Deadly tiger shark stalks stranded diver?

 

The sensationalist media is at it again, or should I say still at it? This time it's an outlet not normally prone to sensational headlines. Sky News has a headline that reads "Deadly tiger shark stalks stranded diver four miles back to shore"

 

Tiger Shark

Turns out that a spearfisherman got separated from his boat and had to swim back 4 miles to shore. What they describe as "A diver who became separated from his boat has said he is lucky to be alive after swimming miles back to shore while being stalked by a large tiger shark." and "He swam…in shark-infested waters. I just can't believe anybody could do that. It's such a massive effort.", was in reality just a really long swim, where he encountered a couple of sharks.

That "deadly" shark was just checking him out and the diver even says that "For about 500 metres the shark swam on the same path as me towards the shore and then in a moment banked and disappeared completely as if to say 'you're OK now, I'll leave you alone'. So the real danger to the diver were not the sharks, but the fact that he had to swim for 4 miles to reach shore.

 

Tiger Shark coming close to a diver

Maybe a headline that says "Diver lost at sea has to swim 4 miles to reach shore" or something similar would be more appropriate than making the sharks out to be those mindless killers again, would be more appropriate.

 

Me with a Tiger Shark ©Rene Buob

We dive with Tiger Sharks in various places around the world and learned that we have to respect them, but there is no need to fear them. They are neither mindless killers, nor harmless pets, but awesome predators that are curious, but in most cases not interested in attacking us.

Cheers,

Martin Graf

CEO 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 crew@sharkdiver.com.

Who is more aggressive, a Bull Shark or a Great White?

 
We hear a lot about how aggressive shark are. Some people think that if they encounter a shark in the ocean, they will get bit. This kind of thinking is at least partially fueled by the media that seems to portray any encounter with a shark as a near death experience.

I've been diving with Great White, Bull and Tiger Sharks for over 15 years now and have found that most sharks are actually pretty shy and not very aggressive. Despite the fact that shark bites and attacks are extremely rare, the common perception is that they are dangerous. When it comes to what species is most dangerous, people tell me that because they have more testosterone than any other shark, Bull Sharks are the most aggressive and therefore the most dangerous to humans.

It is true, that since Bull Sharks can swim and hunt in very shallow, brackish and even fresh water, they tend to be in much closer proximity to humans than Tiger or Great White Sharks. This obviously leads to a greater chance of an encounter with them, which can result in an occasional bite or attack. Such bites however remain extremely rare. Last year there were 96 shark bites with 6 fatalities reported worldwide. These numbers include all species of shark.

I think that a lot of people confuse feeding with aggression. Biting that is related to hunting or feeding has nothing to do with the testosterone level, but is simply and indication that the shark is hungry. Aggression has to do with defending their territory, establishing dominance and is usually directed toward another shark or a perceived competitor. So if we look at it that way, who is more aggressive, the Bull Shark, or the Great White Shark?

Well, let me show you a couple of pictures.

These pictures all show Great White Sharks with bite marks from their own kind. It is rare to see an adult Great White Shark that doesn't have some kind of scar or fresh bite mark on them. These sharks are very much into keeping their "personal space" and it is rare for them to touch each other, without there being some biting involved. Typically when 2 White Sharks encounter each other, they pass each other head on, to establish who is bigger. If that doesn't settle it, they tend to come back together and swim parallel with each other, to get a closer look. Now if that still doesn't settle it, the more dominant sharks usually shows the other who's boss by biting it on the head or in the gill area.

Now I want to stress that the aggression I have observed on White Sharks is shown towards other shark and not humans, or other animals in the ocean. Just like any other "dangerous" shark, they are not very likely to attack a human.

Add caption

2 of these sharks just got a tuna head, they show no aggression.

In the pictures above, you can see lot's of Bull Sharks swimming very close together and there doesn't seem to be any aggression. I've seen over 70 of those sharks, without noticing any that had bite marks on them. This is something that definitely can't be said about Great Whites.

