-
-
Man risks arm to save shark
An Australian man has performed a risky operation to save a three meter shark that had swallowed a oversize fishing hook. Divers spotted the nurse shark near Julian Rocks in the Cape Byron Marine Park, off the far north coast of New South Wales, and took underwater photos of the animal. They alerted the authorities and a team from nearby theme park Sea World, the NSW Fisheries Department and the Marine Parks Authority decided to attempt a daring rescue.
The team found the shark on the first dive and managed to remove it from the water using a crane before sliding a plastic tube down its throat and removing the gaff hook which was logged in its oesophagus. Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said it was an extraordinarily difficult and dangerous operation and congratulated those involved for their professionalism and speedy response.
Look at the size of that hook! It's massive! What are those used to catch, great whites!? Glad they managed to save the shark though. Nice to hear about people going out of their way to save an animal that most sane people would avoid. An Australian man has performed a risky operation to save a three meter shark that had swallowed a oversize fishing hook. Divers spott... more -
Why? Tell Me Why! :: Shark Decline
Discovery-News.com: Shark populations are declining worldwide. Kasey-Dee Gardner dives in for the answer.
-
Shark Surfing... this is crazy!
don't catch a wave. catch a shark!
-
When Sharks attack!
These pictures speak for themselves: Great White sharks earning their name.
-
Shark sighting at 'Jaws' site a hoax, police say
"A 60-year-old man was charged Friday with disorderly conduct for allegedly lying about seeing two great white sharks off a Martha Vineyard's beach, authorities said. Edgartown, Massachusetts, is on Martha's Vineyard, where the movie "Jaws" was filmed.
Edgartown police Chief Paul Condlin said Michael Lopenzo warned people to get out of the water at the Joseph Silva State Beach on Thursday. Lopenzo claimed he had seen two sharks about 22 feet (6.6 meters) long and 3,000 pounds (1,350 kg) each while he was working on a fishing boat.
Officials closed the beach, but Condlin said investigators later determined Lopenzo was lying. When asked by detectives whose boat he was working on, Lopenzo gave the name of a nonexistent boat and owner, Condlin said. There was no listing for Lopenzo in the town's directory. Condlin said he didn't know whether Lopenzo had an attorney.
A second beach was closed Thursday on the island after lifeguards at South Beach said they might have seen a great white shark. The beaches were reopened Friday.
In 1974, Steven Spielberg chose Martha's Vineyard for filming the movie version of "Jaws," depicting a series of deadly great white attacks in the fictional community of Amity.
Shark attacks are extremely rare in waters off New England, but great whites have been known to occasionally prowl in the region." "A 60-year-old man was charged Friday with disorderly conduct for allegedly lying about seeing two great white sharks off a Martha Vin... more -
Great white shark reported at 'Jaws' filming site
"The island where "Jaws" was filmed had a real-life shark scare Thursday, when an unconfirmed sighting of a great white forced the closure of two beaches. South Beach on Martha's Vineyard was closed for a short time, and swimmers were kept out of the water at State Beach in Edgartown, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation said.
A plane was dispatched to try to confirm the sighting, but no shark was spotted, said Lisa Capone, a spokeswoman for the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
In 1974, Steven Spielberg chose Martha's Vineyard for filming the movie version of "Jaws," depicting a series of deadly great white attacks in the fictional community of Amity.
Shark attacks are extremely rare in waters off New England, but great whites have been known to occasionally prowl in the region." "The island where "Jaws" was filmed had a real-life shark scare Thursday, when an unconfirmed sighting of a great white forced the clo... more -
Great white shark reported at 'Jaws' filming site
" The island where "Jaws" was filmed had a real-life shark scare Thursday, when an unconfirmed sighting of a great white forced the closure of two beaches.
South Beach on Martha's Vineyard was closed for a short time, and swimmers were kept out of the water at State Beach in Edgartown, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation said.
A plane was dispatched to try to confirm the sighting, but no shark was spotted, said Lisa Capone, a spokeswoman for the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
In 1974, Steven Spielberg chose Martha's Vineyard for filming the movie version of "Jaws," depicting a series of deadly great white attacks in the fictional community of Amity.
Shark attacks are extremely rare in waters off New England, but great whites have been known to occasionally prowl in the region." " The island where "Jaws" was filmed had a real-life shark scare Thursday, when an unconfirmed sighting of a great white forced the cl... more -
Oceanic whitetip close to extinction
"Fears that some species of sharks could soon be wiped out entirely have intensified with the recent report that the oceanic whitetip shark has become extinct in the Gulf of Mexico.
Research by Dalhousie University of Halifax in Canada, suggests that the oceanic whitetip shark in the Gulf of Mexico has suffered at the hands of longline tuna fisheries to the point that populations are now just 1% of figures recorded in 1950.
