Shark Conservation-Bite Back-Great Idea

One of the better and least expensive ideas to hit the shark conservation movement in a while has been the U.K's Bite Back local Shark Sightings Map.

Using Google Maps and peoples input Bite Back is hoping to build a data base of all local shops and fish markets that sell shark products in the U.K. Why is this a good idea? Managing a user generated database such as this allows for effective campaigning on a consumer level that has never been done before. You have to find and identify the targets before you can campaign against them.

For local conservation with sharks this is one of the better ideas we have seen in a while and Kudo's to Bite Back for rolling this out.

Years After Shark Ban Some In Florida See "Shark Gold "

Since a complete ban on commercial shark feeding and diving in Florida back in 2001, Florida has seen the loss of millions tourism revenue.

Safe commercial shark diving is a viable bridge solution to sustainable management of species and a local tourism booster in terms of hotel stays, flights, and local restaurants.

Had Florida adopted and managed commercial shark diving in it's waters by now a minimum of 10 commercial operations would be taking divers from around the planet to safely interact with sharks. Florida is a scuba operation rich state, wherever you find success competition is sure to follow, perhaps a major factor for shutting down commercial shark diving back in 2001.

So, it was with some measure of satisfaction that we noticed at least one operation that was back ending the ban to realize "Shark Gold" in Florida waters. It begins with "one".

As the economy of the United States flounders and local states suffer their worst economic outlooks in the past 20 years it is high time to review commercial shark diving in Florida's waters again. As an "instant tourism resource" Florida has riches off it's shores waiting to be tapped while modern protocols for safe shark interactions have matured to a point where reliable and safe interaction with sharks are all but guaranteed.

EU May Stop Shark Fishing-Dogfish, Porbeagle Off Menu

Some great shark conservation news we suspect had something to do with the constant governmental pressure being exerted by NGO's on this subject:

The European Commission is planning to end all fishing for spiny dogfish, porbeagle and angel sharks while also expanding protection for rays.

Spiny dogfish are sold as fish and chips in the UK and as smoked belly flaps in Germany; fillets are eaten in other EU countries including Belgium, France, and Italy. Female spiny dogfish remain pregnant for nearly two years, a record in the animal kingdom.

The move was welcomed by the Shark Alliance whose policy director Sonja Fordham said: “These proposals demonstrate the most solid step to date toward a new, more responsible era in the management of European shark fisheries.

"We urge each and every EU Fisheries Minister to follow the Commission’s responsible lead and support proposals to eliminate catches of these beleaguered species and at last set them on the path to recovery.”

Guadalupe Island Conservation Fund 2009

Two years ago Shark Diver launched, with the help of a few forward thinking dive operations, the Isla Guadalupe Conservation Fund website.

Our goal as a commercial shark diving operation has always been the integration of science and tourism. Redirecting funds back into worthy shark site projects.

The funds original objective was to provide much needed dollars for ongoing and Mexican based shark research.

Additionally, we were interested in the continuing mechanics of a web based fund roll out combined with a video push created by RTSea Productions on You Tube and elsewhere. After two years we can report this effort has been a great success both in terms of dollars generated and information about the Bio Sphere to the public 24/7.

As a template for other commercial shark diving operations worldwide-this works. It was a cost effective project and to date has been viewed by well over 400K interested parties.

The funds original brainchild and most ardent financial supporter has been Mike Lever owner/operator of the Nautilus Explorer. His constant selling of the fund has raised thousands of dollars for Isla Guadalupe projects.

Since the websites debut a lot of changes in policy and direction have happened at I.G and the website is becoming outdated. In 2009 we will be updating this site to reflect the current situations and needs at the island with updates on current research and more.

Please check back with us in the near future for web updates.

White Sharks In Tonga? Update

As we covered last week three "archival pop up tags" have begun transmitting in the waters of Tonga from a group of 6 great whites tagged off of New Zealand's Chatham Islands.

Yesterday one of the tags was recovered allowing researchers a deeper look into the data stored on that tag. To say this latest tracking data is "epic" is an understatement. It opens a whole new chapter into the migratory habits of the worlds foremost oceanic predator:

One of three electronic transponders so far discarded near Tonga by great white sharks tagged at the Chatham Islands has been recovered from the Ha'ateiho Reef.

Details of the sharks that have travelled to Tonga from the Chathams are:

1. 4m long male tagged at Star Keys, 14 April 2008, pop-up location Ha'ateiho Beach, Tongatapu;

2. 4.5m long male tagged at Star Keys, 15 April 2008, pop-up location c. 50 km northwest of Tongatapu;

3. 4.5m long female tagged at Te Awapatiki, 19 April 2008, pop-up location c. 135 km south of Eua. (Clinton Duffy, lead investigator, said that this shark may have visited Pelorus Reef but the tag actually started transmitting over deep water east of the reef, so it could have visited any of the sea mounts in that area).

