Shark Conservation Wins - T'Was a Good Month

Image Ocean Research

Naturally when word and images of some guy in S.A who had caught a protected white shark appeared on the Internet in 2011 - we had some choice words of our own to say about it:

"Simian, Rock Squatting, Douchebaggery with Sharks"

Note: It was the fine assemblage of words like these to describe events of the day that made us one of the most read shark blogs out there.

But wait, there's even better news, because said "Simian" was arrested and fined, yes fined!

Just when you thought that S.A was little more than an overheated battleground for competing commercial operations, a few disparate conservation types, and a mess of shark regulations, something was done for sharks..

Actually, S.A is a fine place for sharks and for the commercial interests as well who rallied around this one dead shark to see justice for protected species done.

Now, if we could only get New Zealand on board with the legal shark fin quota they have and the few commercial miscreants who still harvest sharks for fins, and you know who you are - Lady Anna still killing sharks or have you given that up for Lent?

Oh and yes there was this, the bust of some fishermen in Honduras in a no take zone. Is this the end of shark fining in sanctuaries?

If Mikes breathy post is any indication we can all call it "Victory" and go home, as for us we'll take a more nuanced approach and wait and see. After six years of shark blogging we know better.

BTW if you happen to be into the nuanced approach Mike also wrote this, and it's about as good as it gets. Read his post before you go off on your next racist Facebook Rant about how, "brown and yellow people and raping the oceans"...they are not for the most part, what they are doing is surviving, and not in the twice-a-day Skinny Latte manner of Julie from Sea Shepherd, (oh how she suffers for sharks) but in the classic, "don't have two dimes to rub together and my folks need to eat," sense.

Good blogging.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Mayans Respected Sharks 1600 Years Ago?

Shark Gods 1600 years ago

1600 years ago the ancient Mayans had a thing for sharks, at least when it came to representing them as Sun Gods.

National Geographic has the scoop and some pretty nifty images this week with a new temple discovery in Guatemala.

Nice to see even 1600 years ago people revered the shark, or...was this a conservation cult for sharks where individuals used these animals to their own grandiose media ends?

From Nat Geo:

Some 1,600 years ago, the Temple of the Night Sun was a blood-red beacon visible for miles and adorned with giant masks of the Maya sun god as a shark, blood drinker, and jaguar. Long since lost to the Guatemalan jungle, the temple is finally showing its faces to archaeologists, and revealing new clues about the rivalrous kingdoms of the Maya.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Man Bites Shark-Saves Dog

....or something to that effect went down in Florida this week as dog owner Greg LeNoir jumped into "shark infested waters" to save his Rat Terrier from a shark that was happily munching on it:

ISLAMORADA -- Greg LeNoir watched in horror as a shark's mouth opened wide Friday, chomping a large set of teeth on his beloved 14-pound dog, Jake.

''Noooooo,'' LeNoir shrieked, fearing the worst.

But the case of the rat terrier versus shark has a happy ending.

Editors Note: The dog featured in this post is none other than our sharky mascot Sierra-a slightly overweight and completely fearless Rottweiler. Knowing that dogs should be able to fend off sharks and other predatory critters we chose a slightly more "robust companion" with Sierra. Hat Tip: Squid Force Media news bite.

Frank Mundus-Shark Killer- R.I.P

One of the most reviled characters to ever grace the world of sharks-Frank Mundus- is dead this week.

A local legend, shark hunter, and some say the background character of "Quint" from "Jaws". His was a career that moved through the shark hysteria of the 70's and into the new world of shark conservation, all without changing, or adapting to the new paradigm of sharks:

They called him the Monster Man. His business was the stuff of tall tales. Gear for the day might include a harpoon, buckets of blood and the patience to wait for a shark to come along and take a bite.

"I was the pioneer of sport fishing for sharks," Frank Mundus, a legendary shark hunter, said in his trademark blunt style on his Web site.

The Monster Man's own words sum up perfectly a life said to have inspired the movie "Jaws" and its roguish Captain Quint, played by the late Robert Shaw. Mundus died Wednesday of complications from a heart attack suffered Sept. 6, just after he returned to his Hawaii home from a fishing trip in Montauk. He was 82.

