Today Was a Good Day...Welcome Back America!

Just when you thought the idea of Democracy was footnote to history.

When the darkest days of America overshadowed the rest of the planet.

"We the people" elect Barack Obama.

Welcome Mr.President.

Shark Conservation Protest Video Canada

What started with an idea on an obscure shark conservation board has become something so much more. Canada has lit the torch, congratulations to the "Ones" who came up with the International Year of the Shark:

Amanda Cotton Gets a Blog-Kudos

It is refreshing to see the up and coming faces of underwater photography. Those shooters who, for the pure joy of the image, end up taking shots that have the potential to change the way we see things.

One of these people is Amanda Cotton whose black and white imagery of large predatory sharks strikes the right note about these animals in ways color photography cannot. As we blogged about her a few months back, "when shooting in black and white you are forced to tell a story to make the shot work, Amanda's work is just plain organic".

We discovered this week she launched a new blog (and the shark crowd goes crazy).

Kudos Amanda, while your images give voice to the sharks now it's time for you to give voice to your images...oh and we'll be here to help as well.

UNEXSO Hosts Protect The Sharks Foundation

When Christine Zenato teams up with Protect The Sharks Foundation only good things for both the Bahamas and for the sharks in the region can come of it:

Grand Bahama Island - UNEXSO was pleased to host for a second time Protect The Sharks Foundation which is a non – profit organization based in The Protect the Sharks Foundation is trying to convince people how important it is to save sharks and in particular stop shark finning.

With this in mind Geert Droppers the founder is producing educational films aimed at showing the beauty of the shark and dispelling all the myths about “that dangerous monster.” Last year on his first visit to UNEXSO he filmed a documentary “Gimme A Hug” with Cristina Zenato, UNEXSO Diving Supervisor and Dive Instructor who is recognized as a Shark Dive professional.

It is a short film aimed to create awareness and a better understanding of this misunderstood animal. It is being distributed world wide and has already received outstanding reviews at film festivals in This year Geert returned to UNEXSO to dive with Cristina and show the beauty of the local Caribbean reef sharks and further develop “Gimme A Hug” for release in The film will highlight that there is no need for the mass slaughter of sharks for their fins in an area of the world where Shark fin soup is a delicacy.

The group was joined by 12^th Grade Marine Science students from St. Georges High School together with their teacher Andy Loveitt. They were interviewed and then participated on a shark feed under the watchful eye of Christina and Andy.

New Zealand-Great White Shark Research

Clinton Duffy is busy in New Zealand tagging white sharks. With each tag he and his team get in the grander the mystery they unravel about these magnificent animals migratory patterns:

Note: Image Isla Guadalupe, Mexico.

Seeing a great white shark next to the boat is close enough for most people.

So imagine the nerves needed to haul one of the ocean’s most feared predators onto the boat to tag it. For Conservation Department marine scientist Clinton Duffy, it’s all in a day’s work.

Clinton has spent the last three years hunting New Zealand’s coastal waters for great whites as part of a joint project between DOC, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, German website Shark Tracker and The German Society for Nature Conservation – NABU.

Next month, Clinton will hunt for great white sharks in the Far North in a bid to learn more about this species which is declining worldwide thanks to trophy hunters, shark control programmes, accidental capture in gill nets and vulnerability to over-fishing.

Tagging great whites with satellite tags will allow Clinton to capture data on light levels, temperatures and depths experienced by sharks. His research has already debunked the image of great whites as cold water, coastal sharks.

Previously tagged sharks have been found as far away as Tonga, New Caledonia and the Great Barrier Reef and recorded diving to depths of 1000 metres. Scientists have also discovered that great white sharks make trans-oceanic migrations to tropical waters.

They don’t know for certain why great whites take winter holidays in the tropics. However, they may be searching for humpback whale calves, because a lot of tags have surfaced in or near calving sites.

Mr Clinton will talk about his work at the Houhora Big Fish and Sports Club on Friday at 7pm.

The evening promises to add a different perspective on the ‘Jaws creature of terror’ image that still plagues this vulnerable fish.

Deep Sea News Moves-Again!

The guys over at Deep Sea News have moved (again). Turns out the relationship with Discovery was not to be, we think the boys needed some breathing room to be "all they could be":

"Discovery pursued new terms in December. The terms were unacceptable to us, so we terminated the contract. What can I say? We're on to better things. :)"

Here's the new home of Deep Sea News. See you there.