"This is the first time we have tracked great whites to the waters of Tonga. Previously we have had great white sharks tagged at the Chathams travel to New Caledonia and Vanuatu".

Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail-And a Couple of Sharks

We have come to admire Scotty Gray owner/operator and driving force behind Blue Iguana Charters in the Florida Keys.

Scotty was the calm cool captain behind a few of our Tiger shark film shoots last season in the Bahamas. If it's sharky-Scotty will know about it or can take you there.

He recently sent over a dive offer he's calling the "Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail". We asked Scotty if this 3 day live aboard dive adventure was also "sharky" and his answer was-yes. Join him and his crew at a discounted rate of $285 per day and dive the following wrecks and a whole lotta reefs...plus a few sharks in between:

• USS Spiegel Grove

• USCGC Duane

• USCGC Bibb

• The Eagle

• The Benwood

• The City of Washington

Scotty can be found here tell him the Shark Diver Guys sent you to get the special dive rate and good hunting!

Gunther Deichmann.One Camera.One Expose.

Kudo's to photographer Gunther Deichmann for his unflinching expose into the industrial scale of shark fining in Bali.

The story of how he got these images is not as important as what he did with these images. Media is a powerful conservation tool it is not a private club. Nor do you have to have a special talent to acquire main stream media attention. Gunther attracted the attention of the U.K's Daily Mail with a global reach of 18.0 million unique visitors with his images.

All you need are images and a compelling story:

Renowned freelance photographer, Gunther Deichmann, 58, who photographed the shark fin haul, is adamant the world should confront the growing issue of shark fin trading.

'The volume of fins they were unloading was incredible, compared with the loads that the other tuna fishermen were working on,' said Manila-based Gunther. Working freelance on a commercial project, Gunther caught the every day fishing scene just by chance.

'I was doing a shoot for a Balinese restaurant and we were shooting the fresh produce aspect. It was at the harbour that I noticed this fishing haul so I started shooting'.

'This kind of fishing is totally legal in Indonesia so I was not in danger or in anybody's face'.

'The scale of the trawlers that catch the fish, the number of fishermen on site and the number of loads they unpacked from the ships was simply industrial in scale,' Gunther added.

Whale Shark Conservation-Wildlife Trust of India

How do you go from this image to sustainable shark tourism in India?

For many, India is a lost cause, but for a few it's fertile grounds to begin conservation on the street level with local fishermen by re-tasking them in ways that bring them closer to sustainable practices.

Whale sharks have long been know as "instant shark tourism" hopefully this program will lead to the inevitable next steps:

The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in collaboration with the state Forests and Environment Department and the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) of Goa will conduct the five-year research to study whale shark habitat, map their migration, various aspects of their life cycles and genetic patterns.

With the commitment shown by the local fishing community for whale shark conservation in the coastal region of Saurasthra, a group of fishermen will be specially trained for project.The research, which also includes the study of the coral reef along the Gujarat coastline, is being funded by the Jamnagar-based Tata Chemicals Limited.

Marine biodiversity expert from NIO, M Wafar, who is part of the core team of scientists for the project, said, "We will be training the local fishermen to collect samples from underneath the sea. They will also be taught how to click photographs of whale sharks using underwater cameras.

Yahoo! CEO to Quit-Now's the time to move on Alibaba.com

In a surprise announcement today Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang has announced his departure from the company he helped found.

As we and many others within the shark community have been highlighting it was under Jerry Yangs tenure that Yahoo! invested over one billion dollars in B2B web portal Alibaba.com which quickly became recognised as the New York Stock Exchange for hundreds of tons of dried sharks fin sales on the Internet-daily.

Under Yangs governance Yahoo's investment in shark finning was put aside as "a cultural practices issue". Meanwhile other Fortune 500 companies from Disney to Royal Thai Airlines bowed out of shark fin involvement in any form citing the need for large corporations to "show leadership on animal issues".

Now is the time for the shark community to remind Yahoo! of it's obligations beyond profits and beyond billion dollar agreements with Chinese web portals. Yahoo's incoming CEO will have a crippled company on his hands and there's a good chance Yahoo! will be desperately looking for eligible business partners to shore up mounting losses in revenue.

If there was anytime in Yahoo's history where uncomfortable and public issues such as the live dismemberment of animals for profit would have an impact it is now. The new CEO of Yahoo! will be looking for any way to quickly change the companies fortunes and image and a reversal of this horrific investment shark finning would be a perfect first step.