Before the advent of commercial fishing techniques the oceanic whitetip was considered to be the most common large shark in the world.
Crisis Key advisor to Bite-Back, Ian Blacker, said: “This news is yet another example of commercial greed and ignorance wreaking havoc on nature. What’s worse is the situation appears to be replicated across the globe.”
It proves to be a credible concern as this recent research adds to earlier findings that illustrate the massive decline in numbers of large shark species.
Covering the same period, the research team also revealed that stocks of silky sharks in the Gulf of Mexico have declined by around 90%.
Professor Ransom Myers at Dalhousie University said: "Sharks are in a global extinction crisis. Wherever you look around the world the story is the same.”
The research team has linked the increase in longline fishing for tuna with the decrease in numbers of oceanic whitetips and silky sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. Often a by-catch of longline fishing boats, theses sharks have been landed for their valuable fins to supply the increasing demand for shark fin soup.
Bite-Back, the UK’s fastest growing shark and marine conservation organisation, is working to expose the correlation between the demand for shark meat and fins and the decimation of shark populations and encourage a significant fall in consumer and retail demand.
Currently 270,000 sharks are killed worldwide everyday to keep up with consumer demand.
Graham Buckingham, campaign director at Bite-Back, said: “Except for the oceans, there is no other place on earth where the decimation of an entire species would be allowed to go unchallenged. It is our opinion that restaurants and retailers that sell shark meat and fins are effectively endorsing the extinction of these creatures. It has to stop".” "Fears that some species of sharks could soon be wiped out entirely have intensified with the recent report that the oceanic whitetip ... more -
U.S. government issues shark finning ban in Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico wate...
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) today filed new rules that will require federal shark fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico to land sharks with their fins still naturally attached.
Previous federal regulations required only that fins and carcasses be brought to dock in a specific ratio, allowing shark fins to be cut off at sea.
The new fins-attached landing policy, part of Amendment 2 to the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fisheries Management Plan, will aid conservation by facilitating species identification and data collection and by ensuring that fishermen are not engaged in shark finning at sea. It also includes an 85 percent reduction in fishing for sandbar sharks.
Although the benefits of the new rules are significant, the rules do not go far enough in protecting other large coastal shark species, including porbeagle and great hammerhead sharks, which are still being targeted by fishermen despite scientific evidence that their populations are in trouble. In fact, the status of 10 of the 11 large coastal sharks allowed for catch is now considered unknown, even though previous NMFS assessments stated that this entire group of sharks was overfished. The new rules also fail to require hard limits on bycatch for struggling shark species such as the dusky.
Because of their role as apex predators, removal of large sharks from the ocean ecosystem can cause drastic and irreversible damage to our oceans. Sharks are in peril around the world from overfishing, driven in large part by the lucrative trade in shark fins.
For statistics on shark attacks, a top 10 list of myths abouts sharks, tips for avoiding shark bites and to learn more about Oceana's campaign to protect sharks, please visit http://www.oceana.org/sharks.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) today filed new rules that will require federal shark fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean and... more -
100 million sharks killed yearly for their fins
The top of the ocean's food chain is in danger of extinction yet few seem to care. Shark fins are highly valued in Asia as a symbol of wealth and as a false cure for disease. The $200 a pound price tag has led fishermen to raid the sea and all 375 species of sharks for their fins.
Shark finning is barbaric. They line hook a shark and amputate the fins while the shark is alive and conscious. Then they release the shark back to the ocean where it flounders for hours or even days before bleeding to death or drowning.
100 million sharks are slaughtered yearly. As the top of the food chain, their roll is severely important. Without sharks 80 % of Earth's life is in danger. We may even be endangering our own life by allowing phytoplankton feeders to over populate the oceans reducing the overall number of phytoplankton drastically. (Phytoplankton consume carbon dioxide.)
Sharks are not as dangerous as mythology would have us believe. Sharks are terrified of humans. Only 5 people die from shark attacks yearly, while 8 million people die from starvation. Shark attacks are the result of mistaken identity when human shadows look similar to seals.
Sharks are highly intelligent. They have short term and long term memory. Some my live well over a hundred years. However as long as shark finning is allowed, we may lose this vitally important being. 90% of sharks are already gone. What are you going to do about it? The top of the ocean's food chain is in danger of extinction yet few seem to care. Shark fins are highly valued in Asia as a symbol o... more -
Stranded divers chase off Komodo Dragon on Island
How's this for a bad day? After these divers were stranded in shark infested waters and washed ashore they had to chase off this large Komodo Dragon. How's this for a bad day? After these divers were stranded in shark infested waters and washed ashore they had to chase off this larg... more
-
Iván Pisarenko´s biggest dream comes true
Iván Pisarenko has a dream, he wants to tour america in his motorcycle from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego (Argentina).