Riding the wave of seasonal stupidity

It is almost impossible not to love writers like Malcolm Knox. Tackling the hysterical media bias of three near simultaneous shark attacks in Australia recently with an article formula based on two parts searing humor and two parts serious thought.

Read, be amused, become informed:

Full Story

On Tuesday a rampant great white shark, rows of teeth bared and bloody, lunged out of the front page of The Manly Daily. In case readers weren't already running, the headline shouted: "Coming to a beach near you?"

The annual shark hysteria always devolves into the debate between the head - someone saying that you're more likely to get hit by a car on your way to the beach - and the guts - an unfortunate surfer in hospital letting the teeth marks speak for themselves. By playing the impossible game of measuring probabilities and evidence against the bottomless pit of basic human fear, the hysteria is a distraction from the main issue affecting beaches in summer: the seasonally adjusted spike in stupidity

Basking Sharks: A Global Perspective, Kudos

When disparate research interests, conservation groups, and fishing interests get together you know two things are going on:

1. What brings them together is usually grim news
2. There's still hope

Kudo's to the Save our Seas Foundation and others who have initiated this conference:

THE Isle of Man is to host a conference on basking sharks this summer following four years of ground-breaking research. Experts from all over the world are expected at the three-day scientific event, Basking Sharks: A Global Perspective.

It will be hosted by the Manx Government, the Manx Wildlife Trust and Save our Seas Foundation.

The Island's basking shark population has received worldwide attention since a shark tagged in Manx waters crossed the Atlantic in 2007. It was previously believed basking sharks on this side of the Atlantic were a completely different group to those off the Americas.

It is estimated there are now only about 8,200 basking sharks left.

'We are close to losing them,' said Jackie. 'This practice must be stopped and our tagging work lends power to the scientific argument against it.

Shark Conservation Video-South Africa

Why is this video not on the home page of every South African shark diving operator in the region? Kudo's to Cool Blue Films for the storyline, and the video. Conservation efforts always begin with "One":

Whale Wars Sea Shepherd Credibility Gap 2009

How can anyone take the stumbling and ineffective antics of Sea Shepherd seriously when titular head of organization Paul Watson lies so badly that a monkey, encased in ice, and shot into deep space could see through them.

Not that we condone the shooting monkeys into deep space. We just find the visual image amusing.

Yes, we're talking about the "shot that never was" wherein Paul Watson entirely fabricated a shooting of his grand personage for a film crew and reality television show called Whale Wars.

Why are we talking about it again? Here's an excerpt from Watsons latest blog post, transmitted to the planet as religious eco gospel and regurgitated by many well meaning bloggers and eco websites who have yet look into the core of Sea Shepherd:

"The Union that supplies the crew for the whaling ships is a Yakusa controlled Union. I've been making that charge for years without a single denial from the Union, the whalers or anyone else. The only defense for that charge is to ignore it with the hope it goes away or to assassinate the person making the charge which is exactly what they tried to do last season when someone on the Nisshin Maru shot me."

Once again Paul Watson is repeating his obese assassination fabrication of 2008. A lie that was quickly dispelled by those who know weapons, shooting, and the impossibility of the shot that Watson claims almost took his miserably fabricated life.

Not even the producers of Whale Wars believe Watsons attempted assassination claim and have quietly backed away from admitting that this entire event was indeed staged.

We need credible witnesses to the ongoing whaling efforts of Japan. Sea Shepherd lies so continually that no one, not even Watson, has a grasp on what is the truth anymore. The original lie was bad enough, repeating the lie over and over again reveals a pathological psychosis that is disturbing. Made worse by the fact this man is the captain of a vessel and in charge of others lives in an unforgiving ocean.

Is this what you want from your conservation organization?

Film Exposes Threats To Survival Of Great Whites CBS News

Two hundred miles (click link for video) south of San Diego, there's a place where divers come face-to-face with the ocean's fiercest predator - great white sharks. A Southern California filmmaker is on a mission to bring them to the big screen, and Birch Aquarium at Scripps featured his award-winning documentary "Island of the Great White Shark".

He has a love for the ocean and fascination with great white sharks. It explains why filmmaker Richard Theiss would spend countless hours in chilly water to bring these feared giants to your living room.

"I've been filming for 5 years now and never seen aggression either towards divers in cage or myself," Richard said.

He traveled 200 miles south of San Diego to Guadalupe Island, about 150 miles off the coast of Baja. It's a place shark enthusiasts love to go to catch a glimpse of the great white from a cage underwater.