It's a step our community will have to push Yahoo! into but time, for once, is on our side.

Whale Shark Poo "Scientific Gold"...Oh Yeah?

We loves the Internet, especially on days like these.

Turns out filmmakers and researchers have shot (for the first time) a whale shark doing what comes naturally...and even scooped some up for "analysis".

This would be a good time to point out why we did not becomes shark researchers.

Anyway, an article in U.K's Metro Magazine calls this finding "Scientific Gold". Which leads us to a blog post about another drive by "pooing" many years ago with a great white shark we got on camera.

If a whale sharks excrement can be termed "Scientific Gold" this stuff's gotta be at least "Research Platinum". Unfortunately none of the crew or our divers had the foresight to grab a sample...we were too busy trying to get out of the cages.

Undersea Voyager Project 2009

The Undersea Voyager Project is a multi phase program developed by undersea explorer, Capt. Scott Cassell, founder and CEO of Undersea Voyager Project (a non profit research, and undersea exploration company). The Undersea Voyager Project is designed to utilize manned submersibles to take a physical look at the first 100-1,000 feet of seawater, (which is the largest environment on Earth) on a five year continuing mission to explore the unseen as they circumnavigate the Earth underwater. The UVP will break several existing world records and set even more.

It has been suggested this project equals man's first steps on the moon. The focus is on the seas relationship with the global climate, and the discovery of new life. To explore to further man's knowledge of the most hostile environment on Earth, the deep sea.

Scott will speak of this past experiences in undersea marine research (including his work with giant squid), his present work at Undersea Voyager and future plans for ocean exploration.

Scott Cassell
Captain Scott Cassell, President and CEO of Undersea Voyager Project. Since 1977, Scott has accumulated over 12,000 hours of drive time. He is a USCG Qualified Submersible Pilot/Captain with over 1200 dives. A former Advanced Diving Medical Technician Instructor (1 of 10 in the USA), Commercial Diving Instructor, and Hyperbaric Medical Technician Instructor he taught for years at the College Of Oceaneering. He is also a PADI Instructor. His film and documentary credits include undersea cameraman for nearly 20 documentaries and host / presenter on several documentaries on several networks including Disney, MTV Wildboyz, the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, BBC and the History Channel.

Frederic Buyle-Simply Amazing

Once in a rare while along comes a film project that captures the imagination. Today was one of those days and this is one of those projects. Sit back, turn your speakers up to 11 and enjoy. On a teaser level this just whets the appetite for more...oh, and make sure you see this in full screen the whale sequence demands nothing less:


Ocean Quest trailer

Sharks Médecins Sans Frontières

We vote that the world starts calling "Freedom Fries" "French Fries" again. If you have any doubts why our vote has changed watch the following shark video. Actually, we always called them "French Fries", cool video none the less:

Shark DNA Markers-Hope In FINS

From A Couple Dives Blog this morning good news on the tech front with shark fins and mislabeled shark products.

With testing like this in "field conditions" companies like Alibaba.com and Yahoo! can be held to account for the selling and trafficking of protected shark species:

New technology can provide a way to stop seafood companies from mislabeling shark meat.

Researchers in Spain are reporting that a new DNA identification method could put an end to the false labeling of shark species used in seafood products, such as the expensive Chinese delicacy known as shark fin soup. The study is scheduled to be released in the November 26 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The scientists describe the use of a relatively new technique called forensically informative nucleotide sequencing (FINS), in which DNA isolated from unknown biologic samples is compared to a database of DNA markers from known species.

The unfortunate truth is that the consumption of shark meat appears to be on the rise worldwide. And, for now, the only recourse shark conservationists may have would be to regulate the species of sharks that are consumed. Recent reports have shed light on some seafood companies having substituted cheaper shark species for more expensive species and incorrectly labeling their products. EU regulations now require listing the species name on shark products to avoid fraud and to help conserve protected shark species. However, a fast, reliable method for distinguishing between different species of shark remains undiscovered.

In the new study, the scientists collected DNA markers from nine different commercial seafood samples containing shark meat and compared them to known DNA markers from 23 different shark species. The scientists found that two of the nine shark products analyzed had been labeled with incorrect species names, demonstrating the effectiveness for the FINS method.

White Sharks In Tonga? You Bet!

Without a doubt 2008 will probably go down as one of the most exciting in terms of tracking data from a global effort with Great White sharks.

