Deep-Sea Expedition Finds Hundreds of Weird Sharks

Paul Clerkin of California's Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, who was on the expedition in the Indian Ocean, told NBC News that at least eight new species are believed to be in their haul. 

Overall, Clerkin and the crew brought back 350 sharks, close to a ton altogether in weight. The specimens were recovered using a commercial trawler that allowed the researcher on board. The sharks were all bycatch, meaning as fishermen trawl, many other species are often caught unintentionally, which can result in incidental mortalities. The fishing vessel didn't change its normal fishing procedure to target sharks. In fact, they try to avoid sharks, which have low commercial value and can damage nets.

The animals were captured 6,500 feet below the water's surface, from under the sea mountains in the Indian Ocean.

Clerkin told NBC News that folks shouldn't expect the great whites that they are used to seeing on Shark Week. Instead, these catches were described by NBC News as having knifelike snouts and moonlike eyes. One shark reportedly had a curved, serrated spine emerging from its back.

"Sharks are very diverse as a group," says Clerkin. "When we think of sharks the [great] white shark image jumps to mind but there are many more and very interesting sharks with strange snouts, eyes, spines, and tails."

One of the species caught was the false cat shark. While this is a recorded species, the 10-foot-long creature is rarely seen by human eyes. 

After this expedition, Clerkin believes this animal may not be as rare as once thought. He and his crew managed to catch about 35 false cat sharks. Clerkin thinks that this sea creature's natural habitat is still relatively unexplored by researchers, which is why the shark seems elusive. 

To be clear, Clerkin was not part of a fishing effort. He was on the boat to research the fishes caught as bycatch which would otherwise have gone to waste. He only collected sharks that were already dead in the net. Any live sharks were immediately returned to the ocean. When a shark is not a known species yet, it's difficult to protect from the threat of bycatch. But by identifying these new species, Clerkin's research can lead to many protective measures.

Clerkin and the rest of the group are now dedicated to measuring, testing and studying each of the sharks they discovered. 80 to 90 measurements are taken for each creature, so Clerkin has a lot of work ahead of him. These measurements and genetic samples will be sent out for testing.

The results of these tests will show if any of the animals are new species. If they are, Clerkin plans to name the creatures after his scientific mentors, and maybe one after his mom as well.