HR 5741-RTSea's Blog Keeps the Torch Lit

Over at RTSea.com's Blog:

One step at a time . . . HR 5741 - the amendment to close an important loophole in the Shark Conservation Act of 2008 - has passed the House of Representatives and has moved on to the Senate for a vote. This is important legislation that will help put a dent in the taking and processing of shark fins.

The Humane Society is running an online support drive whereby you can email your state senator requesting support and passage of this important piece of shark conservation legislation. To send your senator an email, click here.

Give HR 5741 your support so that we can see it pass through Congress as quickly as possible. One step at a time, but every vote . . . and every fin . . . counts!

HR 5471 (background info)

Shark Found in Australian Pool-What? You Expected a Turtle?

We blogged about this months ago and at the time (April 1. 2008) it was a big joke. This mornings news shows you that sometimes-the jokes on you:

SYDNEY (AFP) - A shark was found in a swimming pool at one of Sydney's most popular beaches Friday, apparently swept into the baths by a freak wave.

The one-metre (3.3 foot) shark turned up in a rock pool situated next to the open ocean at Cronulla beach.

Cronulla Surf Lifesaving Club spokeswoman Robyn Cole said fisheries officers netted the shark and released it back into the sea unharmed shortly after members of the public reported its presence in the pool Friday morning.

"It was quite calm, just swimming happily up and down at one end of the pool," she told AFP.

"It's funny, though, because we have swimmers who come here at 6am every morning to do laps. It's still dark then and they mustn't have even noticed it was there."

Cole said the shark must have been swept into the pool overnight by a large wave.

"It's the first time we've had a shark in the pool," she said. "We've had seals sunbaking there before, and get dolphin at the beach all the time, but I've never heard of a shark getting caught in a pool before."

Shark Diving-Tourism Analysis

This mornings Slate.com features one of the best written looks at shark tourism we have seen in the past few months. A first person account (Elisabeth Eaves) of Roatans Waihuka Diving

Here's an excerpt:

A fisherman on Roatán can get about $40 for one of these sharks, or $720 for 18. Waihuka gets about $80 per diver, so $960 on this 12-customer dive. They can charge $960 for those same sharks again and again, and the sharks don't have to die: The resource is renewable. Assuming similar overhead (a boat, an outboard engine, gasoline), shark-watching is more profitable for the locals than shark-fishing, and it conserves nature rather than decimating it.

Doesn't that make shark diving a good thing? The rosy view of eco-tourism would say we should exploit shark viewing to stop shark fishing. Hire the fishermen as dive masters, and you've got a win-win-win for locals, tourists, and sharks. Shark-watch businesses further argue that the more people have happy encounters with the animal, the more public support there will be for researching and protecting it. (The whale-watching industry plausibly advances a similar argument.

Dead Seal Mystery-Solved?

By now you're probably saying, "not another twist to that mysterious dead seal case up in Oregon!".

At least that was our take this morning when word came out the 6 seals died of...heat exhaustion, not gun shot wounds as was reported earlier.

Why does this matter? Politics. Water politics, salmon politics, resource politics, and the grandaddy of them all the news media.

So here it is, until someone else says something different, which in this very unlikely case of 6 dead seals-is likely to be the case:

Heat killed 6 sea lions trapped at Bonneville Dam

On Wednesday, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service said the sea lions had died of heat prostration. Officials say more conclusive results should be available in another 10 days, once tissue sample studies are completed.

The investigation into the deceased sea lions remains open.

Salmon Wars-Seals in Crosshairs

This ugly eco news was almost inevitable. With salmon stocks up and down the California and Oregon coast disappearing at an alarming rate, the natural predator gets the bad rap.

In this case the seal. Sadly several elephant seals were also shot on California's central coast this week as well.

Sea lions shot dead on Columbia River as salmon battle rages

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — For years, the sea lions lounging at the Bonneville Dam have had easy pickings from salmon waiting to go up fish ladders to upriver spawning grounds.

