Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Palladium Neodymium-Hope For Sharks

What you are looking at may just save millions of sharks in the coming years. Researchers have discovered some metals actually cause sharks to be "repulsed" in salt water (if you live in a canal region with loads of Bull sharks, sorry)

Thanks Underwater Times for this story.

Sharks in captivity avoid metals that react with seawater to produce an electric field, a behavior that may help fishery biologists develop a strategy to reduce the bycatch of sharks in longline gear.

Shark bycatch is an increasing priority worldwide given diminished populations of many shark species, and because sharks compete with target species for baited lines, reducing fishing efficiency and increasing operating costs.

A recent study by NOAA scientists and colleagues on captive juvenile sandbar sharks showed the presence of an electropositive alloy, in this case palladium neodymium, clearly altered the swimming patterns of individual animals and temporarily deterred feeding in groups of sharks.

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