Tigers Tagged - Season Two of XXX

Season two of xxx is on the way and from the looks of things this will be interesting.

A Facebook posting this week revealed Dr. xxx somewhere in xxx working with the production crew from xxx.

If we're being a little obtuse with this post, it's because we don't want to give away season two of xxx or the production crew who made history at xxx and then went on to production controversy at xxx.

Right about now you're saying "why the xxx do I even read this xxx blog anyway?" we might agree with you.

The Tiger pic is pretty cool though, ain't no bones in that shark.

Should be another eye popping shark season when xxx airs sometime in xxx on the xxx channel.

The Trash Talking Blog-Dogs

Last week we posted Carcharhinus longimanus - Bahamas New Shark Rush, an in depth look at how new shark site development and ongoing conservation efforts *might* go at Cat Island, Bahamas.

The Op-Ed was directed at industry members vying for this site and these unique and increasingly rare sharks, 99.3% are estimated to have been fished out of the Gulf of Mexico alone.

At least three websites are now inviting divers to come and dive with Oceanic whitetips in the Bahamas, and at least one operator has responded to last weeks post.

The ideas brought up are certainly worthy of further discussion and even action, if you can get past the label, "Trash Talking Blog-Dogs";)

More trash talking here, Hic Rhodus hic salta indeed!

SDM BLOG FOR...

There has been a lot of blogging going on from the trash talking blog-dogs out there lately. Mostly on how to interact with sharks and how to conduct an eco-business. Here is the deal when it comes to Eco-tourism from my perspective - shark diving tourism, and catch and release shark fishing are the sharks only hope. I am not going to go into catch and release fishing in this blog, but regardless of my opinion, or your opinion, it is a necessary evil. Not everyone is going to dive with sharks, and sport fishing is the largest spenders of trickle down economics in the marine world. So more on them later.

Here is the deal - As I said, Eco-tourism is the sharks only salvation. The reality is, whether you like it or not - Governments do NOT care about sharks, or saving sharks - or the environment - THEY NEVER HAVE, AND THE NEVER WILL! What they care about are two things...money and votes. So if you have a lot of money you can convince the government to protect sharks, by throwing them large sums - then sharks will get some protection. But, if you do not have a shit load of money, then you better have the votes behind you to keep their butts in office. Other than that, they don't care about the cause, they care about their own agendas, and keeping and sustaining their power.

For a government official to care about creating marine protected parks, or shark sanctuaries, they need to have a good reason, and that reason is money - and money now. A goverenment officials term is short so they need to make and steal as much as they can before their term is up, or they get booted out. A shark diving tax is a great incentive that puts money into a government officials pocket today and is a great way to ensure that sharks get protected in the long term. Right now the fishermen are the ones putting this kind of money into the officials pockets, so who do you think they are going to support when it is time to vote?

Anyone who believes that a government official is going to do the right thing is gravely mistaken and by the time they admit it or figure it out, it is going to be the death of the species. So the thing that is going to lead the charge for protecting sharks is creating shark parks, or shark sanctuaries, or marine reserves, or whatever you want to call it. Then bringing in eco-tourism to create a trickle down economy that will benefit and stimulate the local economy, as well as tacking on a shark tax that could go into the appropriate hands to ensure that sharks will remain protected indefinitely.

I think that continuing to protect individual species of sharks globally is a noble effort, but is it enough? Truthfully - I believe that protecting individual species is a bandaid to a much bigger problem. Honestly - Do you really think that an Indian fisherman, or an Asian fishermen in a little panga in a third world country is gonna throw back a full grown oceanic whitetip, or a scalloped hammerhead because CITES has ruled that these species are uncatchable and must be thrown back. Hell no! If they can't sell it, (which they always will be able to, regardless of any CITES ruling), they will just eat it. They are just surviving, trying to feed their families, making money anyway they can. So govenrment meetings and agendas, and conservationists hopes mean shit to them.

I wrote about this back in April but its worthy of a reminder...

-A true conservationists job and efforts needs to go into creating marine reserves, or shark parks, or shark santuaries. Of course these sanctuaries will fly better with officials if there is already eco-toruism in place. (they will see money much faster that way.)

-Another devision of the conservation/eco-operators (joint effort is a must) job is to help create a policing effort to protect the parks. Funding must be created and raised for this very important job. Parks are pointless without protection.

-MORE Eco-operators need to be invited in to help stimulate the economy and creat trickle down economics. This is always the hard part, as shark operators are often greedy and hate to see competion come in. Trust me on this one, I am very well versed in this subject.

-At this point science could be invited in to find out where these sharks are going to breed? Or where these sharks are migrating to when they leave the area. That information could then be used to help create more shark sanctuaries, and the cycle begins again.

____________________________________________________________

The problem right now within the shark diving world, is there are too much politics. No one is communicating with each other, lots of back stabbing, and crying, and I'm right-they are wrong, BS. None of it works. We all don't have to like each other, we don't all have to get along, but if there really is any love for these animals, then we all need to set aside our egos, agree to disagree, and get the fucking job done.

ICCAT - Tuna are done, sharks get the nod

Conservation Triage is never pretty especially when species are being pushed to the back of the conservation line by commercial fishing interests.

Thus was the series of meetings in Paris last week, ICCAT, and a decision not to address Bluefin tuna catch reductions while at the same time adding some protections for sharks.

The shark protections, while hailed by many as a conservation win, mean for the most part sharks caught at sea will be dumped at sea, out of sight and out of mind to both consumers and conservation groups. The sharks are still being taken by very technically savvy fishing fleets, but fins will no longer arrive in Hong Kong to be added to bowls of soup.

For the bowls of soup conservation crowd - this is good news.

Like we said Conservation Triage is never pretty.

There are a few good news points to this years ICCAT, protections for Oceanic whitetips and Hammerheads.

Depending on who you speak with, or what blogs you read, the results of ICCAT, when viewed through the lens of Doha are substantial. Or when viewed through the lens of rapid species depletion at the hands of multi-national fishing fleets with no set international quota systems that can be verified, mixed.