Since 2005 this Argentinian guy has been travelling alone on his motorcycle to diferents countries and cultures from Alaska,Canada, Usa, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua,Costarica and Colombia where we met him and talked about his amazing trip and the way he´s been growing up meeting all that differnt people and cultures in the last tree years.
Iván Pisarenko has a dream, he wants to tour america in his motorcycle from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego (Argentina). ... more -
Sharks, Surfers & Surf Photographers
The debate is all about how surfers, and in particular, surf photographers feel about sharks... After all, they do work and play in their domain! Sightings and even encounters are not unheard of, as many surf photographers can testify to! Thought it would be an interesting topic with all the hype there is in the news recently about shark attacks... So I asked a few surf photographers (and surfers/artists) how they felt about swimming/surfing in the sea, knowing it is possible to encounter a shark, and if it preys on their mind? If they fear them? If they've had a close encounter, witnessed one, had a scare (real or paranoia)...? The debate is all about how surfers, and in particular, surf photographers feel about sharks... After all, they do work and play in th... more
-
'La Niña' may cause shark attacks
La Nina, which usually results in cooler than normal water in the Pacific, has moved the boundary between cold and warm water closer to the shore, and along with it, fish and their shark predators, George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research told Reuters. La Nina, which usually results in cooler than normal water in the Pacific, has moved the boundary between cold and warm water closer t... more
-
Australian anger at rescued dive couple's media fortune
As they clung to each other in the inky midnight waters over the Great Barrier Reef and tried not to think about the menacing sea life that lurked below, British diver Richard Neely and his American partner, Allyson Dalton, tried to boost their morale with continual reassurance: a rescue was on the way.
Indeed it was. But within hours of being scooped from shark-infested seas off the Australian coast, the pair were consoling themselves with a morale booster of a different sort: a sumptuous tabloid deal, plus US and British TV interview deals and a possible book and film in the offing.
But their haste to profit from their weekend ordeal is not going down well in a country that has long tired of the costly operations required to save adventurers from the southern seas. Neely and Dalton rapidly engaged a celebrity agent and decided to sell their story not to the Australian media that had followed the rescue closely, but to the Sunday Mirror.
Queensland's Premier, Anna Bligh, said yesterday that the hunt for the pair, who drifted for 19 hours off the Whitsunday Islands after losing contact with their dive vessel, had been an expensive operation involving seven helicopters, three planes and six boats. "There's been an extraordinary rescue effort gone into keeping them safe," she said. "If they are going to profit from their story, I don't think a contribution back would go astray. It would be a very welcome gesture."
The huge operation that swung into action after the couple were reported missing was led by Queensland police and also involved other organisations such as the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Queensland's State Emergency Service and the CQ rescue helicopter service, which is community funded and relies on public donations and sponsorship. The cost of the search, one of the biggest in Queensland's recent history, has not yet been quantified.
The agent, Max Markson, told the Guardian that claims of a A$1.1m (£533,000) fee for their story were inflated. He said the payment the couple would receive was confidential. But he said he was finalising contracts for interviews with Australian, American and English television networks and added that "there might be a film or a book in the long term".
Responding to the Queensland Premier's comments, Markson said Neely and Dalton had personal insurance polices and that the holiday company they booked the tour with was also fully covered. "If there's any rescue costs to be paid, the insurance companies will pay them," he said.
But questions were raised last night about the behaviour of the couple as well as the ethics of selling their story. The duo had been among a group of divers in the water off Bait Reef, near Hayman Island, on Friday afternoon when their trip went wrong. After surfacing, they say they found themselves 200 metres away from the dive vessel. They shouted and waved their arms but failed to attract the attention of the crew and began to drift away in the strong current. Both experienced divers, they tied themselves together using a weight belt, conserved their energy, and waited for rescue. As they clung to each other in the inky midnight waters over the Great Barrier Reef and tried not to think about the menacing sea life... more -
Majority of Oceanic Shark Species Face Extinction | LiveScience
More than 50 percent of wide-ranging oceanic shark species are threatened with extinction as a result of overfishing, according to a new study.
The research, conducted by 15 scientists from institutes around the world and organized by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, focused on oceanic pelagic sharks and rays, including great white sharks, whale sharks, crocodile sharks, bigeye threshers, basking sharks, shortfin makos, longfin makos, salmon sharks, silky sharks, porbeagle sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks, blue sharks, manta rays, spinetail devilrays, giant devilrays and Chilean devilrays.
The team determined that 16 out of the 21 oceanic shark and ray species that are caught in high seas fisheries are at heightened risk of extinction due primarily to targeted fishing for valuable fins and meat as well as indirect take in other fisheries.
In most cases, these catches are unregulated and unsustainable. The increasing demand for the delicacy "shark fin soup," driven by rapidly growing Asian economies, means that often the valuable shark fins are retained and the carcasses discarded.