Over the weekend, the federally protected sea creatures were themselves easy prey for a gunman who shot and killed six of the sea lions as they lay in traps meant to humanely catch them.

State and federal authorities were investigating the shootings, which came less than two weeks after an appeals court issued a temporary injunction against authorities killing the salmon-gobbling mammals. Agents have been trapping them instead, but trapping will be suspended during the investigation, said Rick Hargrave, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Fishermen and American Indian tribes have pushed to protect the salmon and remove the sea lions, by lethal force if necessary.

The carcasses of the four California sea lions and two Steller sea lions were found Sunday around noon below the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River on the border of Oregon and Washington.

The six animals appear to have been shot by somebody on the Washington side during the night, said Brian Gorman, a spokesman for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Shark Attack in California-Posts

To get an idea of the public's response to this tragedy we pulled some comments from the L.A Times site who seem to have the best coverage and are thus far staying away from the Fox News style hype which is permeating the other 365 articles and news reports out there at this time.

Here's what people are saying:

1. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. It is a tragedy, yes, but the way human beings are distroying this planet, plants, animals, & wildlife are all suffering. This is a perfect example of the selfishness of the people of our planet...taking advantage of the earth's bounties, killing, distroying and maiming and then complaining about it. This is a sad reality of life in the 21st Century.

Submitted by: Shari

11:34 AM PDT, April 25, 2008

---

2. Unfortunately dbx's comment about justice is the way Fish and Game usually sees it. They follow public opinion, and there are usually outcries to kill the shark after attacks. I am an avid free diver and we know the risks and respect the environment we go into, it is of course a tragedy, but sharks must stop being portrayed as bloodthirsty, brainless killers. The more people understand them, the less fear there will be of them.

Submitted by: koby

11:28 AM PDT, April 25, 2008

---

3. This is a tragedy, and I'm sorry for the attack victim and his family. At the same time, it is ridiculous to think that another attack could be prevented by locating and trapping the shark. This type of response seems hysterical and ignorant to someone like myself who has been surfing for the last 15 years in Northern California, where shark sightings and attacks are much more common. Humans are not part of any shark's natural diet. Attacks on humans are rare, and the idea that a single shark would attack humans more than once before it continues on its migratory path, assuming it's a White shark, is ridiculous.

Submitted by: Isaac McGowan

11:27 AM PDT, April 25, 2008

---

4. Entering the Ocean is a wilderness experience. Even so, an attack by a predator on a human is so random and so rare its shocking when it happens. My condolence to the Gentleman's family & friends.

Submitted by: Tri guy

11:25 AM PDT, April 25, 2008

---

5. Any habitate other than our own, should be used with causion. A shark like a grizzly bear are preditors and weather they are in the wilds or in a facility of training, they are still wild animals. We need to respect that fact. If you step into a den of vipors you need to know that you are going to get bitten. It is a fact of life. We need to remember that FACT. It is not your God given right to do what you want. My heart always goes out to the victums and their families at their time of greif. May God give them strength to make it through this hard time.

Submitted by: Rhonda in So. Cal.

11:24 AM PDT, April 25, 2008

---

6. I agree with Mike. Surfers and Open Water swimmers know the risks of their sports. They respect and love the ocean. I hope the killed swimmer did not suffer too much. Fish and Game should be known as search and destroy. They have little understanding of wildlife except as seen from behind the barrel of a long range rifle.

Submitted by: Pita

11:18 AM PDT, April 25, 2008

---

7. I know there were great white shark sitings off of san onofre a few years ago. I wonder if they are starting to make their way south from oregon/washington area...

Submitted by: matt s.

11:10 AM PDT, April 25, 2008

---

8. What a tragedy. I grew up going to Solana Beach. I never would have guessed a shark attack would happen there.

Submitted by: Dan

11:06 AM PDT, April 25, 2008

---

9. we have to trap the shark to bring him to justice and teach nature that democracy will prevail at all cost.