From the discovery of SOFA (Shared Offshore Feeding Area) in the Pacific to Y.O.Y migrations into the Sea of Cortez to this weeks revelations of white sharks in Tonga:

THREE Great White Sharks - each over 4 metres long and a kind rarely sighted in Tonga - have visited Tongatapu waters very recently, dropping their transmitting tags and surprising scientists who say that it is the first time they have known these creatures to come here.

They were among six Great Whites that were tagged off the Chatham Islands in April.

"All three sharks may still be in Tongan waters or they may have left," said Clinton Duffy, a scientist with the Aquatic & Threats Unit in New Zealand's Department of Conservation, who confirmed that three tags have popped up in Tongan waters in the last two months.

Whale Wars-Wagging the Conservation Dog

Our Whale Wars post this week has generated a mass of offline and thoughtful emails here at Underwater Thrills. We also got a few hysterical foaming-at-the-mouth diatribes as well.

Here's one example highlighting how Wagging the Conservation Dog harms an entire movement:

Sea Shepherd are not helping whales, they are exacerbating the problem. Every time they clash with the whaling ships in the Antarctic, the Japanese look like the victims, and they spin this for all it's worth at the IWC - "irresponsible NGOs, terrorist organisations" etc. SSCS are gifting the Japanese whalers a bargaining chip to use within the international diplomatic community. Whilst their hearts might be in the right place, and their passion evident, SSCS are sadly out of touch with reality.

Conservation doesn't happen by putting yourself between a harpoon and a whale - although admittedly that is a great way to get publicity. Real conservation happens in international fora - at the IWC, at CITES, within CMS, ACCOBAMS and ASCOBAMS. It's only though negotiation and diplomacy that NGOs can persuade governments and decision-making bodies to lay down new laws that protect wildlife . A £10,000 donation to an NGO that does this kind of work will secure the future of thousands or perhaps millions of whales and dolphins - SSCS would burn through it in a couple of days chasing the Japanese whalers around icebergs, giving just a handful of whales a temporary reprieve.

SSCS are attracting a lot of attention for their antics, and this is diverting funds from the organisations that can really make the difference. The environmental NGO community has come a long, long way in the past 20 years, and we've got inside governments and international fora to a point where we affect REAL change. By tackling the economics of whaling and trade, creating legal frameworks, working with industry and governance - we are making a huge difference to the conservation and welfare of these animals worldwide.

SSCS are alienating and undermining the conservation movement, not helping it. Funders should think long and hard before giving money to SSCS, and question the true value of what they get in return.

Shark Images to Ponder-Amos Nachoum

A few months ago we blogged about a series of images and a video making the rounds to "industry insiders".

What was once thought to be a commercial shark diving non starter was attempted by two industry professionals Jeb Corliss and Amos Nachoum this season at Isla Guadalupe. Taking multiple divers "cageless" into the white sharks world. The images they came back with are simply stunning.

What does this mean for an industry already running headlong towards closer and closer commercial interactions with macro sharks?

Everything.

As we told Amos at the time "We'll defend your right to take these images, but this is not sustainable on a commercial level". That's it. Ironically not three days prior to this shoot a seal was caught on tape being destroyed by a white shark at the island.

Expect to see more attempts like these as time moves forward. For professionals this is a great site to interact with these animals, for the rest of the planet? The cages will do just fine.

Sea Notes Blog-Ken Paterson

From the Mont Bay A.Q Sea Notes Blog and Ken Paterson, a blog to keep your eye on:

Several years before his death, Peter Benchley said that he couldn't write Jaws given what he'd learned about shark behavior and the threats sharks face around the world.

More confirmation about those threats arrived this week, when the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported its assessment of sharks & their kin in the northeast Atlantic. The conclusion: 26 percent are threatened with extinction, and another 20 percent are in the near-threatened category.

The total number of threatened species may well be underestimated as there was insufficient information to assess over a quarter of the species.

The most threatened include heavily fished, large sharks and rays, like porbeagle sharks and common skates, as well as commercially valuable deepwater sharks and spiny dogfish. The culprit remains the same: overfishing of species that mature late in life and produce relatively few young.

European agencies that regulate shark fishing have several chances to make a difference in the weeks to come, when they set fishing quotas and consider a European Community Plan of Action for sharks and related species. The good news is that the plan on the table for action in December would ban fishing for the most endangered sharks.

Never before have European countries had more reason or opportunity to safeguard the beleaguered shark and ray species of the Northeast Atlantic," said Sonja Fordham, deputy chair of the IUCN's Shark Specialist Group and policy director for The Shark Alliance.

"Country officials should heed the dire warnings of this report and act to protect threatened sharks and rays at national, regional and international levels. Such action is immediately possible and absolutely necessary to change the current course toward extinction of these remarkable ocean animals."

