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Inside the Oregon lab trying to change people's minds about sharks

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Elizabeth Cook
Elizabeth Cook
Elizabeth Cook
Less than a month after arriving at KPIX 5 as the 5pm co-anchor and night-side reporter, Elizabeth Cook was in San Francisco's Mission District covering a chaotic Occupy march when a protester shoved her and her cameraman. With only moments to spare, the team got to safety and filed their report for the 11 pm news.
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Elizabeth Cook,
Anna Grazulis

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Pulling a seven-foot shark out of the water to flush its stomach is just another day at the office for marine scientists at Oregon State University, who have spent years trying to change public perception about the sea creatures.  

Under the leadership of Dr. Taylor Chapple, scientists at the Chapple Big Fish Lab spend their time studying more than 300 sharks of varying species in Washington state's Willapa Bay, just north of the Oregon border.

By examining a shark's stomach contents, researchers like Jessica Schulte can better understand the animal's health and also the water quality in the bay. A healthy shark means a healthy ocean. 

"We actually collect the stomach contents of the shark by basically puking it," Schulte told CBS Saturday Mornings.

The sharks are released shortly after being caught and studied, and their stomach contents are taken back to the lab.

While the sharks in Willapa Bay make up just a portion of the shark population worldwide, these scientists are learning essential information about the broader health of the ocean. 

Trying to change people's minds about sharks has been difficult, given the fish's reputation. 

"It's been hard to get people excited enough to support it," Chapple says.

"People are interested in sharks, they like to watch a show about sharks," he says, but "when it comes to people opening their wallet to support the research, it's difficult."

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