Submitted by: dbx

11:05 AM PDT, April 25, 2008

---

10. Going to the beach is never a bad thing but we all have to sit back and think here. Trying to trap a shark. For what reason? Once we set foot in the water, we are no longer in our habitat. We must respect the animals of the sea and know that we are swimming at out our own risk. My prayers do go to the individual who lost his life never the less.

Submitted by: Mike USMC

11:01 AM PDT, April 25, 2008

Slaughter-Threshers Decline In The Philippines

One of the most elusive sharks (for shark divers) is rapidly declining in the Philippines-according to recent reports.

The whole story is sadly familiar, poor fishermen who have run out of traditional fish stocks now targeting this rare and beautiful animal for it's fins.

Surprisingly a recent illegal fishing bust at the Socorros, Mexico revealed a healthy population of Threshers at this site as well...caught in the nets.

BATANGAS CITY – The Philippines may soon lose its thresher sharks – listed as “vulnerable” species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature – if their slaughter for meat and fins continues unchecked.

“The extent of the fishery situation with regard to the thresher sharks in the Batangas Bay area is absolutely – in my honest, scientific opinion – not sustainable,” Dr. Simon Oliver, shark specialist and chair of the Thresher Shark Research and Conservation Group based in the United Kingdom, said.

Damn Catfish At Risk...From Dam

There are some bodies of water in the world that you just do not want to know what's patrolling around in the murky depths.

Case in point Vietnam and Cambodia. Great countries to visit, but if you have small children keep them out of the waters here.

Actually that's good advice in any country outside of the USA. Anyone reading this actually smelled the Ganges lately?

We digress.

The story here is about this catfish. One of the largest on the planet and now in peril due to a massive damn project that will essentially cut it's home range down to a few square miles of filthy, muddy water. That's not to say that we do not care.

The problem is...it's just hard to love a giant pink catfish living in Vietnam.

Rare Fatal Shark Attack-Australia

Australians woke up this morning to a media frenzy around a rare fatal shark attack in NSW. Here's some of the latest reporting filled with the standard shark attack catch phrases designed to keep you out of the water for at least a month.

By Drew Cratchley April 08, 2008

THE fatal shark attack on a teenage surfer in northern New South Wales is the first in Australian waters in over two years, and the first in NSW since 1993.

However, the boy's death follows a number of non-fatal attacks and shark sightings in the region over the past year.

The 16-year-old surfer was fatally mauled near the North Wall at Lighthouse Beach at Ballina this morning while bodyboarding in murky water with a friend.Experts say the shark - possibly a bull shark - may have been attracted by the heavy flow of fresh water from the nearby Richmond River, which in turn draws schools of fish.

It is the first fatal shark attack in Australia since January 7, 2006.

Sarah Kate Whiley, 21, from Brisbane's north, was attacked at Amity Point at North Stradbroke Island east of Brisbane that afternoon as she swam in waist-high water.In an horrific attack, Ms Whiley was mauled by up to three bull sharks, which ripped both her arms from her body and bit into her torso and legs.

Two fishermen dragged Ms Whiley out of the water onto the beach, before she was airlifted to a Brisbane hospital where she died of shock and massive blood loss. The next prior shark attack death occurred in South Australia in August 2005, when marine biologist Jarrod Stehbens, 23, was taken by a shark while diving for cuttlefish eggs off Glenelg in Adelaide's west.

However, it was just over four months ago that two schoolgirls were stranded on a shipwreck as a shark circled below them at Byron Bay, about 20 kilometres north of where today's attack occurred. The girls, both 14, were diving off the wreck on November 21 last year when one of them spotted the "large, dark shark".

Lifeguards were able to rescue the girls, but the popular tourist spot's main beach was temporarily closed as a precaution.Six weeks earlier, and also in Byron Bay, a woman was knocked from her surf ski by a white pointer.

Linda Whitehurst, 52, and her husband Glen were paddling about 150m off shore at The Pass on October 15 last year when the 2.5m shark bit into her surf ski, toppling her into the water.The experienced paddler was able to fend off the shark by belting it with her paddle, and she escaped with a small wound on her arm.

