Not our safety, but that of what they are filming. Some of these things never see the light of day and James Cameron over here is blasting it in the face with what must feel like the light of a billion suns, how does this not damage the eyes of the animals that have them?
In: Biology
We don’t really know, but the things we see on camera don’t seem to mind. The ones who really dislike light are gonna run or hide long before the light gets close enough to be really bright. From what we understand about vision in identified species, even if camera lighting does blind or disorient them, the ill effects should mostly be temporary. Even if the creatures we study are harmed, the assumption is that the ocean is vast enough that a few individuals having a bad time shouldn’t cause a major issue for the population at large. These risks are outweighed by the benefits of this research, which can include conservation programs that help the whole ecosystem. There’s also the long tail of medical+engineering+other technologies that tend to be discovered when we gain better understandings of new species. So no, perfect safety of the individuals under study is not a requirement for research to happen, but we figure the end result is worth small-scale risks.
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