It never ceases to amaze me, how little we know about sharks and how much of what we "know" is actually wrong. We tend to think that something like testosterone will have the same effect in sharks as it does in humans. On the flip side of the "sharks are mindless killer" attitude, there is the "sharks want to be hugged" crowd, that is trying to show how harmless these sharks are by riding, grabbing, flipping and hugging them.

Let's appreciate the sharks for who and what they are. They are not mindless killers, but neither are they harmless pets. As I always say, "I absolutely love "my" sharks, but it is not a mutual feeling and that is perfectly fine with me". I don't feel the need to assign human emotions to them, I love em just they way they are.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO 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.

Shark attack in North Carolina

Yesterday, two teenagers were bit by a shark in North Carolina and got severely hurt. This serves as a reminder that, no matter how much we may love these sharks, they are not harmless pets. We have to stop portraying them as either mindless killers or harmless pets that just want to be hugged.

source

Before I say anything else, I want to send my best wishes to the victims of these attacks. Regardless of how rare shark attacks are, it doesn't help them that the chances of getting bit are slim. They got hurt and have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.

If we want to protect these awesome and important predators, we have to start portraying them the way they are. We have to educate people and give them a real understanding of sharks. If we keep telling them that these sharks are harmless and just want to be hugged, we loose credibility, every time someone gets bit. We have to acknowledge that sharks are not harmless. We have to say that there is no need for fear, but that we have to respect them. Every time we post pictures of bikini clad "shark whisperers" holding on to a great white shark and try telling people how harmless they are, we just reinforce their belief that we are out of touch with reality. When we do that, people will not listen to us, when we tell them how important the shark are to a healthy ocean environment.

We have to acknowledge that sharks do occasionally attack, but let's put things into perspective.  Time after time, people point out things that are more dangerous and kill more people than sharks each year. I'm actually hard pressed to find something that kills fewer people than sharks do.

So why is it that people are generally afraid of sharks? When we go into the water, we are in an environment that is foreign to us and people tend to be afraid of what they don't know. Our fear of sharks is similar to our fear of flying. Even though airplanes are the safest form of transportation, there are more people afraid of flying than taking any other mode of transportation.  Part of the reason is that just like when a plane crashes, every time there is a shark attack, the news goes around the world and creates a perception that sharks are more dangerous than they really are.

Every time we go into the Ocean, we have a chance to see a shark and an even greater chance to be seen by one, yet shark attacks remain extremely rare.

Shark Diver has been diving with sharks for 15 years. We never forget that we are dealing with predators and conduct all our dives with safety in mind. When diving with white sharks, we use cages. When we dive with tiger and bull sharks, we have strict protocols in place to make sure all our divers have a safe and exciting experience. By showing our divers that we use a safety protocol, we are also telling them that we have to respect those sharks and that they are not harmless pets.

Meeting the sharks from the safety of a cage!

When we tell people about sharks, let's tell them the truth. Tell them that we have to be aware and take reasonable precautions when going into the ocean. Tell them that we shouldn't touch them, pull them by their tail or ride them and most importantly, let's lead by example. Stop promoting these irresponsible divers who touch, ride and hug the sharks, by not sharing their self aggrandizing pictures and videos.

Great White Shark with some "love" bites.

 
I've been diving with sharks for a long time and absolutely love them. But as I always tell our divers, "Make no mistake, I love these sharks, but it's NOT a mutual feeling". If you love sharks, love them for what they are, don't humanize them, don't make them into something they are not. If you try to make them out to be something they are not, you don't really love them. You want them to be something they are not.

Let's go and meet those sharks!

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO 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.

How do you make a viral video?

This is a fun little video I took at Tiger beach, diving with Shark Diver. Little did I know that it would be a hit on Facebook. Within an hour of posting it, people watched it over 20'000 times. Come join us and take your own pictures and videos and maybe yours will goes viral as well!

Of course, we don't just encounter Lemon Sharks, we see plenty of Tiger Sharks as well.  This is truly a trip of a lifetime! Since we only take 6 divers at a time, you'll be sure to get up close and personal with these amazing animals.

For more info on the trips and a complete itinerary, check here, or you can call us at 855.987.4275 or 619.887.4275 We are always happy to talk "sharks"!