For a fine 15 minutes of eye opening thought we have rounded up some of the after action Blue Blogs and press releases for your review, as always, great analysis:

Da Shark Fiji - Paris Realpolitik!

RTSea Blog - ICCAT & Sharks: a mixed bag of results from meeting

Sonja Fordham - Unprecedented Shark Conservation Action Taken

Ya Like Dags? - Highs and Lows from the ICCAT

Sea Notes - Black Friday for Bluefin

Southern Fried Science - Sharks get new protections at ICCAT

Commercial Shark Diving - Mexico's Bull Shark Conundrum

When news of dead Playa del Carmen Bull sharks surfaced last week, shark conservation groups went into action mode.

Word rapidly spread and conservation action began in the form of the Blue Heart Society.

Last week another voice has surfaced, Steven Spencer, who, in rather pointed open letter is suggesting that local dive shops are partially to blame for the actions taken by fishermen.

His letter serves as a wake up call to dive shops and new shark diving operations including those who would guide these nascent operations to best practices.

Without a strong conservation program in place on the opening day of shark operations, regional shark populations run the risk of "commercial promotion without representation".

More from Da Shark in Fiji.

Steven Spencer on Playa Killings

My name is Steven and i am writing in relation to some horrific Shark killings that have been happening close to the shores of Playa Del Carmen Mexico. You may have already heard something of this news but i am writing because all of the news that i am hearing and reading is very biased and largely untrue so i wish to write a true account to the best of my knowledge about these incidents and what has led to them.

I do not know if there is something that your organisation, or any organisation that you know can do about these occurrences, but i feel the need to write in true detail of what is happening as i am sure that if anything can be done then you will know better than i the people that could do something.

Playa Del Carmen is a tourist area that has grown considerably in the past decade. I have been diving there for 7 years, i have done many dives there as i have spent 5 months there every year for the past 7 years.

Bull Sharks visit these shores during the months between November and March. In my first 5 years of diving there i frequently saw groups of 2 to a maximum of 5 BullSharks in various dive sites, mainly Tortugas, Pared Verde and Barracuda. BullShark sightings were frequent during these months if diving regularly but could not be guaranteed.

Eventually one dive store called ‘Phantom divers’ began to feed an area regularly close to shore near a dive site called ‘Jardines’ and eventually the sightings of these BullSharks were very rare in other locations.

Phantom diveshop then began taking divers to the fed area close to Jardines and feeding these BullSharks whilst wearing a chainmail suit. BullSharks would gather there everyday during these months every year and eventually every other divestore in town hypocritically began running ‘BullShark dives’. I state hypocritically because every other diveshop spoke of their disliking of the Shark feeding but continued to make very good money from these dives.

I dived with these magnificent creatures many times, when they were in behaving naturally and when the feeding programmes began. Once the feeding programmes began they behaved very differently to before, if a boat passed overhead they would go into a frenzy as they expected food coming to them.

Anyway, the BullShark is not a protected species in Mexico and local fisherman have always killed 2 or 3 a year but now everything has all come to a very sad situation. I am aware of one true report where 9 were killed by a fisherman in one day and other reports have suggested that 25 were killed in 3 days. During my 5 months every year in Playa i would dive most days and i would estimate that there wouldn’t be much more than 50 BullSharks that visit these shores each year as i was frequently seeing the same ones, i only counted approximately 20 different ones. If this is the case then it is a large percentage of decline of this species there.

I am therefore 100% sure that because of this feeding programme it has herded them into one area making it very easy for them to be fished and slaughtered by local fisherman who now have the knowledge of their whereabouts. 2 or 3 killed a year before, and 9 killed in one day proves this is no coincidence and they would therefore have a better chance of survival if they were spread around as before.

Phantom divers is currently fighting for the rights for the BullSharks not to be fished for at this certain feeding point during the months that they visit the area, stating that the BullSharks congregate there to give birth, this information i know to be incorrect. They congregate there for the food that is fed to them and for no other reason.

It is obvious that the only interest in Phantom divers minds is the proffit that can be made from the BullSharks.

My interest is for the survival of these magnificent creatures and i hope by voicing my opinions, whether loved or hated might help towards this.

I thank you for your time in reading this and thank you for passing this information on to anyone who might be able to assist with this sad situation and if there is anything else i can do i would be happy to.

Steven Spencer.

Arizona Shark Surprise November 20, 2010

Arizona Department of Fish and Game are offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of individuals who planted a live or dead shark in a local canal.

This 32" specimen was discovered in West Main Canal in Yuma near First Street and 14th Avenue on Nov. 20.

Department staff members suspect this shark was first live caught and then transported from San Diego, California.

RTSea on ICCAT, Oceana and Sharks

Richard Theiss at the RTSea Blog has in depth look at the current round of talks over tuna catches and "tuna like fisheries" in Paris this week - ICCAT.

As always Richard distills this complex issue down to the major players and what's truly at stake for the oceans.

Great reading:

As reported earlier today, the ICCAT (International Convention for Conservation of Atlantic Tuna) is meeting this week in Paris as a part of the organization's annual review of bluefin tuna catch limits. But ICCAT's charter is not limited to the management of only tuna fisheries. It also considers the management of "tuna-like" fisheries, which is a catch-all phrase that can include other pelagic migratory predators including swordfish, sailfish, and sharks.

While outcomes from past ICCAT meetings have served more to support the commercial fishing industry than the support of ocean species conservation, recognized conservation groups, like Oceana, continue to bring information to the attention of the ICCAT regarding the rapidly declining numbers of apex ocean predators. This year, Oceana is focusing on sharks and the need for the ICCAT to seriously consider addressing the number of sharks being taken - whether legally or otherwise - and the potential for further abuse through under-reporting.

Oceana has released a new report that estimates that as many as 1.3 million sharks were taken in the Atlantic in 2008. Averaging the weight of the various 21 species listed in the report as being caught within ICCAT-monitored waters, that number equates to 65,000 tons of shark. To put that into perspective, the ICCAT currently limits tuna harvests to under 14,000 tons of tuna - and that is a figure that many scientists believe will doom the Atlantic bluefin tuna to extinction. Just what can we expect with 65,000 tons of shark disappearing each year?

