Gulf of the Farallones Junior on Tape - ABC News Report

While many within the research blogging community have completely exonerated Dr.Michael Domeier and Chris Fischer for the current condition of Junior, a shark with 2.6 pounds of rusting hook left in his esophagus, ABC News just completed an investigation of the events that most likely lead to this animals current condition.

While the exoneration has proposed that a shark attack, not a rusting hook, is responsible for the condition of this animal we are not buying it. We are also not buying into the notion that just because this animal is "still tracking" means this effort was a success. The animals current condition is grave, this is not the same once robust shark, and the debate about it's condition and ultimate responsibility needs to be addressed clearly and without any further internecine agendas by ridiculous bit players in California.

What is not up for debate is the half-assed attempt by one or more within the shark research community to discredit Dr. Domeier for the wound on the side of this animals face. It was a sorry side show to the animals overall diminished condition and frankly a disservice to a protected species within a national marine sanctuary where new prohibitive regulations keep all persons 164 feet away from white sharks at all times.

The ABC News investigation used clips from the show as Junior was caught and details the 1.2 hours this animal spent in the care of a team of self-styled shark tagging experts who, by all accounts, were learning as they went along, reacting to an unfolding series of cascading disasters with "televised precision".

Watch Chris Fischer the owner of Fischer Productions and one of the shows crew members, as he realizes that they are in the middle of a disaster with cameras running celebrate the eye of the hook coming free from Junior after heavy duty bolt cutters are pushed through the gills, yelling "Super Sweet!".

Super Sweet? This animal is being left with a huge foreign body inside it's throat, and yet the crew seems to think this is cause for celebration, it was anything but. The shows cast members also renamed the shark to "Lucky", a purely fictionalized attempt at audience redirect.

Moments like these are the reason why this brand of research, using film crews for science, should not be allowed back at the Farallones. It is also the reason why Sanctuary Manager Maria Brown who refused to be interviewed by ABC for this piece, should be fired from her post and replaced by a manager who is less star struck, and more interested in long term non invasive work with a protected species.

Maria's handling and media appearances over this event have been poor at best, at worst actionable by NOAA.

It shatters the imagination that this is the same Maria Brown who shepherded in the new rules and regulations that keep visitors to sanctuary waters 164 feet away from white sharks. Yet within months of those new rules granted this well heeled, for profit film crew, who also had thousands of dollars in promotional product placement agreements with companies like Costa Sunglasses, unprecedented access to the these same animals with baited hooks.

This month Maria Brown continues to consider a return by Dr.Domeier's team to hook 11 more sharks within Sanctuary waters, playing politics once again, when the debate over the condition of Junior has not even been discussed with any serious thought and more than a healthy dose of career saving cover your ass.

Gulf of the Farallones Tagging Disaster - No Fault?

Was this image leak a set up?

Was Dr.Domeier the target of nefarious and truly dark individuals seeking to tar and feather him with public opinion?

Is Dr.Domeier completely free of blame for the current condition of Junior, a white shark with 2.6 lbs of hook left in his esophagus in 2009?

According to David Shiffman who has acquired the 1.17 second tape all of us were seeking, the answer is yes to all three questions.

After wading through this "sewage of a debate" and watching the main accusations unfold by less than credible spokespersons for the California research community, I am dead certain of a few things in regards to Junior.

1. Someone (not so intelligent) did in fact send these images of Junior out to select blogs to create some noise. Ours was one of them.

2. The intent was to make the case that the hook used to capture Junior in 2009 by Dr.Domeiers team caused this wound. A case we did not agree with. This was never about what caused this wound and our blog coverage and statements online will back that up.

The end result, no so surprisingly, is a complete and utter vindication of Dr.Domeier and Chris Fischer for the current state of Junior once the 1.17 seconds of live video came to light (congratulations to David for the acquisition). Even though this is an animal that is no longer in any kind of breeding condition, and is an animal that is seriously underweight.