Let's go shark diving!

Cheers,

Martin Graf
CEO 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.

What's the difference between a Great White and a Tiger Shark?

Not only does shark week sensationalize sharks. Now in their effort to "educate" people, they ask this.

I knew that the stripes can fade, but looking like a White Shark? Lets see, is this a tiger shark or a white shark below?

What am I? Tiger or White Shark?

How about this one?

I'm having an identity crisis. What am I? Tiger or White Shark?

Good job Discovery channel! I'm discovering more and more, that you are misinforming, instead of educating.

For anyone that is not familiar with the different shark species and doesn't know the difference between a Tiger- and a White-Shark, here are a couple of full body shots of both.

First the White Sharks. Note the shape of the nose, the eyes, the gills, the shape of the dorsal fin and the tail.

Now the Tiger Sharks, look at the same areas.

Instead of putting out a trivia question with a misleading answer, wouldn't it have be nice, if they actually showed what differentiates these two species?

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO 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.

Could the Manhattan Beach shark bite have been predicted?

The recent shark bite incident at Manhattan Beach Pier, made worldwide headlines. Just google "shark attack Manhattan Beach" and you get literally pages and pages of links with headlines screaming "Shark Attack".

Weather.com used the picture below to catch their readers attention and wrote that A 7-foot-long great white shark attacked a swimmer off the California’s Manhattan Beach on Saturday, causing panic amongst crowds of people enjoying one of Southern California's most popular beaches on the 4th of July holiday weekend.

source

Now a headline and picture like that would scare any sane reader and make them think twice about swimming in the ocean.

Of course we know, that the shark didn't really attack the swimmer, but was trying to get away from a fisherman, who had him hooked on a line, instead. Was this just a freak accident, or could this have been predicted?

Back in November of 2013, Pete Thomas wrote a piece for Grind TV about swimmers and fishermen harassing juvenile great white sharks at the exact location where this swimmer got bit. The article says:

“White sharks are a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act and therefore fully protected,” Traci Larinto and Michelle Horeczko, part of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s White Shark Status Review Team, explained in a statement. “They cannot be taken or pursued. The public should take steps to avoid white sharks while fishing or being out on the water.”

As to the legality of trying to catch great white sharks, it has this statement:

“Right now, every surfer/thrill seeker with a GoPro is going out to Manhattan Beach and trying to film them, ride them, and catch them on hook and line,” said Christopher Lowe, a Cal State Long Beach professor and white shark expert. “Most people do not understand CESA regulations and that even incidental catch [or] being caught swimming after a shark with a GoPro camera can be considered take or harassment and is a citable, even jailable offense.”

 

So it comes as hardly a surprise that there are juvenile great white sharks in the area and unfortunately, it seems that, despite the law protecting them, some fishermen are still purposely trying to catch them. 

“One rumor is that a couple of fishermen have caught and killed some sharks off El Porto and supposedly found squid in the stomachs. I just don’t think the public understands the ramifications of the law here.”


We have known for quite a while, that juvenile great white sharks are in the vicinity of Manhattan Beach and that fishermen, along with thrill seekers are harassing and trying to catch them. So it comes hardly as a surprise that something finally happened. Predictably though, the headlines don't say that illegal shark fishing was to blame, but instead scream "Shark attack!"

It looks like the authorities have also realized that the fishing was the cause of this shark bite and reacted by banning all fishing from the pier, for the next 60 days.

This situation reminds me of all the idiots going outside the cages at Isla Guadalupe, where sooner or later, something might happen as well.
 
If you want to legally and safely swim with tiger sharks, dive with great white shark, or come face to face bull sharks, give us a call at 619.987.4275 or send us an email at staff@sharkdiver.com.

We specialize in "Safe and Sane" shark diving, always using cages when diving with great white sharks and only diving with sharks, where it is safe and legal to do so. 

When done responsibly, swimming with these awesome creatures is truly an experience of a lifetime. After 14 years of diving with all kinds of sharks, I've come to love and respect them for what they are, highly efficient predators, that are neither mindless killers, nor harmless pets.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO
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.

