Chester With Shark Sign: Chester Moore visited Cape Cod to interview officials with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in 2024 after “LeeBeth,” the great white shark fitted with the organization’s tag, showed up 100 years from the beach at South Padre Island and swam past Sabine Pass. He found this sign on one of the beaches.(Photo Courtesy Chester Moore)

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A surprise shark sighting off the Texas coast 20 years ago launched journalist Chester Moore into a decades-long search for great whites in the Gulf. That journey now comes full circle in “Gulf Great White Shark: Return of an Icon”, a new documentary highlighting the sharks’ comeback, premiering at the Museum of the Gulf Coast June 21.

 

Like many of us, Moore began his fascination with great whites after seeing the film “Jaws”. While his passion for nature and wildlife has led him to a long career as a wildlife journalist and writer, he has long had an interest in sharks in Gulf waters.  

 

In the United States, the great whites are mostly found in the Northeast and California waters, but it was a sighting in Sabine Pass that led a 20-year investigation into the return of great whites to the Gulf.  

 

“My specific interest in sharks came when I saw ‘Jaws’ as a little boy and then I watched Jacques Cousteau, ocean specials and the work of Ron and Valerie Taylor who got us all those awesome early videos and photos of great whites and I was just always interested in wildlife my whole life,” said Moore. “It’s always been my biggest obsession.”

 

The great white historically occupied parts of the Gulf of Mexico but eventually their numbers began to decline after being heavily fished. The documentary is not only to bring more eyes to great whites, but also to the Gulf region in general. 

 

“The only time you hear ‘Gulf’ in international or national wildlife media is when there’s an oil spill or a hurricane,” said Moore. “ I think we have a chance with this return of the great white to talk about a positive part of the Gulf, which is the incredible biodiversity in our Gulf waters.”

 

As part of Moore’s work with Higher Calling Wildlife and Wild Wishes program, he mentors children with critical illnesses, parental loss or those who have suffered abuse, teaching them about sharks and the environment. 

 

“You may be that young kid sitting there on that pier, or watching Shark Week that year, they might be the one that changes everything and saves the sharks in the ocean and does great things,” said Moore. “We wanted to use [the documentary] as a point not just to tell about sharks, but about people and lifting these young people up. To let them know they can do great things by finding other people who’ve done great things in the shark world.” 

 

As of the release of Moore’s documentary, he has partnered with the Museum of the Gulf Coast to premiere the film with a special showcase featuring door prizes, shark-related activities and a Q&A with Moore and his co-stars June 21. The event is free to the public.  

 

The Museum will have two showings of the documentary, with one at noon and a second showing at 1 p.m.