Dead Sharks, Selfies, and Shark Fin Soup?

What is our obsession with taking pictures of ourselves with subjects that seem just a bit inappropriate? Now that smart phones have turned us all into photog wannabes, the rush to get pictures published on social media sites has also lead us to be wannabe reporters, as well.  Recently two sharks, a bull and a hammerhead, washed up dead on the shore of Miami Beach. One was bloated, the other with its fin cut off.  Once beach-combers saw the poor creatures, the camera phones came out and the snap-shot taking crowds were enough to make any paparazzi, surrounding a Hollywood celebrity, pale in comparison.  There was even a grown adult who pulled up on the head of one shark to get its mouth to open. What a photo op! "Hey kids, come gather around!"

Where is the respect? It’s just an animal. Who cares, right? WRONG! Are we another 'Me Generation' or have we never left it?  This is 2015 folks.  We've scratched our way out to escape the errors of our ways. After fighting for equality in several different arenas, freedom of religion, the push to reuse, reduce and recycle, ‘save our planet,’ ‘plant a tree’…have we not arrived? What has happened to the rights and respect for those with which we share this slowly, dying planet?

Source: Inquisitr.com

Back to these dead sharks: No one knows what caused their deaths, and apparently no one is investigating.  A fin was cut off! I was told by an authority at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that maybe if there was a bunch of these guys washing up on the shore with their fins hacked, there might then be an investigation. How many have to lose their lives in order for that to happen? Maybe this is just a prelude of what is to come. Since shark fin soup is served in restaurants throughout Florida, and yes, Miami, maybe this was the result of someone trying to cash in on the evil craze. Does that mean finless carcasses are on their way to shore like a message in a bottle? Are we going to read it and do something about it or are we going to throw it back in for the next generation to deal with? Did you know that 24 states according to the Animal Welfare Institute, serve up the controversial delicacy, shark fin soup?  You can find it on the menu at South Garden Chinese Restaurant in Miami for $12 a bowl.

Source 

It’s a shame; it’s a crying shame that an 8 foot animal is tortured for its 8 inch body part and left to die, rotting in its ocean home, only to float to the shore to be mocked as part of social media fodder. To the person(s) who did this: "At least, eat the rest!" I discourage anyone from killing these animals and it pains me to see their fins cut off and then the shark dropped back in the water to try and survive. Would the same thoughtless individual do that to their pet? They’d be put in jail.

These sharks are intelligent, beautiful, and are an integral part of our oceans and were here way before you and I. Respect them. Wouldn't a picture of you with a live shark be cooler to take?

Join us for live shark selfie-taking starting this August at Guadalupe; Bahamas starting in April and Fiji year-round.

Let's go shark diving!
'Ocean'
Shark Diver

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

Bimini Hammerheads, Shark Protocols, Common Sense

 Greetings from Bimini,

With the enormous amount of interest that the Great Hammerheads are generating around Bimini this year, I wanted to attempt to to set the record straight regarding this incredible situation happening around the island.  I don’t mean this message to be confrontational or self-righteous, rather I’m hoping it can be informative and maybe even helpful.

As anyone familiar with Bimini has probably already assumed,  the researchers at the Bimini Biological Field Station (SharkLab) are responsible for discovering and determining the regularity and reliability of diving with these big hammerheads.  The SharkLab staff began diving with these sharks on a regular basis back in 2003, and since then have utilized various ‘hammerhead sites’ around the island for numerous research projects and related expeditions.  Obviously the hammerheads were around long before that, and can be found in more than one location around Bimini, but all of the visiting “shark diving” boats are utilizing sites and situations developed by local SharkLab researchers.

Due to the rarity of interacting with these sharks, and the incredible potential for research opportunities on an IUCN Redlisted species, local guides and tour operators have resisted the exploitation of this yearly “Hammerhead Season” around Bimini.  It was decided that research should be the priority surrounding this event, rather than commercialization. 

For better or for worse, that all changed in 2012.  An off-island SCUBA operator caught wind of the situation around Bimini and convinced a former-SharkLabber to show him the basics of how-and-when-and-where to attract these incredible sharks.  A year later, after the wide publicization of that proclaimed “one time only” expedition, we now have at least 10 off-island dive operations converging on Bimini to experience this event.