On top of that, Oceana believes 1.3 million sharks could be a gross underestimation due to under-reporting. According to Oceana, based on scientific estimates from Hong Kong shark fin trade data, the true number could be three times higher - although, you can expect that figure to be dismissed by fishing industry advocates as speculative and unreliable.

“Sharks are virtually unmanaged at the international level,” said Oceana's Elizabeth Griffin. "ICCAT has a responsibility to protect sharks. It is time to protect our ocean's top predators."

Complete Post.

Tiger Sharks and Commercial Shark Diving S.A - Glenn Ashton Weighs In

When a series of starkly shocking industry images recently surfaced of a well known commercial shark diving operation in S.A, the ensuing industry backlash was both unnecessary, ugly, and tribal.

We posted our thoughts on the ensuing fallout here and were happy to discover well known journalist, writer and photographer, Glenn Ashton wading into this issue with an open letter to S.A dive operators.

Glenns letter is not only great industry thought, it is real leadership. Kudos to Glenn for not only taking the time to review this industry issue from all sides, but to distill it down to the fundamentals.

Are we as an industry ready to embrace standardized practices, both baiting and film and television, that benefit our primary clients, the sharks, first and foremost?

Open letter to the SA shark dive industry re: best practices

Hi All,

As a journalist and observer to the debate about best practices concerning shark attraction methods and the shortcomings of some methods, it is clear that the issues that have been raised are extremely important to deal with in order to ensure that our South African shark diving industry has a reputation that we can indeed be proud of.

This cannot only come from a shark diving industry perspective but from a conservation perspective, a tourism perspective, a best practice perspective and most of all for promoting an open and transparent dialogue about the matter - shark diving, either in cages or without - for profit.

There is nothing wrong with generating profit from shark diving. The dive industry is a powerful tool to assist in protecting sharks, in getting the public to understand them and in taking their plight to a wider audience.

Public oversight has assisted in improving practices in all aspects of the shark dive industry and indeed in all related aspects of human/ shark interaction. This mirrors the experiences of other conservation practices in other nature conservation fields which have often learned and advanced themselves through outside pressure.

However it serves nobody when baseless allegations are thrown around, when issues become personalised for reasons that are completely unrelated to the issues at hand and when discussions that are aimed at improving industry practices are marginalised because of illogical and ill informed inputs.

It cannot be denied that public oversight and pressure to change from shark enthusiasts have improved the cage dive industry hugely. The cage dive industry would like to take most of the credit for themselves but that is just human nature.

The same goes for shark diving on the Aliwal shoals and other offshore shark diving spots. The methods used to attract sharks have been shown to be damaging to sharks and yet those who rely on these flawed methods have denied any cause for concern and have instead attempted to sidetrack and personalise the discussion and debate. Others have worked hard to clean up their acts and have listened to outside inputs.

Denial of any problems in how sharks are chummed and attracted obviously serves nobody except the denier and it does not move the debate forward. As a journalist and someone involved in covering environmental management in South Africa I am quite prepared to go out and expose any dangerous or damaging practices to the widest possible audience so that things do change, through either the force of public opinion or the force of law. Both are equally relevant in this case.

It would however be far more beneficial for all of the role players in this debate, especially the shark dive charterers who have been criticised for poor baiting practices, to play a far more mature and responsible role in this discussion. There clearly are operators who have tried different methods of baiting which appear to be non damaging to sharks - through encasing cables and chains in polypropylene pipe - which is rigid and extremely tough and non damaging to shark mouths, compared to exposed cables and chains. Why can this and other useful discoveries not be made best practice?

An industry standard should be agreed upon and any parties who continue to practice dangerous methods of attracting sharks, just as those who do not properly care for, or endanger their divers and customers, or who follow other dangerous practice, must be sanctioned and isolated, if shown to be intransigent in the face of changing toward best practice behaviour.

If we wish to have an industry that is good for tourism and for our image as a leading nature and eco-tourism destination then we must pursue best practice in all aspects of environmental tourism in South Africa. If we wish to be the world leaders in this field, that we claim to be, then we must behave like world leaders. Accordingly the industry must support a move toward transparency and best practice and engage with each other in a constructive way that promotes mutual interests

The alternative is to identify and deal with those who refuse to play the game according to mutually agreed rules and isolate them utterly. The choices are simple. So lets rather consider moving on toward finalising what is essentially a straightforward procedure.

A useful first step would be to invite all shark tourism operators to sit down around a table, at a shark tourism conference, of SA operators, and start to hack out the issues, formalise them and put these steps into practice. SA tourism and other regional tourism boards would be supportive - we all know that the industry brings in significant money. Any other relevant parties must also come aboard, including government (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Dept of Environment and Water, and possibly Tourism and also the Shark Board but there may be ambivalence about this).

It would just take a few champions of the cause, from within the industry, to drive this. They could reap huge benefits by being shown to lead the way toward the most progressive and ecologically sound practices, and could accordingly advertise along these lines.

This should ideally happen from within the industry - self regulation is always preferable to having regulations imposed on you. But if nothing happens then imposition of tighter regulations may just follow.

Over to you, the people who want to do the right thing, the people who make money out of sharks and those who want to conserve the resource for the benefit of all. Lets see the changes roll on!

Glenn Ashton

Freelance writer, researcher, author and editor.
Cape Town South Africa

Le Méridien Al Aqah Joins Sharkwatch Arabia targeting the first wild whale shark tagging in the region

Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, 20.11.10- A team of divers and marine scientists will be down under the east coast waters and Musandam region of Oman looking for a suitable whale shark to satellite tag on 21st and 22nd November 2010. This will be the official start for the first ever wild whale shark tagging program in the region.

The sophisticated tag is sponsored by Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort who are supporting the Sharkwatch Arabia research project lead by Chief Scientist, David Robinson. Successful tagging will provide essential data on how these animals utilize the region's waters and beyond.