As individuals, we can make our voices heard. And we can shift our seafood-buying dollars to fisheries that don't decimate ocean wildlife. That's the principle behind our Seafood Watch program.

Can we make a difference? Yes, we can.

Research "Out of the Box"

The fine folks over at Mexico's CICIMAR have come up with a completely novel way of sampling a Sperm Whales breath, it's called "out of the box research". It should also be noted:

1. CICIMAR's team members are also tagging and tracking white sharks at Isla Guadalupe

2. A whales breath can and will drop a Rhino from 60 feet-so this is a novel approach

Gases and mucus blown out are collected in sterile Petri dishes attached to the 3.5 feet-long helicopter which are then examined to discover the health of the animal whether it is carrying any disease.

Steve Blair A.Q Pacific-Monster Hunter

A few weeks ago we got a call from Steve Blair. He was going to upstate New York to fly fish some "Monster Browns" on a river ominously called "Ifwetoldyawehavetokillya".

Steve's a personal favorite of ours here at Underwater Thrills and we have been with him on a quite a few fish related adventures over the years. Here's Steve's email to us this morning:

I would like to announce the arrival of my new "baby". He was delivered on a small river in upstate New York at a chunky 13lbs 8oz and 29 inches long.

Father is doing fine.He did have a few other siblings the same day in the 8-11lb class.

Sent gifts of egg patterns and large rubberlegs (rust and brown) if you would like.

Cheers,
Steve

Sharks-Speaking of Websites...

Reading like a "who's who" of shark conservation the Shark Alliance is the clearing house for up to date shark information and conservation efforts worldwide.

We have been watching (and pulling information) from this site for a few years now and it continues to just get better and better. If you have some time today and you really want to get informed about the plight of sharks globally spend some time here. From WildAid to Ocean Conservancy many of the front line NGO's are featured here.

Make no bones about it sharks are on the agenda.

Protect The Sharks Foundation-Media

Exciting news this morning from Protect The Sharks Foundation who have been quietly producing some great pro shark PSA's and documentaries. From their press release this week:

The documentary “GIMME A HUG” of the Dutch Protect The Sharks Foundation has won the Palm De Bronze on the 35th Film Festival Mondial De L’image Sous-Marine in the category Film B (independant filmmaker).

This Film Festival is one of the biggest and oldest in the world.This documentary shows one of the most mysterious phenomena in the animal world; TONIC IMMOBILITY. Amazing animals, showing a totally different behaviour then most people would expect.

Filmmaker and producer Geert Droppers is the first Dutchman who won a PALME in Antibes.

Editors Note: It would be nice to see this work on You Tube and the "Big Five" for public consumption. While this is great PSA work, change comes from a wider audience. Organically, these distribution points are a must for any effective shark campaign. Well done Geert!

Whales Wars-Wagging the Conservation Dog

“WHALE WARS is an epic adventure that looks at the consequences of taking a stand on an issue,” declares Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet. “It’s so important that WHALE WARS calls Animal Planet its home. It’s truly compelling television, and it’s entertainment with a conservation message infused to its core.”

Perhaps one of the most chilling departures from the entire 40 year global eco movement was this year when Sea Shepherd traded it's last shred of dignity and credibility for the cameras of Animal Planet and thus began Eco-Edutainment Television-where the message and outright fabrication of events have subsumed the horrors of actual whaling. Where dead whales and story lines are traded with advertisements for SUV's and laundry detergent. This is a meeting of eco media and horror that never should have happened and now that it has will change the landscape of the global eco movement for years to come.

Sea Shepherds anti whaling operation last season was one of unrelenting and breathless press release after press release. Sea Shepherd members were "taken hostage" by evil Japanese whalers. Sea Shepherd members were "harassed", titular head of the organization Paul Watson was "shot in the chest".

The fact is none of this actually happened the way it was portrayed and 90% of it was fabricated for Animal Planet's cameras creating for the first time a hybrid media organization that,truth be told, is becoming more horrific than actual whaling. Even Discovery Networks are backing away from Watsons "attempted assassination claim" realising their exposure to it might have a negative blow back for the network.

The question most credible NGO's are asking themselves these days, what is worse? Killing whales for bogus research, or exploiting the killing of whales for television ratings and eco donations from a well meaning and ill informed public?

Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd, like the Republican Party, are out of fresh ideas, and out of a true game plan to stop whaling in the Antarctic. One might even suggest this is not the real agenda here. It is well known that Watson hates, with a passion reserved only for the mentally unbalanced, his fellow anti whaling rivals Greenpeace. By allowing reality television crews and cameras aboard his vessel Watson creates his own reality and 20 million unwitting viewers go along for the ride not knowing events are not as they seem. Worldwide Sea Shepherd has all but painted itself into a corner, with fewer and fewer countries and ports allowing his brand of hysterical eco activism into their waters.