Anyone coming to dive with these sharks around Bimini needs to accept that there is considerable amount of responsibility that comes with your expedition.  You have the ability to do an enormous amount of damage to the reputation of this island and to this endangered species of shark, and hopefully you do not take this lightly.  I’m a firm believer that under the right circumstances and with the proper insight, any species of shark can be safely encountered in the wild.  That being said, I would imagine there is little to no agreement on exactly what those circumstances and insights are.  But simply stated, if you think its acceptable to put yourself, or your guests, or the sharks, at any elevated risk for the sake of photos, videos, or bragging-rights, you are wrong.  If you or your guests get hurt around Bimini because of your own recklessness, the tourism industry on this island could face irreparable damage, as could the public perception of these sharks, and we want people to take that very, very seriously.

Additionally, I’d like to suggest that if you are benefiting in anyway from your expedition to Bimini, that you should make a point to patronize some of the local businesses while you’re here so that the island benefits from your trip as well.  Go to the local bars at night, take some meals at local restaurants, take a tour of the SharkLab, or whatever else you think is fitting.  If you’re looking for a marina to tie up in, please consider Bimini Sands Resort & Marina, the Bimini Big Game Club, Seacrest Hotel & Marina, Bimini Blue Water Resort, Weech’s Bimini Docks, or Brown’s Marina.  All of these marinas have supported local conservation measures and should be rewarded for doing so.

If, for some reason, you’re not willing to spend money on the island, then contribute in some other way.  Help maintain the moorings at the local dive sites, do a beach clean-up with your crew and guests, join and help publicize the Bimini Marine Protected Area Campaign, or something else worthwhile.

We don’t need, or want, this amazing event around Bimini to turn into a circus of competing egos.  There is no need to further misrepresent the history of this situation, nor is there any reason that the operators involved can’t coordinate and cooperate in a professional manner, all without interfering with ongoing research. 

If you are seeing this message, I’d ask that you help distribute it to anyone else you know that is participating in these Great Hammerhead expeditions .  We expect your cooperation in ensuring the safety of every person and animal involved in these excursions, and also expect your help in maintaining a professional atmosphere around the island with proper diving etiquette employed.  The Bimini Tourism Advisory Board is currently discussing this issue, and will soon put forth a set of guidelines to help ensure that Bimini’s ‘Hammerhead Season’ is managed appropriately, helping to assure that people have fun during their visit while being solicitous towards the animals and the people on this island.

As Bimini emerges as the regional “Hammerhead Headquarters,” we all need to do what is necessary to make sure your excursion not only benefits you and your guests, but also the sharks and the island of Bimini.

Thank you for your time, and please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or comments.

Regards,

Grant Johnson
Vice-Chairman, Bimini Tourism Advisory Board (BTAB)
Activities Director, Bimini Sands Resort & Marina (2007 – Present)
Manager, Bimini Biological Field Station –SharkLab (2001-2007)
South Bimini, Bahamas

More info:
Bimini Marine Protected Area Campaign - facebook.com/Bimini.Marine.Protected.Area
Bimini Blue Coalition - facebook.com/BiminiBlueCoalition

Note: We happen to agree with this statement and will support any and all efforts to help promote 'sustainable shark tourism' on this unique and fragile island.

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

Video - Hammerhead "ache"

Fly fishing for Bonefish is fun, watching a Hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) on preadation chasing down a much smaller Lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) in the Bahamas last week - even more so.

Fortunately the little Lemon shark survived, unfortunately there's a Hammerhead in the Bahamas with a big welt on his snout:

Age and growth of the great hammerhead shark, Sphyrna mokarran, in the north-western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The great hammerhead shark, Sphyrna mokarran, is a cosmopolitan species that is caught in a variety of fisheries throughout much of its range. The apparent decline of great hammerhead shark populations has reinforced the need for accurate biological data to enhance fishery management plans. To this end, age and growth estimates for the great hammerhead were determined from sharks (n = 216) ranging in size from 54- to 315-cm fork length (FL), captured in the Gulf of Mexico and north-western Atlantic Ocean. Growth curves were fitted using multiple models and evaluated using Akaike’s information criterion. The von Bertalanffy growth model was the best fitting model, with resulting growth parameters of L_∞ = 264.2-cm FL, k = 0.16 year^–1, t₀ = –1.99 year for males, and L_∞ = 307.8-cm FL, k = 0.11 year^–1, t₀ = –2.86 year for females. Annual band pair deposition was confirmed through marginal-increment analysis and a concurrent bomb radiocarbon validation study.

Great hammerheads have one of the oldest reported ages for any elasmobranch (44 years) but grow at relatively similar rates (on the basis of von Bertalanffy k value) to other large hammerhead species from this region. The present study is the first to provide vertebral ages for great hammerheads.

Study Link.