Sharkwatch Arabia www.sharkwatcharabia.com is a post-graduate study in association with Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh and part of The Shark Project Oman based at Sultan Qaboos University. Sharkwatch Arabia also runs in collaboration with the Sharkquest Arabia Initiative and Emirates Diving Association. Dive schools have been notified to be on the lookout for sharks in the coming week.

Patrick Antaki, General Manager, Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, said, "The personal gratification I get from being a part of Sharkwatch Arabia is as important as the CSR involvement of the resort in this continued quest for environmental understanding and protection. Additionally, the conscious support of our team members who are avid divers that support the cause and voluntarily contribute to similar activities is commendable. We wish the dive teams all success in the tagging programme."

Undertaking the initiative to tag a wild and free swimming whale shark is a hard process that requires the fulfilment of several parameters and possibilities of many attempts to attach a satellite transmitter. The Sharkwatch Arabia teams will live up to the challenge and work towards making the tagging of a whale shark successful and play an important role in adding value to the overall programme.

One of the aims of the Sharkwatch Arabia project is to tag five whale sharks each year over the next five years to provide data on the movements of the animals in the region and help understand why they visit these waters and where they migrate to.

The whale shark is the largest known fish in the oceans, they are listed as vulnerable to extinction partly due to the increased demand for shark products in the Asian markets. The Sharkwatch Arabia project will make a valuable contribution to provide key insights into the ecology of the species and assist in providing necessary steps for their conservation.

Tagging a whale shark with a satellite transmitter helps to track their movements and behaviour in the wild with little interference. The tag that trails behind the animal gathers important information over a 120 day period and subsequently detaches itself from the whale shark. The data involves information of water temperatures, duration of dive, depths, etc. On detachment and touching the surface of the water, the tag begins to transmit the collected data to orbiting satellites that will later be interpreted by ARGOS, the French satellite uplink company who sends the data to research teams for evaluation and further study.

Shark: In Peril in the Sea

It’s a sure sign of evolution: Sharks, dominant predators on Earth for millions of years, are now threatened by humans. In the past few decades shark populations have plummeted and the very traits that long helped prevent the beasts from overpopulating the seas — low birthrates, slow growth and a late arrival at sexual maturity — hinder their recovery from the depredations of overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction.

Owen, a Tasmanian author who has also demystified that island’s famous devil, takes a fascinating look at the biology of sharks, from the smallest (the 19-centimeter-long dwarf lanternshark) to the whale shark, the world’s largest fish. He also explores the complex relationship between man and shark. Sure, we eat each other, but the body count is horribly lopsided. While sharks attack only a few dozen people each year, the annual shark catch routinely tips the scale in the hundreds of thousands of tons.

In large part due to the violent nature of their attacks — which often come literally out of the blue — sharks have long inspired fear and fascination. The 1975 blockbuster Jaws tapped into that primal fear but also demonized great white sharks and, via guilt by association, many other species. Yet, Owen notes, much good came from the film. It inspired scientific interest in sharks and their relatives and spawned shark conservation efforts worldwide. Shark is a captivating portrait of creatures that have too long been unfairly maligned as malevolent, mindless eating machines.

Purchase here.

Oxnard California Sportfishing for White Sharks? Nasty Response

This morning we posted our concerns over a sport fishing site based in California that offers white sharks under the "types of sharks caught".

The apparent understanding is that these animals are on the menu for five fleet vessels operating from Oxnard to Marina del Ray at $1,800 a day.

Fortunately since the mid 90's white sharks off the California coast are protected by law.

Or are they?

Our post caught the attention of a shark conservationist who contacted the apparent owner of sharks.us only to receive the following threatening email, in which Captain Mike Schmidt tracked Jennifer XXX down (we redacted her business information) and seems to threaten her in person.

He also made a statement in a previous email where he threatens to "kill a shark" for every "tree hugger" email she or any of her friends sends him. He doubles down on that threat in this follow up email.

Very classy guy.

Here's the email:

From:Capt. Mike Schmidt [mailto:chum@sharks.us]
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 12:33 PM
To: JenniferXXX
Subject: Re:

Did you think I could not find you?
Do you think I will not call administration and report you?

Try me, and we will add another shark to the list and make a few phone calls as well!
You are not far now are you?

(business contact information for Jennifer xxx redacted)

Capt. Mike Schmidt
C.L.P.
1720 N. Voyager Ave #A
Simi Valley, Cal. 93063
Tel: 1-877-807-2423
Cell: 1-818-262-6022
Fax: 1-800-760-1172
www.sharks.us/charters
www.Sharks.us
chum@sharks.us

Oxnard California Sportfishing for White Sharks?

A quick visit to a sport fishing website sharks.us finds an outfit in Oxnard California that claims, for the lofty sum of just $1,895, to allow you to catch white sharks.

The only problem is the California Department of Fish and Game banned fishing for white sharks in 1994. The effort to get white shark fishing banned in the state of California took several years with many use groups including the sport fishing industry pushing for change.

Ongoing legislation to protect white sharks in California waters remains important and internationally trend setting legislation.

So why are the fleet boats of Sharks.us, all five of them, patrolling the waters from Oxnard to Marina del Ray offering white sharks as part of their monster shark experience?

Types of sharks caught:

• Mako Sharks
• Leopard Sharks
• Oceanic White Tips
• Thresher Sharks
• Tope (Soupfin) Sharks
• White Sharks
• Blue Sharks
• Nurse Sharks
• Lemon Sharks
• Hammerhead
• Bigeye Thresher
• Horn Sharks

About your Shark Adventure:

Your Adventure starts before you step on the dock. Sleepless nights and day dreaming of catching your monster shark, walking down the gang way with anticipation of pulling on a record breaker. The diesel engines firing up to announce to everyone we are starting out on an adventure of a lifetime. Is your heart racing now? Just wait till you see the fin set of a Mako in the chum slick, and then tell us if you can contain yourself. Have this filmed so you can try and share exactly how you felt with your family and friends. Remember, all you have to worry about is showing up on time and we provide everything else: profession crew, expertise, lunch, snacks, drinks, fishing license, tackle, rods and reels, bait, chum, fuel and oil.

chum@sharks.us

Cephalopodia - New Squid Discovered!