Sea Shepherd has chosen, in lieu of actual action, to Wag the Conservation Dog. Where this goes from here is any ones guess. What other NGO's should be doing right now is taking a hard stance against for profit reality television shows like Whale Wars. In the final summation will this stop whaling? No, sadly it will not.

Will it cause dollars to flow into Sea Shepherds coffers and away from other NGO's who are doing real conservation work? Sadly yes, it will, and that's the true horror of Wagging the Conservation Dog.

It's Not All Sharky...Wiley The Raccoon

This blog is 90% sharks and 10% "other".

Today we would like to introduce you to the other 10%. This little guy is "Wiley" (click image) a three week old Raccoon pup we rescued this summer.

His mother had been hit by a car while she was transporting her little brood and Wiley was the last pup left still alive when we discovered him on the roadside after spending a full day in the blazing sunshine.

Dehydrated, and almost dead, we took him home and got him back to the world of the living with some round the clock feedings and care.

Once we got little Wiley stable we shipped him off to Wild Care a fantastic local wildlife rehab non profit who took Wiley in and promptly renamed him "#211".

#211 grew up to be a fine outstanding member of the community with the dedicated help of Wild Care and was released a few months ago where we're sure he's raiding garbage cans with the best of them. For us, every time we hear the sound of cans being raided late at night, we think fondly back to this summer and an encounter with Wiley-211.

In this case wildlife conservation does begin at "home".

Busting Shark Propaganda

If you ever see or read the following statement beware of unhelpful shark propaganda:

"The ocean produces 70% of our oxygen we breath on Earth. Sharks are a critical part of the marine ecosystem that produces that oxygen and without them we could be in big trouble. "

Sadly sharks are in enough trouble as it is without wild hair, unsubstantiated claims like this one. Unfortunately this particular "claim" has caught the imagination of many, and has been repeated more than we care to see.

The end result, those that utter this statement look uninformed and foolish in the eyes of anyone who has got their pulse on shark conservation issues worldwide. Worse they can quickly become discounted as fringe elements by both advocates for shark fining and the NGO community at large. Making up facts that have no basis in any study or even reality hurts everyone.

The shark conservation movement needs to stick to the facts. Those facts are horrific and compelling enough without the added and misguided shark propaganda.

So, next time you post a response, send in a protest email, or write your Member of Congress be sure not to express the thought that if we do not save sharks there will be no more oxygen to breathe...the shark conservation movement needs credibility not propaganda.

Coast Guard, Cook Islands Ministry of Fisheries seize shark fins

The eco enforcement winds of change begin slowly at times.

15lbs of sharks fin? It's a start.

With the enaction of the Shiprider Agreement the US Coast Guard will now be conducting vessel boardings all over the planet. Last week in the Cook Islands the 71-foot fishing vessel Pacific Horizon, home ported in San Diego, Calif was found to have 15lbs of dried and illegal sharks fin on board.

While this bust is a literal "drop in the bucket" it is the beginning of legal enforcement in areas of the world that have no navy to patrol protected areas and fisheries:

HONOLULU — U.S. Coast Guard boarding team members seized 15 pounds of shark fins aboard a fishing vessel in the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Thursday at approximately 5 p.m.

A Cook Islands Ministry of Fisheries law enforcement officer and a boarding team from the Coast Guard Cutter Walnut, a 225-foot buoy tender home ported here, conducted a fishing vessel inspection Thursday approximately 2,200 miles south of Hawaii in accordance with the new bilateral law enforcement agreement with the Cook Islands.

It is a violation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1996 to have shark fins aboard any U.S. vessel. The seized fins are aboard the Walnut as evidence and will be transferred to National Marine Fisheries Service specialists who will determine if a formal Notice of Violation (NOVA) will be issued.

Critters You Never Want to Bathe With...

Out of Boston this morning a critter story about one of the most disgusting animals you could ever not hope to encounter. The Sea Lamprey.

We have encountered these critters on the Pacific coast fly fishing for Salmon and can testify to their absolute and unredeemed "ick factor".

Turns out they are once again making news-this time in Lake Champlain. Before you all start screaming "It's da global warming!" read the article:

BURLINGTON, Vt. -The ancient creature attaches itself to the body of its prey with the rasp-like teeth lining its jawless maw, punctures the skin with its chisel of a tongue, and then slowly sucks out the victim's blood.