Breathhold diving at Tiger Beach

Shark Diver Just finished a trip to tiger beach in the Bahamas, where we encountered up to 6 tiger sharks at a time.

Chris and Euse were freediving during our expedition and have written about their experience here.

They have also taken this amazing picture.

If you want to experience your own "real shark week" and come face to face with the incredible sharks at tiger beach, give us a call at 619.987.4275 or send us and email at staff@sharkdiver.com

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO
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.

Western Australian Shark Cull. Make a difference!

The Australian EPA is doing a Public Environmental Review (PER) and is soliciting comments from the public. This is our chance to be heard, but please consider a few things, before you write your response.

As usual, "DaShark" has beat me to it and written an excellent blog on the subject. Here are a couple of things he mentions.

During the first period of public review, here is what happened.

The 14 week trial attracted intense media and community interest. 
The trial generated: 

• 765 separate articles on sharks in local, state and national newspapers 
• 1,100 radio news bulletins on sharks (Western Australia) 
• 850 radio talk back comments on sharks (Western Australia) 
• 290 television news items on sharks (Western Australia) 
• 286,000 emails and letters to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) - a significant number of which were pro forma emails
• and a significant number of postings on Twitter and Facebook, some of which were offensive and contained personal attacks on members of the Government and staff involved with the program.

And the net result of that onslaught of unsolicited appeals, petitions (= pro forma emails), opinions and abuse?

A big fat zero.

So why did all that media attention, written petitions and postings on social media have no effect on their decision? Well, it did have an effect. Probably not the effect you were hoping for, but an effect nonetheless. 

The government is stating: 

The 14-week trial generated “offensive and contained personal attacks on members of the Government and staff involved with the program” on Twitter and Facebook.
Supporters said they had “no choice but to stay quiet due to the level of abuse and vilification received”, describing the level of personal attack and social media postings as “unacceptable”.
“The Government is now more acutely aware of the level of abuse that was directed towards supporters of the program and the reasons for so many staying silent,” 

source 

So basically, they blame us for why, what they claim is the silent majority, has stayed quiet on the subject. They are not kidding, that's what they believe. If we want them to listen to us, we have to mind what we say and how we say it.

Here is DaShark's advice.

Both the postulated silent majority and the anti-cull faction have an equal opportunity to have their voices heard - and I sure hope that the latter is not only composed of social media slacktivists and agitators but that instead, it will make a vigorous attempt at turning things around by fielding rational arguments.
Not really convinced that the WA government will listen - but along with the federal assessment, it's the best opportunity we got.

Recommendations here.

Please make your submission - the clock is ticking!

I could not have said it any better myself. Here is the link with all the information on how to submit your comments. Let's make our voices heard! 

Cheers,

Martin Graf

CEO

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.

Are sharks apex predators? Does it matter?

We commonly refer to sharks as apex predators. Are they really? If they are not, does it matter? A few Australian researchers have come up with some answers to both questions.

First, are sharks apex predators? According to their findings, the answer is yes .... and no.

Example of an apex predator!

Here is what they found. "While size can be important in terrestrial ecosys- tems, size is crucial in marine ecosystems — which tend to be dominated by indeterminate organisms that grow continuously throughout their lives (Trebilco et al. 2013). Individual function changes due to onto- genetic diet shifts as organisms grow in size (Karpouzi

& Stergiou 2003, Pinnegar et al. 2003). The conse- quence is that size-structuring within communities, rather than species identity, is an important factor in determining the strength of competitive and predatory interactions (Dickie et al. 1987, Kerr & Dickie 2001). For example, studies have shown high overlap in diet between similar-sized sharks regardless of maturity state and species identity (e.g. Bethea et al. 2004). Therefore, designation of marine species into apex and mesopredator categories should consider the life stage and size of individuals."

I'm not a scientist, but what I'm getting is, size matters!

But so, why should we care? We are not scientists, (well, you may be, but I'm not) so what does a classification matter? 

Here is what they have to say to that. 

Example of a meso predator!