Scientists announced the discovery of a new squid species this week.

The new species of deep red, glowing squid was living near undersea mountains in the southern Indian Ocean, scientists announced Monday.

At about 28 inches (70 centimeters) long, the as yet "unnamed species" is relatively big.

We would like to toss a few completely unauthorized and non scientific names into the hat for the researchers tasked with naming this new critter:

1. Glowanchus Big Reddicus

2. Hot Tamlus Glowanchus

2. X-Mas Light Squid

Chile creates a Marine Reserve around Sala y Gómez

Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera announced the creation of Sala y Gómez Marine Park, a no-take marine reserve of 150,000 square kilometers around Sala y Gómez island.

Sala y Gómez is an uninhabited island that’s part of a biodiverse chain of seamounts that are vulnerable to fishing activity. Dr. Enric Sala, marine ecologist and National Geographic Ocean Fellow, called Sala y Gómez “one of the last undisturbed and relatively pristine places left in the ocean.”

Last March, Oceana, National Geographic and the Waitt Foundation conducted a preliminary scientific expedition to the island and found abundant populations of vulnerable species such as sharks and lobsters, much larger than in the depleted ecosystem in nearby Easter Island, which is not protected from fishing. In addition, the scientists found unexpectedly high biodiversity in deeper waters.

After the expedition, Oceana and National Geographic presented a proposal to President Piñera advocating the protection of the entire exclusive economic zone, a total of 411,717 square kilometers around the island. The Fisheries Committee of Chile’s Senate supported the recommendation unanimously.

The new park expands Chile’s total marine protected area more than 100 times, from 0.03% to 4.41%. Currently less than 2% of the global ocean is protected, although the Parties of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity – including Chile – agreed to protect 10% of their exclusive economic zones by 2012.

Shark Sanctuary Train - Palau, Maldives, and Indonesia

First came Palau, the Maldives and now Indonesia has declared a vast protected area for sharks, rays, turtles and more within its territorial waters.


The new sanctuary is in a region known as one of the world's richest sources of marine biodiversity.


The new sanctuary covers 46,000 square kilometres of waters around the Raja Ampat Islands in Eastern Indonesia, part of the so-called Coral Triangle region of Southeast Asia.

Sharks, manta rays, mobulas, dugongs and turtles are fully protected within the sanctuary, and destructive practices including reef bombing and the aquarium fish trade are banned, local officials said.

Kudos to WildAid and the number of shark conservation groups, dive operations, underwater photographers and tourism officials who worked to make this happen.

Andrew Fox - Great Industry Props

From time to time industry members engage in selfless acts of shark conservation that make the industry look good and show real leadership.

Andrew Fox from Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions is one of those members and this week was featured in Australian Geographic for his work in freeing a white shark trapped in a potentially lethal packing strap.

Andrew not only saved the animal but used the experience in the media to highlight the need for less plastics in the oceans. He has also created a sponsor page to channel donations back into ongoing sponsored research with sharks on his regions.

This is how you do commercial shark diving. Kudos to the original commercial shark diving clan for once again making the entire industry look good in the process.

Dirk and Angela Go Shark Diving - Guadalupe Island 2010

Dirk and Angela flew all the way from Europe to join Shark Diver in 2010 at Isla Guadalupe.

To celebrate his adventures Dirk produced the following video, a week in the life of two newly minted Shark Divers. Once again Isla Guadalupe did not disappoint with Dirk being on site for a rare display of seals and sharks in the same frame.

Congratulations Dirk and Angela!

Mike Westhoff NY Jets - Catch and Release Shark Fishing

"If I don't catch 'em, so what? It's a frickin' shark," he says. "I throw 'em back so they can go on with their lives."

Admittedly a bit gruff for a catch and release media quote but what do you expect from the ever crusty Mike Westhoff aka NY Jets Special Teams Coordinator?

This week writer Kevin Armstrong of the NY Daily News covered Westhoff on one of his recent shark fishing trips.

As an unlikely ambassador for catch and release shark fishing Westhoffs final quote sealed the deal, not all shark fishermen have an adversarial relationship with sharks, and some even care about the resource and the future of these magnificent critters:

"How beautiful are they?" he says, looking at a photo. "I could never kill one."

The Economy - A Video Explanation

So let's get this straight. The Federal Reserve is currently engaged in what they call "Quantitative Easing," a fancy term for printing lots and lots of money.

$600 billion dollars worth on this latest round.

Check.

This video explains the rest and how Goldman Sachs is skimming a hefty percent off the top on account someone decided to run the whole deal through them.

Be afraid America, be very afraid.

Bimini Bay Resort Joins Shark-Free Marinas

Bimini, Bahamas – Bimini Bay Resort announced its voluntary participation as the third marina resort in Bimini to join the Shark-Free Marina Initiative (www.sharkfreemarinas.com) whose purpose is to focus on the importance of reducing worldwide shark mortality. Bimini Bay Resort now prohibits the landing of sharks at its marinas and pledges to work in tandem with its sport fishermen to develop protocols under which threatened species of shark are permitted to recover and replenish their populations. As a leading employer of Biminites on the island, Bimini Bay will work to create and enforce community-conscious awareness of the need to protect Bimini’s sharks and waters. “One of our main focuses in 2011 will be to encourage responsible use of our ocean,” stated Rafael Reyes, President of Bimini Bay Resort.

The Shark Free Marina Initiative works with marinas, fishermen and non-profit groups to formulate community conscious policies and to increase awareness of the need to protect sharks. Currently 60 to 100 million sharks are slaughtered worldwide each year, which in turn poses a serious threat to the health of the earth’s oceans. Over the last five years, the United States recreational fishery has harvested an average of 500,000 sharks per year.