The main accusation against Domeier and Chris Fischer (such as it was) was framed in absolutes when wildlife is far more nuanced than that. Cause and effect may trigger unintended consequences, all of which should have be discussed and carefully reviewed - but never was.

For the nefarious and truly dark individuals who brought this image and half-witted accusation to light, add to that moronic, I would suggest that you forget about this animal, forget any further attempts at your moral shock at this animals condition, and forget any attempts at getting Sanctuary Manager Maria Brown to change the way she conducts business within a National Marine Sanctuary.

That dog won't bark anymore.

You have fired your only shot, and missed the mark, and completely lost the moral high ground.

In fact, it is over.

The debate and discussion over Juniors current state should have been about the following:

1. Hybrid shark film and television research within a National Marine Sanctuary and the causes that lead to a very bad mistake with a white shark being hooked in the throat.

2. The continuation of said research after a tagging disaster and subsequent media gaffs, cover ups, and flat out cover-your-assery that boggled the imagination.

3. The overall current diminished condition of an animal that was hooked in the esophagus with 98% of the hook left in the esophagus in 2009.

If I sound a bit put off, the fact is, I am.

What should have been all about a protected white shark within a National Marine Sanctuary devolved into a sideshow of lies, bullshit, titanic egos, moronic assumptions, and one very big vendetta that has now backfired on those who set it loose.

For Junior, all this land based "much ado about nothing" will not help his condition and thanks to this half assed side show we'll never get any serious minded discussion about the state of this animal.

The real tragedy here is about one shark. Not pricked egos, television shows, ratings, or someones next research paper.

Is this the best we can do? Apparently so.

Mike "Da Shark" in Fiji has an excellent wrap, and yes I agree, if the identity of EcoShark1 ever comes to light you'll know we'll be writing about it.

Gulf of the Farallones White Shark "Junior" - It's Official, Now What?

The resident Gulf of the Farallones white shark we featured last week called "Junior" was purported to be a shark that was badly hooked by a hybrid film and television/research production in 2009.

For the past week we have been seeking confirmation that these incredible images were in fact the same shark, returned to the islands in 2010 emaciated and with a terrific wound/tumor on the side of its face.

Today we got confirmation in post by Marine CSI, responsible for the research side of this hybrid project in California and Mexico.

At stake, a career, scientific gravitas, and many unanswered questions.

Foremost, why did Marine CSI researchers who have been sitting on these images since 2010 only come forward now to ultimately defend their work and put forward an ad hoc series of unlikely reasons for Juniors current mangled condition?

Additionally why did sanctuary management not update their initial independent review document which was released to the public on September of 2010 when one month later, in October of 2010, became aware of these same images?

What we Know

We know this animal was a healthy breeding aged animal in 2009. In 2010 after being badly hooked in the esophagus with 98% of the hook left inside its body (over two pounds of steel), the same animal returned, emaciated, with a massive wound on the side of its jaw.

How that wound came to pass and how this animal came back seriously underweight is a matter for conjecture and debate. What's not up for debate is this sharks condition as of October 2010, grave.

After reading the post from Marine CSI this week we would like to frame this debate.

This debate is about is "cause and effect" not "unfortunate circumstance" as Marine CSI might have it's readers believe. So let's start there, cause and effect.

Gulf of the Farallones White Shark Disaster Redux

The following images are as shocking as they are hard to comprehend. The damage to this shark is simply stunning.

They are purported to be "before and after" images of a protected white shark that was mauled at the Farallone islands in 2009.

A shark by the name of Junior.

The shark was badly hooked by a hybrid shark research/film crew in the fall of 2009. The hook was set so badly in the animal that a pair of industrial bolt cutters had to be pushed through the gills of the shark to cut the hook.

Two thirds of the hook was left inside the animal.

If this is in fact the same animal and these images can be verified, it is clear evidence that this brand of hybrid film and television shark research should be banned from the Sanctuary.

