Return to Transcripts main page
CNN 10
7.4 Magnitude Quake Hits Taiwan, Strongest in 25 Years; Marine Biologists Have Partnered Up With Tiger Sharks to Better Understand and Preserve the Oceans. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired April 04, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: What`s up, Sunshine? Welcome to CNN 10. I`m Coy Wire, grateful to be here with you this Thursday, April 4th. You know,
sometimes adversity and really tough times can force us to reflect on things we can be thankful for. So let`s keep that in mind as we start today
with tough news out of Taiwan, where a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the east coast of the island. It`s the most powerful quake there in a quarter
century.
At least nine people have died, nearly 1,000 more have been injured, and more than 100 buildings have been damaged. The earthquake struck a little
before 8 a.m. local time just outside of Hualien County, where around 300,000 of Taiwan`s 23 million people live.
In a five-hour span after the earthquake, Taiwan experienced 76 aftershocks, including a 6.5 magnitude tremor. Unfortunately, Taiwan isn`t
out of the woods just yet. More strong aftershocks are expected in the coming days, with some potentially reaching a magnitude of 7. But
thankfully, Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines have all canceled the tsunami warnings they issued after the quake.
Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy that has a complicated relationship with its neighbor, China. China says Taiwan is part of China, while Taiwan says
it`s independent. This has led to tension in the region as the U.S. tries to support a democratic government in Taiwan, while not upsetting China,
the world`s second largest economy and the only other so-called superpower in the world.
Taiwan also holds an outside importance in the world economy. Just on Monday, we took you inside Taiwan`s semiconductor manufacturing company,
where over 90% of the world`s microchips are produced. These chips provide the computing power for everything from smartphones to cars, making them
vital to the global marketplace.
Next up, millions of Americans are preparing to travel next week to witness the solar eclipse, and that means big business for the communities hosting
them. The eclipse`s Path of Totality, where people can get the best view of the eclipse, stretches from Mexico across the U.S. and into Canada. The
head of tourism in Indiana, one of the states along the Path of Totality, said they`re expecting around half a million visitors, a record for the
state and more than seven times the size of the crowd that traveled there for the Super Bowl in 2012.
Texas is likely to get the largest number of visitors, and local economists predict it could lead to a windfall of more than $400 million for the
state. On the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls, crowds are expected to be so large that the local government has declared a state of emergency. CNN`s
Paula Newton has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Niagara Falls is known for its stunning views. The number of people expected to visit the famous
waterfalls may soon become a spectacle in itself. It`s a prime viewing site for the solar eclipse on April 8th as it crosses North America, passing
over Mexico, the United States and Canada.
JIM DIODATI, NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA MAYOR: Even though we get 14 million people every year, it`s over the year. It`s not all at one time. To get one
million at one time would be by far the biggest crowd that we`ve ever had.
NEWTON (voice-over): Canada`s Niagara region has declared a state of emergency so that emergency services can prepare for the influx of people.
Hotels, stores and restaurants are gearing up for the visitors, which are estimated to outnumber the locals. Ontario`s Niagara region has a
population of nearly half of a million people, but some business owners say they`re looking forward to some extra company.
GABRIEL GABRIE, PIZZERIA OWNER: We`re expecting to have a full house for the first time in a long time. We`re coming up for the winter season. So,
it`s an exciting time.
NEWTON (voice-over): By the time the eclipse is fully visible over Niagara Falls at approximately 3:18 p.m. Eastern Time, it will be nearing the end
of its trek across the continent, which happens when it passes over the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. It will be the first total eclipse in
Canada since 1979, and the last time that contiguous U.S. will see one until 2044. So, it`s a sight many people say they don`t want to miss.
JASON HARLOW, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO: Having that collective feeling of, oh, the sun has gone, you know, and seeing something that`s so rare and so
beautiful and to see the stars come out in the day, yeah, it`s something that my kids will remember their whole lives.
NEWTON (voice-over): Paula Newton, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Ten second trivia.