Bimini Bay’s participation in the Shark-Free Marina Initiative takes the Bimini
Islands unanimously one step closer to this marina initiative; a boon to the shark populations of the area and to the Bimini Biological Station. Bimini is home to healthy shark populations and to the Bimini Biological Field Station. Informally known as the Shark lab, the Bimini Biological Field Station on South Bimini is a world-renowned research facility whose subjects of study are the many species of sharks in the unique habitat of the Bimini’s North Sound and Bimini’s surrounding waters.

~ Bimini Bay Resort and Marina~
The island of Bimini offers jet-setters and boaters an unparalleled vacation experience at the island’s first four-star luxury vacation resort, located just 48 miles off the shore of South Florida. The ideal setting for a destination wedding, honeymoon or corporate retreat, anyone seeking a unique getaway can appreciate exceptional suite accommodations designed to provide families with ultimate comfort and space. All suites feature kitchens with granite countertops and contemporary designs with beach-chic décor and breathtaking views of the Atlantic or Bimini Bay. The resort’s marketplace at Fisherman’s Village offers a complimentary children’s activity center with year-round activities and camps. Other amenities include water sports, an infinity
pool, gourmet cuisine, two marinas--one accommodating mega yachts--and beach and poolside massage services. For more information or for reservations, please visit www.biminibayresort.com or call (242) 347-2900.

~About the Island of Bimini~
Proud Island of the Bahamas: The island of Bimini is located 48 miles east of South Florida, where the Gulf Stream meets the Great Bahama Bank. Bimini is heralded for its infamous flats fishing, offshore fishing and diving. Discovered in the 1500’s by Ponce de Leon in his quest for the Fountain of Youth, this colorful island’s abundance of unspoiled island views and emerald waters continues to attract yachting and water-sport enthusiasts searching for a relaxing haven that offers something for the entire

SharkDiver.com in Cigar Aficionado Magazine

In the December issue of Cigar Aficionado, Jim Belushi lets us know if his new TV show is all drama or has some room for humor. Also, they explore Scotland's whisky experiences, take you on a tour of Drew Estate, profile weather guru Jim Cantore, present their annual holiday cigar gift guide, take a look back at the 10 biggest blunders in golf history, and offer their official NBA preview.

Of course there's also an in depth article on shark diving featuring stunning images by Jim Cornfield with your friendly neighbourhood shark diving company Sharkdiver.com.

Christmas came early this year with the artful blending of premium cigars with shark diving!

Warning Graphic Bahamas Shark Images NSFW

The following images are graphic but also serve to highlight the need for ongoing shark protections in the Bahamas. We covered this event back in 2008 and from these images created the concept behind the Shark-Free Marinas Initiative.

Fortunately there's a movement to protect Bahamian sharks with the help of Pew Trusts, the Bahamas National Trust, smaller support NGO's, and interested commercial shark diving operations.

This is why we need to protect the sharks of the Bahamas.

These images were taken in late 2007 and feature a pregnant sport caught Tiger shark with near term pups ripped from her body. This magnificent animal, the pinnacle of a healthy eco system and part of a thriving $70 million dollar Bahamian shark tourism industry, was reduced to a set of jaws - and a series of ghoulish family vacation photos:



TIGER SHARK MARCH 2008

Save Our Seas Deepwater Telemetry Project

Scientist Edd Brooks with the Bahamas Shark Research and Conservation Program is a busy man.

His recent project could not be more timely with the recent push to make the whole of The Bahamas into a shark preserve.

Expedition Report:

The initial success of the deep water pilot project previously reported before has continued. So far 32 individual surveys, resulting in eighty animals from nine different species: Cuban dogfish (Squalus cubensis), Roughskin dogfish (Centroscymnus owstoni), Smoothound (Mustelus canis insularis), Gulper shark (Centrophorus granulousus), Taiwan gulper (Centrophorus niaukang), Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformes), Bluntnose sixgill (Hexanchus griseus), Bigeye sixgill (Hexanchus nakamurai) and the Sawtail catshark (Galeus springeri).

However, the catches have been dominated by the cuban dogfish and the gulper shark.

Perhaps the most exciting news is the deployment of pop-up satellite archival transmitters (PSATs) on gulper sharks (Centrophorous granulosus) and the Taiwan gulper shark (Centrophorous niaukang), which will provide the first movement and habitat use data for these animals. Seventeen individual gulper sharks, comprising both male and female ranging in size from 52 – 105 cm and four Taiwan gulper sharks ranging in size from 130 – 156 cm have been captured. With one X-Tag deployed on each of the two species of gulper sharks, the team anxiously awaits the pop off periods of 30 days and 5 months.

Until the recent development of the X-Tag by Microwave Telemetry, Inc. there was not a PSAT small enough to deploy on a smaller species like the gulper sharks. The X-Tag weighing only 40g and pressure rated to 2500m is roughly half the size of the original archival pop-up tag which opens new possibilities for research on a variety of deep ocean sharks, many of which are under 1m in total length. Twelve more X-Tags are planned for deployment on the gulper sharks throughout the duration of the pilot project.

Complete Post.

Mystery Missile The Science The Pathos

Bah. So a good friend sent us a link to a science-y blog with some big equations that apparently prove the Mystery Missile off California's coast this week is in fact...wait for it...a plane.

Since we're usually dumbfounded by fancy equations and by science folks in general we'll call this one done.

Too bad, a North Korea nuke boat with an errant missile off California's coast would have been a lot more fun.

Back to sharks after this:


This diagram is not to scale, but the math is the same regardless. The solid curved line is the surface of the earth. The dot at the top is San Clemente. The little triangle is Catalina. “d” is the distance to Catalina (d=35 miles). “c” the amount of Catalina that is visible above the horizon (c=0.05 miles, really a bit more, but let’s be conservative). “a” is the altitude of the plane, (a = 6 miles). “r” is the radius of the earth (r=3963 miles).

The green wavy line is the contrail. Notice it’s at a fixed height above the surface of the earth, and is going directly towards the OC.

