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His footage appears in acclaimed productions such as David Coral Sea Marine Park, a vast protected zone adjacent to the
Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef, Welcome to Earth with Will Great Barrier Reef. Unlike earlier marine parks, which were
Smith, Planet Earth III, Life on Our Planet produced by Steven based solely on habitat types like coral reefs or mangroves,
Spielberg, and Supernatural by James Cameron. this body of work showed that many species cross these
boundaries. For conservation to be effective, it must reflect
But for Fitzpatrick, the goal is not just entertainment. His work how marine animals actually move, through interconnected
shapes marine policy, supports global science, and transforms zones or migration corridors.
how we understand and protect our oceans.
“You can’t just guess,” Fitzpatrick says. “You need published
“Sharks are a keystone species,” he says. “They’re essential
to healthy oceans, and their presence influences the entire science to support conservation decisions. Our data helped
balance of marine life.” shape zoning systems in the Coral Sea and beyond.” THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SCENES elusive megafauna such as whale sharks, manta rays, and
Their work highlighted the need for connected, flexible marine With funding from the Queensland Government and support whales. These findings are shedding new light on little-studied
reserves, zones that reflect how animals actually live, move from James Cook University, Biopexel also established a not- species behaviours in one of the reef’s most remote regions.
SCIENCE BENEATH THE SURFACE and migrate and helped shift how marine conservation is for-profit arm, the Biopixel Ocean Foundation. This foundation And thanks to Biotracker, an interactive platform available on
approached in Australia and internationally.
Fitzpatrick’s shark-tagging techniques were unconventional leads major research initiatives focused on tracking sharks, the Biopixel Ocean Foundation’s website, anyone from school
for their time. Rather than using lines or hooks, he would dive stingrays, and whale sharks exploring critical aspects of shark kids to scientists can follow the real-time, accessible from
with the animals and gently tail-rope them during feeding VISION IN MOTION behaviour and ecology. Working on conservation projects anywhere with an internet connection.
dives. This allowed him to surgically implant acoustic tags and such as ReShark, a program dedicated to restoring shark As climate change continues to disrupt weather patterns and
attach data loggers before releasing the sharks unharmed. Fitzpatrick’s path diverged from traditional academic populations in regions where they have been heavily depleted. migration routes, understanding these movements has never
researchers early on. While filming captive marine life for
The high-risk approach demanded not only expert knowledge behavioural studies, he discovered a fascination with visual been more urgent. Tools like Biotracker help scientists adapt in
of shark behaviour but also calm underwater handling skills storytelling and its power to bring science to wider audiences. TECH THAT DIVES DEEP real time, providing critical data to guide conservation efforts in
and a deep commitment to animal welfare. Once tagged, Today, he leads Biopixel TV, one of Australia’s foremost natural Fitzpatrick leads a multidisciplinary team of marine ecologists, an era when nature’s rhythms are shifting.
sharks were monitored via a network of underwater listening history production companies. His dive technicians, shark specialists, and a dedicated robotics
stations that recorded their movements. archive contains some of the most engineer to develop custom tools for underwater filming and
vivid and intimate underwater footage
“I came from a background working with on record. What began as a scientific data collection.
animals in aquariums,” he explains. “I was tool evolved into a platform for “We dream up the gear we need, then our robotic expert
used to handling them carefully and change. Fitzpatrick is now renowned makes it happen,” Fitzpatrick says.
directly. I didn’t want to hurt the sharks, for capturing complex marine
so I learned how to catch them by the behaviours using advanced filming Among the innovative gear they use are joystick-controlled
tail.” rigs that move along underwater tracks, miniature 4K cameras
techniques such as 3D, high-speed, small enough to mount on shark fins and macro lenses that “What used to be predictable is no longer predictable,”
Working alongside researchers from time-lapse, motion control, drone, are able to film developing embryos inside shark eggs. This Fitzpatrick says. “Nature is changing, and we have to change
James Cook University, Fitzpatrick and underwater cinematography— blend of field biology and high-tech engineering is reshaping with it.”
uncovered important patterns in shark many of which pioneering their use in how marine research is conducted, and how it’s seen by the
behaviour. Their studies showed that underwater settings. world.
many tagged sharks returned repeatedly EDUCATION OVER SENSATION
to a fish-rich, sheltered zone in the north-western corner of “We film the research as it happens,” Advanced satellite and acoustic tags allow tracking of marine Unlike television shows that dramatise shark encounters,
Osprey Reef. This revealed that while sharks roam widely, they Fitzpatrick says. “So when producers come knocking, we species across thousands of kilometres, delivering data that Fitzpatrick is clear about his mission.
rely on specific habitats, making those areas especially critical already have the footage, captured in ideal weather, using informs conservation on a global scale.
to protect. top-end digital cinema cameras like REDs. No wasted weeks “We’re not here to make sharks look scary,” he says. “Our goal is
offshore waiting for nature to cooperate.” “Other production Recently, the Foundation has also made groundbreaking accurate, engaging, educational storytelling. We want people
These insights provided some of the first detailed movement crews might spend weeks waiting for the right weather. We’re discoveries in the far north of the Great Barrier Reef, identifying to understand sharks, not fear them.”
data on reef sharks and helped inform the creation of the already out there. When the sharks show up, we’re rolling.” and tracking previously undocumented aggregations of

18 Port Douglas Magazine & Travel Planner
PORT DOUGLAS MAGAZINE 19