Permanently.

Maria Brown, Farallones Sanctuary Manager, gave the following assessment in 2009 of this kind of research:

"I equated it to, it felt like what it's like when I go to the dentist; when you go in, you get a cavity filled, it's something that maybe you don't want to go do, but you do it, it's quick, it's over, it's done."

This blog will be following up on the series of recent images we have uncovered featuring an emaciated white shark with what looks like a tumor on the side of it's mouth and will be reporting the details as they can be verified.

Stay tuned.

Update Gulf of the Farallones White Shark Policy - Stunningly Poor Management Decisions?

Update Gulf of the Farallones White Shark "Junior" - It's Official, Now What?

Gulf of the Farallones The Independent Review

The long awaited Official Independent Review of a 2009 badly hooked shark incident at the Farallones is out and now available to the public.

See review.

While this review goes a long way to addressing the health of a badly hooked shark during Dr. Domeiers tenure at the Farallones, it fails to address many of the root problems with this entire episode.

The stakes for this review are high as these sharks are a protected species, in a National Marine Sanctuary with a long history of pro-shark protectionism that has, over the years, enabled a series of deeply restrictive rules and regulations regarding commercial and public shark viewing at this site.

Questions regarding who was baiting white sharks at the time, who designed the hooks, shark hooking protocol, and many more are left unanswered in this review.

In fact the very nature of this "research" is in question as the research vessel, crew, and funding for this "research" came from Chris Fischer with Fischer Productions who was, at the time, shooting the entire effort for a multi-part National Geographic series called Shark Men.

Within the film and television community this production was considered one of the largest of it's kind. The stakes for National Geographic and for Fischer Productions were high. The series has gone on to be very successful commercially for Fischer Productions and National Geographic television.

The Farallones Manager Maria Brown and her staff knew this. What she signed off on was a hybrid operation comprised of members of Dr.Domeiers staff and that of a film and television production crew.

A crew that also touted a Hollywood actor as participant member (see link).

Never in the history of the sanctuary system, as far as we know, has such a crew been given the green light to bait (with whale meat) and hook a protected species within the boundaries of a National Marine Sanctuary, and no where in the recently released independent review is there mention of this.

So, what ultimately happened?

We might never know. The simple fact is the underpinnings of this review needs to address how the future of shark science is done within a National Marine Sanctuary. If commercial shark diving companies cannot bait, tow decoys, or even be within 164 feet of a white shark then the rules regarding hybrid film and television productions that are doing invasive shark research should be even more restrictive.

Or should they?

There's a white shark with 3/4 of a hook embedded in it's throat right now, a hook the size of a small dinner pan and to this day we have no idea who was on the other end of that baited line. Was that person a production member, or a scientist?

That this shark is still alive should come as some measure of relief to those who signed off on this project.

The fact that the recently released independent review makes no mention of this film and television production with its "trained staff" operating within a National Marine Sanctuary bodes badly for the future of the sanctuary program in general. It also speaks to the continued poor decision making of allowing Hollywood productions to conduct invasive shark research.

Gulf of the Farallones - Hooking Sharks Round Two?

Research teams are back at it with a new draft proposal to bait, hook, and tag more sharks at the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary.

The draft proposal is here.

Public comment can be emailed to sanctuary staff member Carliane.Johnson@noaa.gov until October 12, 2010.

Last years effort was well documented when a breeding aged white shark was foul hooked, and the hook had to be cut free with a pair of industrial bolt cutters.

The hook was embedded so deeply that cutters had to be pushed through the sharks gills.

Only a small percent of the hook was recovered and the rest was left inside the animal.

Apparently, and much to the research teams relief, the animal lived. It still has a man made hook embedded deep in its throat prompting Maria Brown, Farallones Sanctuary Manager, to give the following assessment of this kind of research:

"I equated it to, it felt like what it's like when I go to the dentist; when you go in, you get a cavity filled, it's something that maybe you don't want to go do, but you do it, it's quick, it's over, it's done."