"Our size-based view of the classification of predatory roles raises important questions about what objectives to manage, and how these objectives can be best achieved. Protection of reef communities through marine protected areas (MPAs) or fisheries regulation (or indeed, naturally on those few locations far from human population centres) would ensure the mesopredator sharks on these reefs are sheltered from fishing pressure. However, the same may not be true for apex predators because their broad movement patterns and large home ranges (Meyer et al. 2009) would expose them to a greater diversity of fishing fleets and gears, and thus a greater overall mortality than the smaller-ranging, reef-dwelling mesopredators. Hence, the apex pred- ators of coral reefs may be silently eliminated by offshore pelagic longline fisheries, unbeknownst to those managing reef diversity and function (Cox et al. 2002). Therefore, reef-based MPAs are not adequate to protect these species"

So basically they are saying that we need to do more than establish MPAs to adequately protect apex predators.

Here is a graphic that may be a bit more clear on the subject.
 

This graphic shows, that without MPAs prey species would greatly increase, while both mesopredators and apex predators decrease. With reef scale (small, local) MPAs, the mesopredators thrive, keeping the prey species in balance, but the apex predators still decline.

 

In practical terms, this means that we have to protect apex predators on a much larger scale than the less migratory mesopredators. In order to do that, we need to know both where they are and when they are there. With that knowledge we can push for local and/or seasonal protection for these migratory apex predators. In order to get that data, we need data that shows the migratory behavior of the various species of apex predators. 

You can read the entire paper here.

Cheers,

Martin Graf

CEO

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

Tiger Shark Rescued...by Divers?

Vintage 1960's man vs shark images

"Divers Save Tiger Shark!," now that's a headline I'd like to see more often. It seems like all we hear about in the media is sharks doing something to humans and just how dangerous sharks are to us.


This video shows a couple of divers, coming across a shark that had been caught, stabbed and thrown back into the water.

The divers then proceed to help the shark. I've seen the remarkable ability to heal that these beautiful animals posses and hope that the shark swam off and is ok.

This story illustrates the stark difference in attitude towards sharks that exists today. On one hand you have someone callously stabbing a shark and throwing it back into the water and then someone else actively trying to help that same animal.

Regardless of the outcome of this rescue attempt, it's nice to see that divers react to a shark not with fear, but compassion and that a media outlet reports something other than sharks attacking or threatening people.

Kind of like what we do around here on a daily basis;)

Cheers,
Martin Graf
Managing Director
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 sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Tiger Beach, Bahamas 2012 - Take Out for Tigers

Last week Scotty Gray from the venerable and always fun M/V Kate and Blue Iguana Charters entertained a few of our divers at Tiger Beach, Bahamas.

As many of you know it's an exciting dive site and one of our go-to sites for the many film and television productions we do each year with the help of the crew from the Kate (seriously these guys are the best).

One of the Tigers decided to try and take her dinner Take Out (that bait tube is 4 feet long). You never really know what or who you'll get at Tiger Beach when you dive there looking for big sharks, which makes this dive site one of our favorites on the planet.

Like a puppy with a chew-toy.

Let's go shark diving!

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.

Tiger Beach Bahamas - Denny the Shark Video

Last week in the middle of another commercial film and television shoot on Tiger Beach we celebrated the arrival of Denny, a little Tiger shark we had come to know and love this spring in the Bahamas.

The celebration lasted until we saw the close up video that Fraizer Nivens surfaced with.

Sadly it looks like little Denny (all three feet of him) had been chomped on by another resident Tiger, crushing his dorsal fin and leaving behind several healing puncture wounds. Additionally he survived a fisherman's hooking event recently.

If you watch this video of Fraizer's you'll see the hook and line in the corner of his mouth.

The good news is that sharks are very resilient critters and if he can stay out of any more trouble little Denny might just get big enough one day to hold his own at Tiger Beach.

Life can be tough for sharks in the wild and we'll continue to follow Denny's progress and update you as he grows up, right now he's a cute little guy who's always showing up in the thick of things not quite sure where he belongs.

Thanks to Fraizer Nivens for the video documentation shot on RED One Digital Cinema camera at 4KHD, 30 fps. RED Code 36. Light color grade in RED CineX, output to Pro Res 4444 and then compressed using Episode into a smaller H264 webmovie.

