- Dr. Kesley Banks, Harte Research Institute Research Scientist at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, is being featured on The Discovery Channel's Shark Week Thursday July 11.
- It's her fifth time, and Texas A&M - Corpus Christi's eighth time being featured on Shark Week.
- Her episode is about interactions between sharks and people.
- There will be a community-wide watch party on Thursday July 11 fro 6 - 9 p.m. at Brewster Street Downtown.
Dr. Kesley Banks, a Harte Research Institute Research Scientist at Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, is making a splash with her fifth-ever appearance this week on the Discovery Channel's annual week-long program, Shark Week.
“I dedicated my entire life to sharks. I have always wanted to study them, even from like little little kid. It just took me a longer route to get here," Banks said.
Dr. Banks graduated with her PhD in Marine Biology from TAMUCC in 2019.
“It’s an honor. Since I got my degree from here, to be able to continue to represent them in my professional life, not just you know, my undergrad or my graduate life, but full-on career.” Banks said.
This time around, Dr. Banks will be highlighting the interactions between sharks and people.
“So, my specific episode is looking at how sharks and people interact, so it's very timely with whats been happening,” Banks said.
What Dr. Banks is referring to, are the multiple shark bites that occurred down on South Padre Island on the Fourth of July.
“We had a hurricane coming, right? And so sharks, like other species, other animals, prep for hurricanes," Banks said. "So, we have the news we watch. But sharks, just instinctively know when those disturbances are coming, and so they increase feeding. You can have increased encounters during the summer, here in Texas, especially since we have a really healthy shark population and a big shark fishery.”
In addition to interactions between sharks and people, Dr. Banks also spends a lot of her career researching how sharks benefit the ecosystem in depth.
“They actually keep our oceans in balance. And so, without them, we have very unhealthy oceans," Banks said. "Without them, we have very unhealthy oceans. So if you like eating seafood, if you like going to the beach, you like seeing coral reefs, swimming, diving, all of that, you want sharks in your oceans."
Dr. Banks “Caught! When Sharks Attack,” Shark Week segment will be airing in The Discovery Channel's Shark Week on Thursday, July 11 at 8 p.m.. A community-wide viewing party is being held at Brewster Street Downtown on Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. Multiple shark experts will be at the viewing party to answer any shark related questions.
“So, I remember as a little kid, always wanting to be on Shark Week. Obviously you watch Shark Week every year and I’m from an inland state. I’m from Tennessee. SO, we don’t have oceans. So, that was always a dream. So, this is a dream come true," Banks said.
For more information on Texas A&M University Corpus Christi's Shark Week events, click here.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
