way that was digestible to the general public. And because of that, the work wasn't necessarily wasted, but it wasn't as impactful in reaching a wider public audience. I thought that was really cool because especially nowadays, in the age of social media, it's a great tool to be able to get the conservation message across and make real change.
Where do you think the conservation messages are lacking and is there a need to emphasize certain stories on social media?
I think all across the board really. Obviously, the big topics get bigger media coverage, like global warming. And of course, they deserve it because they are big pressing topics. But there are lots of things across the world that need more media coverage. Topics surrounding ocean plastics and fishing are coming more to the forefront nowadays, which is good because they're pressing issues that need to be addressed. But across the board, there are lots of smaller topics that aren't so fancy and media-friendly which need wider support.
It is clear that you spend a lot of time in the ocean. Have you found any cool fossils whilst filming underwater?
I haven't yet found a fossil as such. I have found lots of shark teeth whilst diving, but they haven't been quite fossilized yet. One of the spots I definitely want to get to is in Florida, where they often find Megalodon teeth whilst diving. So that's on my list. But unfortunately, no fossils yet whilst diving.
Sharks are mainly just cartilage, so they don't really fossilize. And most of them are negatively buoyant, so when they die, they just go to the bottom the ocean, and you can't really find them. They don't really preserve. Teeth are more like our bones, more calcium rich, and so they fossilize better, which is why there's no sharp skeletons out there.
In your opinion, what’s been the most groundbreaking fossil discovery that’s changed how we think about sharks today?
I think the discovery of the really kooky weird-looking sharks is interesting because we don't really have anything like that these days. Apart from hammerheads or goblin sharks, they look a little bit different. But I think discoveries of the sharks with wing-like features that were massive, things hanging off the top of the head and stuff like that, I think they just bring a little bit more attention to sharks that live now, and get people a little bit more interested in them.
How come sharks today don't seem as massive and terrifying as those from the past, especially compared to how they're often portrayed in the media?
I think it's kind of the same as on land. You see the biggest animals on land are herbivores which eat a high quantity of low-nutrient food, so animals like elephants and giraffes. And it kind of goes the same in the water. For example, whale sharks and basking sharks feed on plankton, which they need a lot of to maintain their size, but there is a lot of plankton out there. Whereas being a predatory shark it is quite difficult to catch your food. I'm not sure if there were huge filter-feeding sharks back in prehistoric times, because they don't have teeth that could calcify and become fossils, it's probably just hard to find the evidence. In general, sharks don't really fossilize, it's only really their teeth that are left behind. So it's possible that in the times of megalodon, there were much bigger sharks as well as filter-feeding sharks.
The Megalodon died out as it struggled to adapt to a changing climate. Do you think today's larger sharks are also being impacted by climate change?
I think it is climate change as well as people, to be honest. There are fewer fish in the world so sharks have much less food to eat. It only makes sense that sharks are getting smaller across the world, and land animals aswell. When there's less food, animals just get smaller and smaller. So one of the issues that sharks face in the modern world is humans, unfortunately.
What kind of conservation efforts have been put in place to protect sharks that you've seen whilst travelling around the world?
I mean, it varies from country to country. A lot of countries are kind of starting to implement shark fishing bans, which is really good because sharks are crucial to the marine environment. Unfortunately, it's not the case everywhere. And then when sharks go into the high seas, it's kind of anyone's territory, that's already owned by these fish as much as they want, which is where a lot of problems come. But it's really good to see more and more countries introducing bans on shark fishing in their waters.
Could you tell us more about the work you're doing in Mozambique currently?
So I run expeditions where people come with me to go diving and see the whales. Especially in Mozambique during the season, it's a real hot spot for Hubbell Wales. The rest of the time, I shoot my own things, and also help the local NGO here that's doing marine conservation. So we can go down in the water with them and see some of their conservation efforts. Which is really good, because unfortunately, this is one of those places where they do fish sharks and their habitat is struggling because of it. So it's really interesting to see how the habitat differs here to other places in the world.
Is shark fishing in your area primarily driven by local communities, or is it more influenced by large commercial businesses?
Here it's mainly the locals fishing sharks. The majority of the area is very poor, and so sharks and fish in general are one of the main protein sources here. So they need it to sustain themselves and keep them going. But they do have competitions every now and then, where foreigners come in and do fishing competitions, which doesn't help the habitat. But for the most part it's just subsistence fishing."
How have you found that your videography and social media presence have contributed towards conservation efforts for sharks?
Across the world, I try to help the scientists and document what they're doing and bring more emphasis to it and allow it to be broadcast more to the wider public, just so more people know about the problems that are out there. A lot of people when they think about sharks, it's just what the general media puts out, which is that sharks are bad and killers. And the truth is that people kill way more sharks than sharks kill people every year, and they're crucial to the marine habitat. So you take sharks out of the habitat, and the rest of the ecosystem collapses, which then directly impacts people, because there'll be fewer fish for us. So just doing things like that in a small community like this can make a big difference, just to help educate them a little bit more on how to fish more sustainably.
It can be really difficult because a lot of the time here people are living day to day, meal to meal. So it's difficult to tell them not to fish out something that they need to feed their family for that day and that week, because of its long-term importance. But in the end, it comes down to education and teaching people the importance of keeping sharks in the water, and that the ecosystem is going to be healthier and there will in turn be more fish for them. Which will be more sustainable than fishing the sharks. But it's not an easy thing, and it does take a lot of time, and a lot of patience. But yeah, it just comes down to education and sharing knowledge with people at the end of the day.
Have you found that the local children want to learn about these kinds of things?
Yeah, they're all like open books, so they absorb whatever you tell them, and are quite curious about it. It's unfortunate because they live meters away from the ocean, which is full of amazing life here, but just because of the way life is here they don't always have a chance to go in. So they're always fascinated to see pictures and videos of the animals that have lived in the water at a really curious level.
Can you offer any words of advice to young conservationists who look up to you, see you on Instagram, and want to do something similar to you one day. What advice would you give to them?
Yeah, I would say go out and study, get the qualifications, and get as much experience as you can in the field. You don't necessarily have to go far afield to exotic places, to get experience in conservation. I know in the UK, we have plenty of them. So it doesn't necessarily have to be in far-flung, exotic places. Just get as much experience as possible and learn as much as possible, and then go out and do it. There's never the best time to start, it's just whenever you feel that urge go out and do it.
And finally, if you could go and meet any shark of any time period, what would it be?
Good question. I would still probably want to see a Great White to be honest. I think Megalodon would also be really cool or one of the funky ones from the past, I can't remember the names. It would be crazy to see why they had those adaptations and see it in practice.
Thank you, Kaush. We've loved talking to you today!
Interviewed by George Wkykes and Charlotte Gresham
Edited by Charlotte Gresham
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