A new species of deep-water catshark has been named in honor of underwater filmmaker and conservationist Rob Stewart.
The new species, Bythaelurus stewarti, was detailed in this month’s PLOS One by Simon Wiegman and associates. The discovery was based on 121 examined specimens caught on the Error Seamount in the northwestern Indian Ocean. The family Scyliorhinidae, comprising all catsharks of the order Carcharhiniformes, is the largest family of sharks with currently 158 described and valid species.
Stewart, who died in January 2017 while filming his latest documentary, was an acclaimed filmmaker known for highlighting the plight of sharks. Stewart’s third film, “Sharkwater Extinction,” posthumously debuted this year at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Following Stewart’s death, editor Nick Hector took on the task of cutting the hundreds of hours of raw footage and volumes worth of film notes to bring Rob’s vision to completion. Along with Stewart’s raw footage, award-winning underwater cinematographers like SeaChange founder Brock Cahill, Andy Brandy Casagrande and Will Allen contributed to the film.
During the film’s U.K. debut this week, Princess Eugenie hailed Stewart as a “hero” for his work saving sharks.
“It’s such a wonderful cause and Rob is such a hero and inspiration,” she said. “So any way we can share his message and the story of these sharks and what the world can do to be a part of it is amazing.”