This is the first study to determine the global threat status of 21 species of wide-ranging oceanic sharks and rays, said study leader Nicholas Dulvy of the Centre for Environment, Fishers and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory in the United Kingdom. More than 50 percent of wide-ranging oceanic shark species are threatened with extinction as a result of overfishing, according to a n... more -
Fin soup threatens survival of ocean sharks
Overfishing partly caused by booming demand for shark fin soup, a delicacy in some Asian countries, is threatening the existence of 11 kinds of ocean sharks, an international study showed on Thursday.
The fish, often seen as ferocious sea predators, suffer from largely unregulated fishing for their valuable fins, said the report into 21 species of sharks and rays living in the open oceans.
The experts who wrote the study, organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, also urged governments to quickly impose catch limits.
"The traditional view of oceanic sharks and rays as fast and powerful too often leads to a misperception that they are resilient to fishing pressure," Sonja Fordham, report co-author and deputy head of the IUCN's shark specialist group, said.
Thresher sharks, silky sharks and the shortfin mako are all under threat, said the report, presented at a May 19-30 U.N. biodiversity conference in the city of Bonn.
The sharks, all "pelagic" or living in the open ocean, include large species such as the whale shark and great white shark. Although relatively few compared to coastal and deep sea sharks, a greater number of pelagic species is under threat.
"The increase in demand for shark fin soup in countries like China is a major driver of the problem," Fordham told Reuters, noting that growing affluence in China, where the soup is served as a treat at celebrations, is behind its increasing popularity.
Fishers from all over the world catch and trade sharks for their lucrative fins, often discarding their carcasses, said Fordham, noting Indonesia and Spain are among the top culprits.
Seven ocean pelagic shark species will be added to the IUCN 2008 "Red List" of endangered species, bringing the total to 21.
Sharks and rays are especially vulnerable as they take many years to reach sexual maturity and have few offspring.
Research shows the disappearance of shark species could lead to the demise of other species by upsetting the natural balance in the world's oceans.
Governments should set up catch limits for sharks and rays and ensure an end to shark finning, said the report. It also recommended a better monitoring of fisheries, more investment in research and closer international cooperation.
Overfishing partly caused by booming demand for shark fin soup, a delicacy in some Asian countries, is threatening the existence of 11... more -
Sharks closer to extinction
Specialists with IUCN (formerly the World Conservation Union) found that 11 species are on the high-risk list, with five more showing signs of decline.
Sharks are particularly affected by over-fishing as they reproduce slowly.
The scientists are calling for global catch limits, an end to the practice of removing fins, and measures to minimise incidental catches.
The main threat to sharks is fishing, both accidental and targeted.
Specialists with IUCN (formerly the World Conservation Union) found that 11 species are on the high-risk list, with five more showing ... more -
Rotten Shark - An Icelandic Delicacy
Wash in running water to get all slime and blood off. Dig a large hole in coarse gravel, preferably down by the sea and far from the nearest inhabited house - this is to make sure the smell doesn't bother anybody.
Hungry? Wash in running water to get all slime and blood off. Dig a large hole in coarse gravel, preferably down by the sea and far from the n... more -
Man pokes great white shark in eye!
SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian man has described how he escaped from the jaws of a great white shark by poking it in the eye as it dragged him under water.
ADVERTISEMENT
Jason Cull, 37, told reporters from his hospital bed that he saw a dark shape approaching as he swam about 80 metres (yards) off the popular Middleton beach in Western Australia on Saturday.
At first he thought it was one of the dolphins he had been swimming with, but realised it was a shark as the four-metre (12-foot) monster closed in, local media reported Monday.
"It banged straight into me... and it grabbed me by the leg and dragged me under the water," said Cull, a schoolteacher and father of two.
"I just remember being dragged backwards underwater. I felt along it, I found its eye and I poked it in the eye, and that's when it let go."
A volunteer at the local surf club, Joanne Lucas, 50, heard Cull's cries for help as she arrived at the beach and immediately dived in to rescue him.
"Instinct just kicked in," she told reporters. "I didn't even have to think about it, which is amazing really.
"I got to him and he said, 'Thank God. Thank you so much -- a shark has attacked my leg.'
"He had huge chunks taken out of his leg, his calf and the knee," Lucas said.
Cull underwent surgery at a regional hospital and doctors said he was expected to make a full recovery.
Middleton beach remained closed Monday as at least three great white sharks cruised offshore, avoiding efforts to herd them away, fisheries officials said.
A teenaged surfer was killed in a shark attack last month, bringing the death toll in Australia since 2000 to 12, according to the US-based International Shark Attack File.
Credit: Associated Press SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian man has described how he escaped from the jaws of a great white shark by poking it in the eye as it drag... more
-
related topics
Sharks
Contributors (171)
Sharks
