Betting on sharks-Barbarians at the gate

We're not sure what is more repugnant a pastime. Shark finning or illegal betting on dead shark "weigh ins" like a recent expose at the Martha's Vinyard Monster Shark Tournament.

One thing we are sure about. Media is a powerful tool. With the advent of You Tube you can get your message across to millions. As far as shark conservation goes the next time you see an online save-the-sharks petition...shut down your computer and go pick up a camcorder:

Kudo's the the Humane Society for this kind of direct action.

Freakish Mystery Surround "Seal Shootings"

O.K, so it's not like the media gets things wrong all too often, but this is just too creepy. As you know we have been following recent events in Oregon where several caged seals were "shot to death" apparently in response to record low Salmon stocks.

Today an autopsy revealed that all 6 dead, caged, animals had not been shot at all...here's where it gets bizzare, read on:

Exam indicates sea lions weren't shot to death in Oregon

3 hours ago

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal fisheries officials now say the six sea lions found dead in traps on the Columbia River apparently were not shot to death.

Spokesman Brian Gorman of the National Marine Fisheries Service said Wednesday that preliminary results of a necropsy found no evidence of recent gunshot wounds but found numerous shallow puncture wounds in one animal consistent with sea lion bite marks.

Gorman says X-rays found metal fragments in soft tissue near the neck of two animals.

He says a metal slug was found in the blubber of one animal, but neither the fragments nor the slug appear to be fatal and may have been from old wounds.

The agency is still trying to determine how the animals died near the Bonneville Dam.

The Big Question-Just how do 6 caged seals end up dead in one single night?

Stay Tuned.

Tiger Beach Bahamas 2008 - Fly Fishermen Kill Shark

Sometimes the news we get here is news you never want to hear.

Last week a fly fishermen from the USA seeking a trophy catch deliberately hooked and killed a 15 foot Tiger Shark and brought it back to a marina for a weigh in.

Those on site who witnessed the event say the animal weighed in at 1200 pounds, and when cut open, revealed a few full term pups, one of which was put into the marina and as of last week was still seen "swimming around".

This report was confirmed by speaking with the marina manger "Peter" this morning who also added that "the same vessel was at the marina last year and caught another shark of similar size".

The crew of Shark Diver are distressed to hear of any gravid animals harvested for sport, especially coming from Tiger Beach where fishing for Tigers is like shooting fish in a barrel. We would like to propose legislation for this site to protect these animals in Bahamian waters.

Perhaps it's time for those within our community who have spent the past few months attacking Bahamian dive operations over the recent Shear Water Affair to re-focus on more pressing issues like this one.

It's a big step in leadership, let's see if anyone is up for it?

Jaws Star Dead at 75

Who didn't like Roy Scheider, the geeky tough guy town sheriff from Jaws?

In a movie that had more eco-blow back for sharks than any single movie on the planet, his was a legacy that no one could have imagined.

From the LA Times:
He probably will be best remembered for his role as Martin Brody, the water-shy police chief in "Jaws" (1975) who uttered the immortal line: "You're gonna need a bigger boat," after seeing the size of the shark. He once lamented that the role "will be on my tombstone.

To his tribute, and as a reminder of how far we have come in the understanding of Great Whites here is that fateful scene from 1975 that sent us and 25 million others out of their pools, lakes, ponds and oceans for an entire summer:

Mystery Shark off Norfolk?

The fine, but concerned, beach-goers of Norfolk have discovered another dead Cetation (whale) off their shores this week.

Prompting calls from the media of a Great White shark off their beaches-locals are in a disagreement of exactly what left this rather sizeable chunk missing from this animals head.

From this image it's hard to tell what actually made this bite. Here's three things it was not:

1. A dog
2. A squid
3. A Great White shark

The crew here at Shark Diver have seen a few attacks over the years and Great Whites tend to either decapitate, or sever the ability of their prey to move with a huge strike to the tail section.

This does look like the work of a Killer Whale, which not surprisingly is found more commonly in the waters off of Norfolk this time of year...of course you're entitled to disagree.

Six Gill Shark: Rare Find

It's not every day you happen to be walking along the beach and discover a Six Gill Shark. Normally you find these critters at depths up to 1500' and greater.

The Six Gills we have encountered were typically shy, rare, and amazing animals to see in person. These ancient sharks have spiked and serrated teeth that rip and tear the meat off of whatever dead animal drifts down to the cold dark depths.

You can only imagine this guys surprise when a 9 foot beast washed up on his local beach this week:

"Poulsbo resident Andy Woodford was combing the beach for shells when he made the unusual find. The shark is an immature sixgill female, found with no signs of trauma or obvious cause of death."

Here's the whole story

New Zealand has Some 'Splainin to Do!

"Fins Cut, Live Sharks Tossed Back"

This is the headline from New Zealand this week. Sadly, where the rest of the planet is just beginning to understand how bad shark fining is, the good sheep farmers in New Zealand have a "Quota System" for shark fining. Then they become surprised when this happens:

Sharks are being caught in the Nelson region and illegally thrown back alive with their fins removed.

Department of Conservation Abel Tasman ranger Stu Houston said he came across a fishing boat in park waters on Tuesday, which had caught about 29 1m sand sharks and cut off their fins, throwing the mutilated sharks over the side. Some of the sharks were still alive.

"It's such a waste," Mr Houston said. "I've been a ranger down here for 14 years; that's one of the worst things I've seen, to be honest." It is legal to catch sharks for their fins in New Zealand, although under the Animal Welfare Act the sharks must be dead when thrown back.

Sharks in New Zealand are caught under the quota system, and mainly sold to Asia. Landing only the fin gives fishermen room to store more valuable fish. Mr Houston said if people knew the practice was legal they would be appalled. "Is that what we do in New Zealand?"

He said he approached the fishermen, who were on a boat from the Nelson region. The boat was fishing between Adele Island and the mainland, and kayakers and water taxis had seen the dead and dying sharks. DOC would not be taking any action as it was a Fisheries Ministry issue, Mr Houston said.

French Pass resident and charter boat operator Danny Boulton said he had written to Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton about the issue as he was so concerned. Shark finning happened regularly throughout the Sounds, he said. Mr Boulton said he had a BBC cameraman on his boat one day who was appalled to see the practice.

The cameraman had worked around the world and said many Third World countries didn't fish that way. It was a waste, Mr Boulton said, and he was concerned fishing was depleting the species. "These sharks, I see them on the reefs, they are really beautiful to see."

Ministry of Fisheries Nelson inshore fisheries manager Scott Williamson said a Richmond company processed shark fins. The value of the fins depended on the species, and some sharks were reasonably lucrative. He was not aware of the Abel Tasman incident, but would be looking into it, he said.

The ministry's main responsibility was to ensure the sustainability of sharks and it had released a consultation paper on shark management and conservation. Submissions on the paper close on February 1. For more information visit www.fish.govt.nz.