The point labeled (0,0) is the center of the earth. (0,0) means X=0, Y=0, where X is horizontal and Y is vertical. What we want to know is how far away the plane is, the value x. We do this with cartesian geometry, noting that the lowest visible point of the trail is at the intersection of the dotted line, which is a circle of radius (r+a), hence the equation x^2 + y^2 = (r+a)^2 and the line labeled “sight line”, which is has the equation y=x*c/d. Combining these equations to solve for x yields a quadratic equation, which we can solve with Wolfram Alpha:

intersection of (y=r+x*c/d) and (x^2+y^2 = (r+a)^2)

and with the real numbers:

intersection of (y=r+x*c/d) and (x^2+y^2 = (r+a)^2) where a=6 and d=35 and c=0.05 and r=3963

Thanks to Ethan Stock for the hat tip!

Mystery Missile California Conspiracy?

Less than 24 hours after what looks to be a very large missile being launched off the California coast a plethora of wired sites have thrown their collective weight behind "it's just a jet theory".

Wired Online

Gizmondo

New Scientist

Are we certain this video is in fact a jet and if so would there not be an airline track of a plane over the ocean at the precise launch site and time yesterday?

See live airplane track site LAX.

For the money we think it's one of two of the following options:

A. The MythBusters Adam and Jamie foolin' around with season #1020 "Even Bigger"

B. The Balloon Boy Redux

As we said earlier today, the mystery will be solved. Only if we can get past the geeks on the tech sites calling this one done.

Hey Gizmondo, did you even watch the damn CBS video?

Mystery Missile Launches off Catalina...MythBusters?

The news today that a "sizable" missile was launched at sea off the coast off Catalina yesterday has Pentagon and Navy officials denying involvement.

"It's spectacular it takes people's breath away," said former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Robert Ellsworth, calling the projectile, "a big missile".

So, who launched it?

For the money we're wondering where Adam and Jamie - The MythBusters - were last night.

Both gents like things that go boom, and as far as we're concerned they're about the only guys in California with the expertise to pull off a "sizable missile launch".

Time will tell as this very strange story come to light.

Update: There's a rumor floating around Catalina Island right now of a fisherman who saw the launch at sea last night.

Shark Research Internship Wanted

Organisation: 3 Fathoms
Salary: Volunteer
Location: South Africa
Hours: Full Time
Position type: Volunteer
Contract: Temporary
Closing date: Tue 07 December 10
Website: www.canyoufathomit.org
Contact name: Ryan Daly
Contact email: canyoufathomit@gmail.com

Join a team of marine scientists in the field to gain valuable fieldwork experience.

Although a background in marine science is not required, being comfortable in the water and in rough conditions at sea, the ability to look after yourself and a passion for the sea are essential. With 3 Fathoms, you will learn a lot, see a lot and do a lot. A concerted effort and enthusiasm are expected in order to help achieve the goals of the research project underway. As an intern your primary purpose will be to assist in the research program although there is time to pursue side trips to game reserves, local attractions and of course beach and surf time.

Activities include:
• Underwater observation of sharks using SCUBA or free diving
• SCUBA training though divemaster
• Practical field experience using innovative methodology
• Involvement in marine conservation issues and promotion
• Usage of innovative scientific equipment
• Collecting and recording data
• Field sample preservation and organization
• Shopping and cooking

The Elevator Shark Pitch

And we'll be hiring Marisa next week to work for us, fun video, fine elevator pitch:

RTSea Blog Three Part Series - The Emancipation of Data

As media producer, filmmaker, and marcomm consultant, Richard Theiss has provided high definition images for broadcast networks and non-profits in addition to developing and implementing marketing strategies for multi-billion dollar corporations.

From sweeping Arctic vistas to pensive human interaction to the power of the great white shark, Richard Theiss/RTSea adheres to the principle of "Making the Message Matter."

This week Richard posted an in depth three part series on Science and Media Communications. Creating a the bridge between science and the public.

Science and Media Communications: turning data into enlightenment - Part 1 of 3


Science and Media Communications: turning data into enlightment - Part 2 of 3


Science and Media Communications: turning data into enlightenment, Part 3 of 3

Top 10 Adventures Yellowpages.com

Yellowpages.com added your friendly neighbourhood shark diving company SharkDiver.com to its hallowed Top Ten Adventures list this week:

Imagine the Thrill
Dare to overcome three fears all at once: swimming in deep water... while submerged in an enclosed cage... in shark-infested waters. While some might consider the scenario more of a nightmare than an adventure, shark diving often jolts participants' adrenaline in ways few other thrills can. Facing some of Mother Nature's fiercest predators up close in their raw habitat obliterates your sense of comfort at the top of the food chain.

Make the Adventure
Two of America's most popular destinations for shark diving are off the coasts of Oahu's North Shore, with a few expeditions leaving from Haleiwa (pronounced ha-lay-AY-vuh), Hawaii, and northern Baja California, with companies like Shark Diver disembarking from San Diego (and also offering expeditions to see the "red demon" giant squids of Mexico). You can go shark-cage diving with little or no scuba experience, depending on the type of cage (whether sunken, floating or affixed), but newbies usually just need to attend a cage-diving orientation. Special certification might be required to go diving near great white sharks.

Shark-Human Interactions – Aggression?

If you want to fully understand our continued support for Beqa Adventure Divers in Fiji it has a lot to do with Da Shark and his in depth look at the fundamentals of our industry covering topics that get almost zero coverage elsewhere.

This week was a fine example.

Da Shark on Human-Shark Interaction:

One of the most frequent questions our customers ask is whether our Sharks are aggressive.

Our standard answer is to tell them that in our experience, they are not aggressive as in wanting to bite us but rather, that they may sometimes be assertive, meaning that some will try and barge in to get some food and that in doing so, they may display a degree of posturing.

Granted our definition may be threading a very fine line – but words are powerful and we want to steer the conservation away from the usual stereotypes and towards a more neutral mindset.

Complete Post.

Image by Christy Fisher

Chris Ross in Men's Journal 2010

Underwater photographer Chris Ross joined Shark Diver a few seasons ago at Isla Guadalupe, only to return as the primary (and most excellent) photographer for Nat Geo's Expedition Great White.