Editors Note: To keep this sharky-there's a deep water critter called the Cookie Cutter shark that feeds by taking small circular chunks 'o flesh from it's victims. While not as gruesome as the Lamprey Eel, it's something to take notice of.

EBay Going Unnoticed-Template for Alibaba.com

Something remarkable happened last month in terms of eco enforcement and for the most part this watershed event went unnoticed by the larger NGO community and the broader implications for the ongoing battle against Alibaba.com and Yahoo!

EBay has decided to ban the sale of Ivory products system wide. As it turns out EBay's decision to institute the ban came just before the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) released findings from a three-month investigation in 11 countries.

This study is in our humble opinion first rate work by an NGO that resulted in an opening to both Yahoo! and it's 50% stake in Alibaba.com for continued unregulated sales of shark fin. As we have been covering Alibaba.com is "The New York Stock Exchange" of shark fin sales world wide and remain one of if not the largest sharks fin portal on the planet.

The problem with these sales? 100% are unregulated with many protected species being sold along with literally tons of sharks fin that are being moved daily through this site. Worldwide sharks are being killed at an estimated 50-70 million animals a year to feed the lucrative Asian fin market. Yahoo! Inc is a California based company with a multi billion dollar stake in Alibaba.com. Yahoo! has refused any discussion about it's involvement in this ongoing slaughter calling the issue a "cultural practices one" (see video).

Congratulations to EBay for seeing the light, now all eyes turn to Yahoo! Will they see the light as well? For our money as long as Jerry Yang is at the helm, probably not.

Recent Yahoo! stock numbers here.

White Sharks-Bill Wieger Sculptures

A few months ago we introduced you to Shark Diver Bill Wieger.

Bill's been out with us to Isla Guadalupe and Tiger Beach a few times and as it turns out got bit by the shark bug in an unusual way. Bill's an artist and his latest muse is a shark we have some to love at Isla Guadalupe called "Mystery".

Bill produces Mystery sculptures on a limited basis. His attention to detail and reproduction work is simply stunning. Bill has just returned from our last expedition this season Nov 3-8 onboard the MV Islander with what we can only imagine are more sculptures. They had a great trip and were treated to some of the largest sharks we have seen out there in a while.

Have a look at Bill's new website for all things sharky...just in time for X-Mas of course.

Cousteau Dynastic Ambition

What has always been the realm of back room conversations and quiet emails spilled out into an unholy mess of a "tell all article" this week.

The Cousteau family as it turns out has enough Dynastic Intrigue behind it to make a Ming Emperor blush.

Here's the article read and be amused.

As for the Mind of the Demon I think we can all agree it is perhaps the worst piece of shark film making to ever grace prime time television. A cautionary tale about being overzealous with sharks, technology, and the naming of a show.

When "measuring tape" will not do

Found in our inbox this morning-thanks Erica!

You're walking down the beach and a local surf fishermen catches a shark. The guy turns to you and says proudly, standing in a pile of empty Coors Light cans, "So, how big d'ya think that sucker is?"

And you reply "I dunno, my kids two feet long..."

Classic. The kids face pretty much sums up the entire encounter.

Chumslick Blog-Lighting Fires and Kicking Tires

Editors Note: The Chumslick Blog (written by an actual shark) is a personal favorite of ours as they "call it like it is" and are not hamstrung by CW or inflamitory wording. Case on point this weeks rant about the Dubai A.Q whose questionable incarceration of Sammy the Shark has lead to nothing short of a revolution in that closed nation...Viva La Revolution, sometimes you just gotta drop a few F-Bombs to make a point:

Weeks ago, the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai claimed that they received an order by an unnamed United Arab Emirates government agency demanding that they release Sammy the 13-foot Whale Shark they have held captive on display since early-September. Not only haven't they released the Whale Shark, which is a protected species and much too large for its enclosure, but they haven't indicated their plan to release the Shark. At this point, it is clear that the order to release the Shark was simply a Public Relations stunt intended to get more paying visitors into the exhibit while at the same time placating environmentalists. We got news for you assholes--we are not that stupid. The longer the Atlantis Hotel holds Sammy in captivity, the harder it will be for Sammy to transition back to the wild where she belongs. The Atlantis Hotel never received the proper permits to put Sammy on display in the first place and is in violation of international law.

There is really nothing else we can say about the Atlantis Hotel...FUCK THE ATLANTIS HOTEL.

It feels good to be blogging Sharks again, Chumslick.

Why "some people" should never dive with sharks

Not photo shopped, not funny either.

Why filmmakers feel the need to use very dead Tiger sharks in films and or television shoots is beyond us.

This kind of reminds us of a similar rant we soapboxed a few weeks ago concerning another Tiger from another shoot at another time. Of course that film was shot by Italians in 1979 so you have to forgive them...they knew not what they were doing.