Please read that statement again. It was for the record to ABC News in regards to a throat hooked protected species in a National Marine Sanctuary. The 2009 permit was issued for a research/television show called Shark Men.

A team of expert anglers, a renowned shark scientist and a Hollywood heartthrob join forces to unmask the mysteries of the world's largest predatory fish. Their bold expedition includes a unique vessel with an unprecedented way to lift Great Whites out of the water for examination.

The ensuing foul hooked shark media calamity was a black eye for both the Farallones, the entire NOAA sanctuary system, and invasive shark tagging programs. Our views on the matter were for the record and we were one of the few commercial shark diving operators to take a public stance against this kind of research. For reasons that remain obvious to this day.

No one can guarantee a hooked white shark will not suffer grievous damage with this kind of work.

In the end this brand of invasive research/television programming will have to be decided by interested parties, use groups, other researchers, and the general public.

Should be an interesting few months.

Farallones Tagging Disaster - Follow Up?

In 2009 a film/research team badly mauled a white shark at the Farallone Islands.

What is not in dispute is the fact that a circle hook, very similar to the one seen here, was embedded deeply in the throat of a white shark.

The team went on to try and remove this hook by pushing bolt cutters through the gills of the animal and only succeeded in getting a fraction back leaving the animal with a hook still embedded in it's throat.

The resulting media storm over this event sent shock waves through both the research community and the commercial shark world. Only a few of the commercial shark diving operators on the West coast of the USA got in front of this issue, we were one of them. Others who are far more commercially invested in the Farallones said and did little in the public forum for reasons that remain their own.

Our long standing commercial and conservation efforts with sharks have been predicated by one mandate "do no harm to sharks." We support all research and commercial endeavors until they break that simple tenant.

The badly mauled shark at the Farallones was tagged with a real time GPS monitor and we were told the animal was "in great health." Unfortunately since December 8. 2009, all our efforts to get this real time data monitored by an independent source seemed to have hit a wall.

To date we have sent six emails to NOAA's and GFNMS regional managers and have been told the following:

The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary will work with an independent, qualified reviewer with expertise in white shark behavior, husbandry, and/or health to assess the status of the sharks tagged last Fall around the Farallon Islands.

b) The independent reviewer will assess the status of the sharks by reviewing footage of the tagging operations and comparing the tracking data from Dr. Domeier's tags with the tracking data from TOPP's research project at the Farallones over a year's timeframe. The GFNMS has already contacted Dr. Domeier for his data to begin the assessment.

c) The GFNMS will notify you as soon as that person has been identified and the work has begun.

d) The GFNMS will notify you of the results and post the results of the assessment on the Gulf of Farallones website (farallones.noaa.gov)

It has been five months since this tagging disaster and we have not heard anything from NOAA or the GFNMS staff in regards to this pressing matter and it is time that we did.

Editors Note: Fiji's Da Shark has weighed in on this issue (again) and we have to agree with his take, makes for great additional reading.

Farallones Tagging Mishap - RTSea Productions

However you want to characterise last weeks tagging incident at the Farallone Islands many within the shark community have unanswered questions.

RTSea Productions added their voice and overall assessment yesterday:

Controversy is now dogging the white shark tagging efforts of Dr. Michael Domeier of the Marine Conservation Science Institute. The SPOT (smart positioning or temperature) tagging began in Isla Guadalupe under the eyes of a film crew for a National Geographic Channel program to air on the 19th. It involves a technique whereby the shark is hooked and reeled on board, aerated with a water hose, while the crew literally drills and bolts a satellite transmitting tag to the shark's dorsal fin.

This is a rather elaborate tagging technique that has generated much concern within the shark conservation community (click here for prior posting about the Isla Guadalupe taggings, and here are two from other sites: click here and here).