Which of these is the biggest shark in the ocean? Great white shark, whale shark, megamouth shark or tiger shark?
If you said whale shark, well done. These behemoth sharks can grow up to 40 feet long, the size of a school bus, but they`re gentle giants that are
migratory, living in warm and tropical seas.
Now we`re going to take you out onto a boat in the Bahamas, where a conservation group "Beneath the Waves" is tagging and collecting data on
sharks and other sea life to better understand and preserve our oceans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Following an epic day getting up close and personal with sharks, the team from Beneath the Waves is primed to get back out in
the field. Today they`re setting out to the Exumas, a chain of 365 largely uninhabited islands.
DR. AUSTIN GALLAGHER, FOUNDER/CEO, BENEATH THE WAVES: Oh no, no, no, we`re going to get set up a little bit closer, kind of like the first one in the
channel mountain. And we`re going to --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here they hope to tag some sharks, an essential part of their mission in helping protect the animal and their habitat.
GALLAGHER: In order to get these sharks close to the boat to get the data we need on their movements, on their habitat use, what their diet is, we
actually need to catch the sharks. So we need to put out these apparatus we`ve designed, they`re called drum lines, and they`re actually really good
for shark tagging because it doesn`t harm them and they can still be, you know, swimming and breathing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The workup includes taking measurements, blood and tissue samples, and ID tagging the sharks. There are very strict rules on
the capture, sample collection and tagging of animals set forth by numerous institutional animal care and use committees.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So this is the tag we`re going to be putting into the animal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In addition to following those procedures, Beneath the Waves has also obtained all of the required permits for this expedition.
GALLAGHER: It`s a blacknose shark. It`s a beautiful shark. The total length is 116. Now we`re going to take a little sample here for genetics. We`re
going to be able to trace the DNA, the heritage of this animal just from this sample. So now we`re putting in an identification spaghetti tag right
into the dorsal fin. One, two, three, just like that. Now we`re going to take a muscle biopsy. You can see we move really fast. OK, I`ll take a
blood sample, then we`re going to let it go. One, two, three.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good work.
GALLAGHER: Very quick workup. Nice little blacknose shark. But we want something bigger, so let`s go to the next one, Trey. That`s a big nurse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The larger sharks are kept off the side of the boat.
JEFFREY PANKEY, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, BENEATH THE WAVES: Right now I`m putting in all the information, so fin clips, muscle clips, blood and all
the different pieces that we`re getting. We`re jotting down the pit tags and the spaghetti tags so that when we look up the data, they`ll be able to
retract where we got the information from.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On this trip, the team is also hoping to expand their research to a different kind of tropical sea dweller.
GALLAGHER: I really want to embrace a partnership with sea turtles similarly to what we did with tiger sharks. So on this expedition, we`re
trying to apply tags to sea turtles to see if they can serve as sentinels for seagrass health on this expedition. We`re going to start some of that
work for the first time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Today`s story getting a 10 out of 10. We head to the Netherlands for a -- hold up. Am I reading this right? That can`t be right. A fish
doorbell? Yes? OK.
Well, apparently four years ago when an ecologist walked by a canal, which are all over the Netherlands, he noticed a bunch of fish swimming there
trying to get upstream. The one issue, there was a lock in the way. So to fix the problem, the scientists set up an underwater live stream that
allows viewers to hit this fish doorbell to alert the local lock operator that there`s some fish wanting to get through. Once the doorbell is rung,
the operator opens the lock and the fish continue upstream. That is something. Alrighty then.
Hey, happy Friday Eve, everyone. Can`t wait to finish this week strong with you. But first, let`s show some love today. This shout out goes to Mr.
Polkow`s U.S. Government class at Skyview High School in Billings, Montana. Rise up, Falcons.
And this shout out goes to Mrs. Montgomery. We will see you and all the Wildcats at Hamilton Middle School in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Thank you
to all of you for spending part of your day with us. I`ll see you right back here tomorrow so we can finish this week strong.
END