As for this guy, clearly he knows not what he is doing either. If you're going to ride a dead Tiger (click image for full horror) ensure the crew has kept it in the ocean so it does not dry up as badly as this one did. Makes for a more credible scene.

Really now, where's the professionalism here?

Shark Tags Monterey Bay A.Q

Peter Thomas L.A Times is putting us out of a job. His Outposts Blog is home to some of the sharkiest news you can get fresh from the media machine:

This is a chart (click image) showing the female shark's wayward wanderings after its release in the Santa Barbara Channel on Sept. 7.

Its tag was set to report to scientists at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station in five months, but it popped free prematurely on Oct. 8 at 6 a.m..

It was recovered near the backside of San Miguel Island on Oct. 23.

"The map of data from the tag shows the shark spent its whole time after release around the Channel Islands," reports Ken Peterson, a spokesman for the aquarium. "All data from the tag show normal swimming and diving pattern up to the moment of release -- no sign of mortality of the shark as a cause for the premature release."

If the shark is alive, it may be traveling south to warmer water. The last white shark the aquarium held swam around the Baja California peninsula into the Sea of Cortez, where it remained until its tag life expired.

--Pete Thomas

Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die: Diving Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations

Far for us to be the ones to brag about anything but...if you happen to be at any major book store over the next few months you may want to pick up the following book.

Shark Diver, your favorite neighborhood shark diving company, is featured in this stunningly imaged and worded book under Mexico, Isla Guadalupe.

Naturally if there's only "50 Places to Dive Before You Die" Guadalupe has to be featured in there somewhere.

Chris Santella writer, and fly fisher, searched the planet and interviewed some of the industries noted dive adventurers seeking the back stories of the best dive sites around. He got ours on a river in Oregon last summer casting Chernobyl sized hopper imitations to waiting 20 inch browns who sipped these ungainly bugs off the surface like floating over sized Pez.

We're not going to tell you what we told him (buy the book) suffice to say after 7 years of operations at Isla Guadalupe we had some stories.

Sorry Shredder, you didn't make the cover.

Shark Diver-Industry thoughts

As the year begins to close out on us here at Shark Diver and we wrap up our final 6 day adventure with Great Whites this week, we took a moment to look back on over 600 posts from 2008.

As a global 215 million dollar industry we saw and commented on a wide range of issues. Not everyone agrees with us. Here's some of our favorites:

Shark Diver-“Noblesse Oblige”

Sharks and Tourism-"Monetizing" is not a "dirty word"

Extreme Shark Diving-Bad Idea or Industry Trend?

Sharks-The Problem with Florida

Shark Diving Analysis-Mexico, South Africa, Bahamas, California

Old School Sharks-Renewable or Raw Product?

Snubbing "Shredder" the shark

Shark Tourism The Race for a Species

Re-Casting Sharks-Suzannah Evans-Oceana.org

Shark-Free Marinas Initiative, Bahamas

Stinkin' Dead Shark Award October 2008

Isla Guadalupe-Eco Tour "Bizzaro Land"

Making the Case for "Sustainable Shark Diving"

Shark Conservation? Anyone? Anyone?

Shark Tourism-Rock and a Hard Place

Several months ago we covered another major shark kill in South Africa at the hands of fishermen and shark nets.

Last month Blue Wilderness reported another net encounter with two dead Tiger sharks. The magnificent animals which are being targeted here are the very animals relied on by shark tourism in the region. Here was our analysis back then.

8.23.2008

Some horrific news today from South Africa as owner operators of several well known dive shops were confronted with the sight of tons of dead sharks this week. South Africa's shark tourism is on the front lines in the ongoing issue of sustainable shark tourism vs shark meat and raw product use:

Eco-tourists who dive with sharks off Miller's Point are up in arms after being confronted by the sight of fishermen offloading tons of dead sharks from boats awash with blood.

Many of the divers are international tourists who travel to South Africa specially to see sharks, which have been wiped out in other parts of the world. But Tony Trimmel of the Kalk Bay Boat Owners' Association said commercial fishermen targeted sharks only when lucrative species like yellowtail and snoek were unavailable.

"They don't target sharks on a daily basis-but they have to make a living."

Editors Note: Worldwide this is an ongoing problem with use groups who both have the right to either fish or interact with sharks. In other areas of South Africa the demands for shark fins and meat is so high that fishermen are taking sharks from Marine Protected Areas.

Like we said many months ago "It's a race between the raw product use of sharks and sustainable tourism". Ultimate that race is up to local operations to win or lose.

That's the Rock and the Hard Place.