Now, Dr. Domeier has moved northward to the Farallon Islands and, with the approval of Maria Brown, superintendent for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, has been tagging sharks there but with less than optimal success. Apparently, one shark swallowed the hook deep into its throat causing the bait's float to become lodged in the shark's jaws, thereby blocking access for the aerating water hose and requiring the cutting of the hook by working straight through the shark's gills. All in all a disaster in humane animal treatment as far as I'm concerned.

While there are concerns about the stresses this type of tagging places on the shark, there is also the question as to the need for more data acquired in the Northern California area. Dr. Barbara Block of Stanford, Dr. Pete Klimley of UC Davis, and others have amassed a considerable body of data that tracks the migratory patterns of these animals. They and their colleagues just recently issued a detailed report that can be viewed in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, published online on 11/04/09 in the Biological Sciences section ("Philopatry and migration of Pacific white sharks").

I always felt that this particular tagging technique was a more elaborate mousetrap than necessary. Now its efficacy has become controversial, the California data may ultimately be redundant, and the National Marine Sanctuary must defend a decision to allow catching a protected species in a manner that would most likely not be allowed for, say, a protected marine mammal.

Too many questions, too much controversy. . .

Read article in Bay area bohemian.com.

NOAA Gives Great White Sharks More Protection in Gulf of the Farallones Sanctuary

New regulations to protect the great white shark are now in effect in NOAA’s Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, a marine protected area just west of San Francisco.

The regulations, enacted by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, prohibit activities that would attract white sharks anywhere in the Farallones sanctuary. “Attracting” the sharks means any activity that lures or may lure a shark by using food, bait, chum, dyes, decoys (e.g., surfboards or body boards used as decoys), acoustics or any other means.

Found in North-Central California waters, white sharks feed on seals and sea lions, primarily during late summer and fall months. The sharks play an important role in the marine ecosystem by keeping fast-growing seal and sea lion populations in balance.

The new rules strengthen the ban on hunting and fishing for white sharks by allowing them to feed undisturbed and without distraction from intrusive human activities.

Getting within 50 meters (164 feet) of any white shark within two nautical miles of any of the Farallon Islands also is prohibited. The Farallones are comprised of three island groups, part of the Farallon Archipelago, approximately 27 miles from the Golden Gate and Point Reyes.

Designated in 1981, the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary encompasses 948 square nautical miles (1,255 square miles) of water off the northern and central California coast. Located just a few miles from San Francisco, the waters within the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary are part of a nationally significant marine ecosystem that supports a diversity of marine habitats and species.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

Cage Diving Farallones - New Regulations

Editors Note: The following email came from the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and finalizes eight years of public input and research data. The final rule bars commercial shark diving operators to a 164' foot distance from white sharks with minor concessions to static decoy use.

It is time operators at this site consider what constitutes commercial shark diving:

To protect one of the most important white shark populations in the world, NOAA/Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has enacted new regulations to ensure sharks are not disturbed.

Within Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries Federal law prohibits:

1. Attracting a white shark anywhere in Gulf of the Farallones or Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries.


Attract or attracting means the conduct of any activity that lures or may lure a white shark in the Sanctuary by using food,bait, chum, dyes, decoys (e.g., surfboards or body boards used as decoys), acoustics or any other means, except the mere presence of human beings (e.g., swimmers, divers, boaters, kayakers, surfers).

2. Approaching within 50 meters (164 ft.) of any white shark within 2 nautical miles of any of the Farallon Islands.

Attached you will find a flyer. Please hang it if you know of a great location with high visibility. Also, please forward this email onto interested parties that we may have overlooked.

Thank you,

Sage Tezak
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary

--
Sage Tezak
Conservation Science Specialist
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
991 Marine Dr, the Presidio
San Francisco, CA 94129
(W) 415.561.6622 x306
(F) 415.561.6616
Sage.Tezak@noaa.gov