On the morning of February 3 last year a 26-year-old man escaped an attack with several similarities to today's attack, just a few hundred metres north of Ballina's Lighthouse Beach. Matthew McIntosh was riding a wave on his body board at Shelly Beach when he was bitten on the lower leg by a shark.

According to figures from the International Shark Attack File, compiled by the Florida Museum of Natural History in the US, there were 12 shark attacks in Australia in 2007, up from seven in 2006, 10 in 2005, and 13 attacks in 2004.

But Taronga Zoo's John West, who established the Australian Shark Attack File in 1984, said Australians are more likely to be killed on their way to the beach than killed by a shark."If you take the average fatalities over the last 10, 20, 50 and 100 years, the average is 1.2 deaths per year," Mr West said.

Today's attack puts NSW at the top of the list of shark attack fatalities since records began over 200 years ago, with 73 of the nation's 192 shark attack deaths recorded in the state.Queensland is second on the list with 72, followed by South Australia with 19 and Western Australia with 13.

However, Mr West said NSW has actually been one of the safest states in the last 50 years.

"The last fatality in NSW prior to this was in 1993, and prior to that was 1983, so it's been 15 years since we've had a fatality in NSW," Mr West said.

DEMA Bahamas Shark Event

DEMA (The Diving Equipment and Marketing Association) is deeply saddened by the recent events that lead to a diver's death after participating in a shark dive in the Bahamas last weekend. This tragic incident is an unusual occurrence, yet serves as a reminder of the importance of following guidelines put in place for specialty dives such as shark diving.

Shark diving has been practiced safely and successfully for the last 25 years without major incident. Guidelines were formalized in 2001 by the Global Interactive Marine Experiences Council in the "Florida Guidelines and Management Programs for Interactive Marine Experiences" which are available industry-wide. These guidelines include: safe environmental practices; staff training for interactive marine experiences; marine animal feeding practices; participant preparation and education; marine animal conservation efforts; safety considerations for interactive marine experiences; location of interactive marine experience program sites; risk management and awareness; establishing an emergency procedures plan; and appointing an administrative officer and safety officer for interactive marine experience programs.

DEMA strongly encourages dive operators to review their interactive marine experience practices to ensure their adherence to the guidelines that have been established to reduce the likelihood of an accident happening in the future. While any type of diving inherently involves some level of risk, pursuing safe, recreational diving experiences will greatly reduce that risk. This particular incident last weekend appears to have been an extreme form of the sport involving some of the more aggressive shark species.

For more information about interactive marine experiences, or to receive a copy of the safety guidelines, please contact DEMA at 858-616-6408.

DEMA, the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association, is an international organization dedicated to the promotion and growth of the recreational scuba diving and snorkeling industry. For more information on DEMA, call 858-616-6408 or visit www.dema.org

Molokai Shark at 3300'

Score one for for the science guys this week. A video surfaced of one of our all time favorite underwater "denzines of the deep" the Six Gill Shark.

What makes this critter interesting is it's ability to flourish in water temps hovering in the 40's and less, and at a depth of over 5000'. This one was filmed at 3300' and with his 18 foot profile we were not surprised to hear the normally laid back deep water guys saying "Holy Crap!".

TED: If You Don't Know You Should

What can we say about Marine biologist Tierney Thys?

One of the leading researchers of her time and one of the most engaging presenters of the 2003 Monterey Bay TED gathering.

Thys and her team are tagging and tracking Mola-Mola worldwide to learn about how they live, and how climate change may be affecting all ocean life. She's also director of research at the Sea Studios Foundation, producing targeted eco videos that influence policymakers and businesspeople. Sea Studios was also instrumental in helping eBay stop the trading of invasive species:

L’Oreal and Sharks?

Shark-Based Emollients Being Removed from Skincare Products- That's the great news coming from one of the worlds top skin care companies this week.

Turns out for the past 30 years or so many of these companies have been quietly harvesting millions of shark livers for the raw product Squalene.

This gooey shark moisturizer penetrates the skin quickly, making perfect for womens skin care products. Unfortunately, once the women of the world found out they were rubbing dead sharks on their bodies a mini riot broke out.