Let's go shark diving!

Denny the Tiger Shark, Tiger Beach Bahamas from Frazier Nivens on Vimeo.

Tiger Beach Shark Expeditions 2011 - Trip Report

Look up the world "enthusiastic" in the dictionary and you'll see an image of Magnus Greenacre from New York.

We got to meet him and his two dive buddies, Matt Todd and Kathryn Deveraux earlier this month in the Bahamas for some quality time with sharks.

As Magnus wrote this week:

This was one of those perfect trips when weather, sharks, and the company of some fine shark divers conspire to deliver a memorable adventure.

To say this was a trip of a lifetime would just not do it justice. After opening my eyes on a dreary Monday morning to find myself in a fuzzy walled cube, I decided that it was time to take a trip that I will remember forever: Shark Diving.

I found Sharkdiver.com, emailed Pat, and within 10 minutes already had a response....the rest is history.

Day one, we woke up to a fully cooked breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, banana bread and all the coffee a worn out Manhattan Workaholic could desire......oh, and 4 tiger sharks ominously circling the boat. The team gave us the full run down and before we knew it we were surrounded by Lemon and Tiger Sharks. The only way one can truly appreciate a sharks beauty is to be in the water with them. As exciting as day 1 was, there were six more days to follow of equal awe and amazement.

I hope my pictures speak volumes of the six days that followed...

It’s been a week since I returned home from my trip with Pat and Sharkdiver.com and I am already planning my next shark adventure.

Thanks again to Pat and his Crew for a life long memory, story, and friendship.

Image by Josh Friedman

Tiger Sharks in the Bahamas Could Get Big Break

By ALISON LOWE

Image Wolfgang Leander

alowe@tribunemedia.net

A ban on commercial shark fishing would help protect the $78 million that shark dive-related tourism is estimated to bring to the Bahamas annually, the industry's potential growth and the predator's role in the sustainability of other commercial fisheries in this nation, a leading expert said yesterday.

Working with the Cousteau Society, Pierre-Yves Cousteau, son of legendary French explorer and marine scientist, Jacques Cousteau, is in Nassau this week to support the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) and the Pew Environmental Group's (PEG) campaign to get the Government to enact legislation banning commercial fishing of sharks in the Bahamas.

As shark populations globally have come under threat from over-fishing, primarily driven by the demand in Asia for shark fins for soup, a long-line fishing ban in the 1990s and lack of local demand helped the Bahamas remain one of the few countries with an abundant population of sharks.

However, the advice to the Bahamian government and people from Mr Cousteau, the BNT and the Pew Environmental Group is that the Bahamas should take a proactive stance towards specifically protecting this resource through legislation banning the commercial fishing of sharks, which have both environmental and economic importance to this nation and the wider marine environment.

With any depletion of sharks in the Bahamas, said Mr Cousteau, the multi-million dollar shark diving industry in this country - estimated by the Bahamas Dive Association to have brought in $800 million to the Bahamian economy over the last 20 years - could be threatened, as could the health of other commercial fish populations whose abundance to some extent is "regulated" by the existence of the "apex predator" in Bahamian waters.

At risk, too, would be the exposure that the Bahamas gains from footage of its sharks and marine environment being featured in television programs and films worldwide, which can stimulate not only dive tourism but tourism generally. Meanwhile, Mr Cousteau - who went for his first dive as a child in Eleuthera, where he also saw his first shark - noted that shark tourism could be a growth industry for the country if protected.

Complete Story.

Tiger Sharks Uncovering a Die Off?

Bird feather found in the bellies of Tigers in the Gulf are causing researchers from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to wonder about a migratory die off in the region.

“These birds died in the first 20 miles. It suggests something interfered with their migration, and it really suggests a link to the (oil) platforms.”

“The best way I can describe what we found in the sharks is to think of a hairball like cats cough up,” said Marcus Drymon, a Sea Lab scientist who dissected several of the sharks. “The balls are just solid feathers and about as big around as a grapefruit. We caught these sharks during the fall migration in the general vicinity of the platforms off Alabama.”

Complete Story.