Special Forces of fishermen take the business of shark tagging to the next level in

SHARK WRANGLERS

New HISTORY(R) series premiering July 1 at 10 p.m. traces the most ambitious Great White Shark research expedition in history, led by ocean explorer Chris Fischer

June 14, New York, NY - World-class fishermen and ocean explorers risk life and limb doing a job no one else on the planet has even attempted - conducting hands on research of massive Great White Sharks in a dangerous, high stakes attempt to save them from oblivion. Pre-eminent ocean explorer and elite fisherman Chris Fischer is on a quest to decode the secrets of the deadliest creatures in the ocean in SHARK WRANGLERS, a new series premiering Sunday, July 1 at 10 p.m. on HISTORY.

The series chronicles the most ambitious shark expedition in history. The crew must track down the world's most deadly - yet threatened - sharks, maneuver them onto the cradle of their 126-foot boat in rolling waters, and tag each one - by hand. Their goal is 50 sharks in 40 days - a near impossible mission that will test the team's resolve as they battle through every conceivable setback.

The setting for the expedition is South Africa, home to giant great whites. Fischer and his elite team are the only people in the world who tag sharks this way. Once they hook a shark, they maneuver it onto a watery platform next to the ship, then risk life and limb jumping into the water with the shark and raising the cradle so the shark can be tagged and studied. This hands-on approach allows them to attach transmitters that deliver data for years instead of months. The various studies include one that could help develop antibiotics for shark bites, potentially decreasing the fatality rates from secondary infection. The process puts Fischer and his crew in danger, as they must steer clear of the shark in its own domain, while working quickly to protect the shark itself.

"This journey tested Fischer and his crew in every way. They dealt with issues and dangers beyond the scope of anything in their career, but they kept on going because they believe the more sharks they tag, the more they can ultimately save," said Dirk Hoogstra, SVP of Development and Programming for HISTORY. "We are thrilled to elevate Fischer's story to a new level. SHARK WRANGLERS is about a group of guys on a dramatic crusade to do the right thing."

The information Fischer collects will help solve the worldwide puzzle of where Great White Sharks and other large sharks gather en masse at various times of the year. This data could allay the fears of nervous swimmers by telling them when Great White Sharks are cruising off their local beach, but it will also protect sharks from shark-finners who kill up to tens of millions of sharks of all species every year. If this trend continues, Great White Sharks and other species could soon be gone, causing complete havoc to the ocean's food chain. Fischer wants to find out where sharks spend their time so those areas can be protected from finners.

Chris Fischer, a lifelong adventurer, has made it his mission to be "the voice of the world's oceans" to create awareness and appreciation for marine environments on a global scale. His non-profit, OCEARCH, was created to shape public policy to protect the world's marine resources.

SHARK WRANGLERS is produced for HISTORY by Fischer Productions in association with Undertow Films. Executive Producers are Chris Fischer, Matt Renner and Ethan Prochnik. Dirk Hoogstra and Mike Stiller are executive producers for HISTORY.

About HISTORY

HISTORY(R) is the leading destination for factual entertainment, including award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network's all-original programming slate, including scripted event programming, features a litany of hits including American Pickers(R), American Restoration(TM), Ax Men(TM), Ice Road Truckers(R), Pawn Stars(R), Swamp People(R) and Top Shot(R) as well as epic mini-series and specials such as the Emmy(R) Award-winning Gettysburg, America The Story of Us, Hatfields & McCoys, Vietnam in HD and 102 Minutes That Changed America. The HISTORY website is the leading online resource for all things history, and in 2011, the United States Library of Congress selected HISTORY's Civil War 150 site for inclusion in the historic collection of Internet materials related to the American Civil War sesquicentennial. www.history.com