L’Oreal announced this week that it is moving towards getting this ingredient from plants in an effort to help save the ecosystem and save some deep sea sharks whose existence is threatened. Squalene can be found in olives and wheat germ.

Score one for the good guys, the corporate world just saved 10 million sharks from the chopping block.

Now, if we could only get Alibaba.com to understand this.

Protecting Great White Sharks

Baja California, January, 2008 – Isla Guadalupe, Mexico has become the internationally recognized destination for divers seeking unprecedented encounters with Great White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias.) The 90 square mile island located in the Pacific is also home to many rare endemic species of animals and plants.

In 2005 Mexico declared the island a Bio-Sphere Reserve under the watchful eye of CONANP the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas.

As is the case with many watch dog and eco enforcement organizations world wide, long term funding for actual on site protections of this resource and the Great Whites that seasonally inhabit these pristine waters do not exist at this time.

Globally, shark aggregation sites like Isla Guadalupe have been decimated in the past few years by poaching, over fishing, and an uncontrolled trade in shark fins that takes an estimated 70 million sharks a year.Recently a concerned group of shark diving operators, vessel owners and researchers stepped in to create and launch the Guadalupe Fund 501(c)3.

Its stated goal is to move much needed cash and donated equipment into the Bio-Sphere for park staff and continued funding for long term white shark science/monitoring.

Nicole Nasby Lucas from the Marine Conservation Science Institute has been involved in ongoing white shark tagging and photo identification research at this site for the past six years. "Our tagging and photo-ID research have shown that the Guadalupe Island white sharks aggregate here in large numbers during the fall and winter, leave the island and travel as far as Hawaii and then come back to the same spot. This makes Guadalupe Island a critical habitat for the white shark in this region and demonstrates the importance of protecting the island and its sharks”.

The Guadalupe Fund is being managed by Marinebio.org with assistance from shark diving operator SharkDiver.Com and hopes to generate a minimum of $100,000 a year from concerned divers and shark lover’s world wide. All donations to this fund are tax deductible and gifts ranging from free trips to the island and the opportunity to name a Great White shark after donors exist for interested parties:

China Olympics: Speed Whale Shark Champions

China Daily, Shengzuo--As The Peoples Republic of China prepares to host the 2008 Olympics,China's Demonstration Sports Committee invited the International press corps to preview it's latest team sport-"Competitive Speed Whale Shark".

With it's early roots in logging this latest demonstration sport will be included in this years 2008 Olympic Games to promote the local sport and to gauge interest and support.

Speed, accuracy and safety are hallmarks of these three day medal events that include the complete disassembly of 60 foot Whale Sharks by sweaty teams of "Sawyers".

"It is our hope the world will adopt this sport for future Olympic Games before we run out of sharks" said Liu bo Xiang, Team Captain Alibaba.com, recent medalist, and three time "Sawyer Champion".

The following Underwater Onion was brought to you by Shark Diver.

Seriously, the Olympics would be a great place to highlight the fact that 80% of the worlds 100 million shark fins go to China.

Japan:Greenpeace Out-Sea Shepherd Remains

As you know we have been following the 2008 Southern Sea whale hunt this year with keen interest.


First there was the Sea Shepherd vs Greenpeace war of words. The "who was more green" eco-ocean smackdown.

Then, three weeks ago, we covered the ongoing Sea Shepherd stink bomb throwing hippie hostage standoff with the Nisshin Maru.

We also covered Yokozuna Asashoryu, Tokyo's top Sumo wrestler's open wrestling challenge to Sea Shepherds captain-Paul Watson. Man, what a season!

And now, after two full months of chasing the bad guys and world attention, sadly, Greenpeace is withdrawing their vessel from the hunt due to lack of fuel.

This leaves the anti-whaling eco ball squarely in the "Jesters Court" with Sea Shepherd and their somewhat crazed crew of die hards. If we were betting folks (and we are) this is how we think the 2008 Southern Seas whale hunt is going to end:

1. Japan will start killing whales again
2. Watson's Vessel "Steve Irwin" will ram and sink the Nisshin Maru
3. Huge media frenzy