He's off on the next season shooting sharks, but prior to packing his bags was featured in this month's Men's Journal.

Along the way Chris mentioned Shark Diver as the shark diving company to go with - should you choose to spend a week in the company of sharks.

Thanks Chris, and safe travels...we mean that!

Mision Tiburon joins Migramar

Mision Tiburon Conservationist Association is a Costa Rican nonprofit NGO, whose goal is to promote research, management and conservation of sharks and marine life in our oceans.

Mision Tiburon was officially established in 2009 by young conservationists, who are concerned about the drastic decline of shark populations around the world. The promoters of this group are marine biologists whose have worked in the last years in educational projects and marine researches with sharks, rays and turtles. During these years, they have acquired the experience and the knowledge to lead new marine conservation projects.

Complete Post.

Deadliest Catch - Hooking a Shark in San Francisco Bay

From UrbanDaddy.com:

Sharks.

It’s a constant debate as to whether they’re lurking in the Bay. But the definitive answer is yes, yes they are.

Which means: you need to catch them before they catch you.

Cue the Jaws theme song. Fire up the boat. You’re going fishing...

Behold Sole Man Fishing, a seafaring outfit at the ready for baiting and hooking sharks in the San Francisco Bay, now taking charters out of Fisherman’s Wharf.

Now, if you’re having visions of wrestling gigantic great whites with your bare hands as the sea whips your sturdy craft to and fro, you should know those beasts are rarely seen inside the Golden Gate. But there’s a slew of other prehistoric, big-jawed fish—leopard sharks, giant seven-gills, threshers and soupfins—ready and waiting.

And that’s where Captain Don and his trusty deckhand come into play. You and five of your closest angling buddies can charter a 32-footer with an ample fishing deck, onboard grill and even a heated cabin—and head anywhere between SFO, the Golden Gate Bridge and Vallejo.

The method for shark fishing isn’t all that different from regular fishing, but for the slightly more powerful fight you might have to get it onboard (hint: a bat comes in handy). Nearly eight out of 10 catches will be leopard sharks, with the occasional seven-gill at the end of your line, so with a per-boat limit of three, you’ll have to choose wisely.

But remember, the sharks are probably thinking the same thing.

GEERG Shark Observation Network

One of the better concepts for sharks to come along in a while from the fine folks over at GEERG.

This is smart conservation thinking in action and first rate eco branding as well.


Welcome to the Shark Observation Network

The Shark Observation Network (www.sharksonline.net) is a partnership of the Greenland Shark and Elasmobranch Education and Research Group (GEERG), the Shark Research Institute (SRI), and the BIOAPP.

The network supports the collection and organisation of data as well as the development and dissemination of information concerning the state of shark and elasmobranch populations and their worldwide distribution.

The information serves to support environmental awareness, assessment and policy making, and public participation at a global level. You can help us by reporting your own shark observations on a regular basis. This service is free and it is accessible to the general public at all times: www.sharksonline.net

If you would like to add an observation for a species that is not yet listed, please contact us and we will create a new file.

Go to the photo upload page if you like to make a contribution.

SharkDiver.com in Cigar Aficionado Magazine

What does shark diving and cigar smoking have to do with each other?

Everything.

This months Cigar Aficionado Magazine searched for the top white shark company running operations in Mexico and sent intrepid reporter Jim Cornfied out with Shark Diver and the crew of Horizon Charters to Isla Guadalupe to discover cigars and sharks.

Our little company has kept a fine tradition of cigar smoking alive on board as it turns out shark adventures and very expensive cigars seem to go quite naturally together.

We're on page 52 of Decembers issue, talking sharks, conservation, and what we do best.

We'll post the entire article when it comes online or pick up your magazine today.

Villagers feast on rare whale shark Philippines

AP Oct 20,2010

Villagers in the Philippines have butchered for food an endangered whale shark that was trapped in a fish pen, stunning officials who vowed on Thursday to file criminal charges for the slaughter of a rare creature.

Environmental officer Job Tagle said he found about a dozen people with knives running away with big basins of meat carved from the whale shark when he reached the village of Bio-os in the central Philippines on Tuesday.

Tagle said only the head of the whale shark - the world's biggest fish species - was left when he and police arrived.

It took at least 10 men to carry the head, which weighed about 200kg, onto a van. It had what looked like several bullet and spear wounds and was later buried, he said.

The owner of the fish pen, located about 500 metres from shore, said the animal was dead when he found it, but police suspect it was killed based on its wounds, Tagle added.

An official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Negros Oriental province, Oscar Moncopa, said charges will be filed against the owner.

Conservation group WWF-Philippines said possession or slaughter of a whale shark can be punished by up to four years' imprisonment plus a fine of up to 10,000 pesos ($A237).

In February, another 5-1/2-metre whale shark was found dead and the Bureau of Fisheries and WWF offered a $US2,170 ($A2,239) reward for information about the culprits. No one has been arrested.

Whale sharks have been hunted for decades and 2.2 pounds (a kilogram) of dried fins can fetch up to $US800 ($A825) on the black market.

Bahamas Shark Expedition - Good Idea 2

Guy Harvey, marine artist and biologist, is back from an expedition to the Bahamas with a mission of “recording the beauty of sharks.” In addition to Harvey, Jim Abernathy, and artist Wyland, are also involved in the effort. The team hopes to use shark imagery to encourage people to promote shark conservation.

Looks like they have hit all the right notes:

Top 50 Undersea Blogs - Underwater Thrills

Look around the Internet and you'll discover there are very few blogs out there that deliver consistent shark diving industry content, and even fewer that dare to approach the really tough subjects within our industry.

Ours does.

Underwater Thrills is now part of a small cadre of water blogs - The Top 50 - that deliver shark content, industry analysis, and media on a daily basis.

And that list is growing. Unfortunately missing from this list is Da Shark in Fiji and The Dorsal Fin an oversight that needs to be remedied and will be this week.

For the record here's the Official Top 50 and here's to year number three, 3000 posts and counting.