"I wanted to present a realistic portrait of these animals, but also wanted to show working relationship between eco-tourism boats, the shark diving boats and the Mexican researchers that are there... why have they chosen Isla Guadalupe," he said.

You can see the source of food here is one major attraction for the sharks. But researchers have yet to answer many questions about shark behavior, which is why shark tagging is used to collect information. Richard's film not only shows this warm-blooded creature in motion, but acts as a tool to bring science and public interest together.

"People have always said the great white shark has this black eye, well it's not completely black. You can actually see its pupil and as he goes by I can see him tracking and looking at me. You feel a momentary connection. I see you, you see me," he said.

It's that connection that Richard wants people to make before it's too late. Conservation is one of the leading messages in his documentary.

"We're losing up to 100 million sharks a year, primarily to feed the Asian demand for shark fin soup and other shark products in these Asian countries," he said.

Richard hopes "Island of the Great White Shark" will give people a better appreciation for the fight sharks face every day to survive.

"We are not on their menu, that we don't need to fear these animals. They certainly are top predators and have an important role in marine ecosystems and we need them, but we should not necessarily fear them or fear putting our toe in the water," Richard said.

Steve Jobs Passes - Monks Depart Lhasa

SAN FRANCISCO (Tech News) -  Apple Inc chief and tech icon Steve Jobs death sent shivers through investors who fear a change at the top will chill a product line-up struggling to come up with the next big thing.



In a surprising twist, 12 Lamas departed from Lhasa this morning bound for Silicon Valley triggered by an apparent request from Apples Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook.

In an interview today Cook said, "the Lamas will be here to seek out the reincarnated spiritual leader of Apple".

Apple staff have reportedly set aside items in a sealed case that Steve Jobs used on a daily basis, a comb, an iPod and pair of reading glasses.

Editors Note: Steve Jobs we are going to miss you. Genius, recognized in it time, is a gift that few get to enjoy.

Scuba diver helps get shark fin soup off menu

Shark conservation efforts that go "beyond the petition" take dedication and time. In the end they are also most effective, kudo's:

Scuba diver helps get shark fin soup off menu

Scuba-diving enthusiast Carl Robbins noticed the menu in an advertising flyer from Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino.

Among the offerings was shark fin soup, the controversial Asian delicacy that relies on the fins of sharks, some of which are finned and released in a mutilated state back into the sea. The practice is being blamed for a decrease in shark populations around the world.

The Year of the Ox, which commences Jan. 26, was going to be started with some fin of the shark, which traces its beginnings to the Ming Dynasty in the mid-1300s.

Outraged, Robbins sent e-mails to Barona and alerted fellow scuba divers and watermen. Robbins, citing Web sites and documentaries, detailed why it's inhumane to offer such a menu item. It's been estimated that every year tens of millions of sharks die a slow death because of finning. Robbins' e-mail to Dean Thomas, executive chef at Barona, explained his stance

Shark Tourism - On The Media "Today Show"

Question: Are the media pro shark or anti shark?

Answer: Anti shark

For commercial shark diving operators worldwide the answer to this question would seem obvious. For the past decade the media has shown little interest in correcting the ongoing and rampant shark killing stigma of the Jaws Legacy.

When it comes down to hype and the media's lifeblood, advertising sales, nothing compares to a shark attack on a human. These gruesome media packages dive slow news cycles and explode worldwide with the speed of Santa Ana wildfires.

Knowing this there is absolutely no excuse for shark diving operators who allow negative shark images and video to be presented to the media without any direction or industry leadership. In a word this is, "criminal behaviour" towards the very animals that we as commercial shark diving operators spend years attempting to show in a different light.

If the commercial shark diving industry is to continue with operators enjoying offshore operations in countries that are not their own such as the Bahamas and Mexico this kind of blatant, inexcusable and criminal media mismanagement must end.

The future of two of the western hemispheres best known shark sites absolutely depends on it...and we are losing this battle. A veritable flood of questionable images and video have come out of the Bahamas, Tiger Beach site recently. This dive site is still under a C and D that all but demands shark protocols for operators and is still under regulatory decision making by the Bahamian government.

Why operators are allowing disturbing video's and images that abjectly defy this Cease and Desist order to be posted on public sites, with little thought towards blow back, will most likely be discussed (heatedly) when this site is shut down.

For commercial shark diving operators whose media skills are not up to the task you have two options.

1. Leave the industry.
2. Clean up your act.

Case in point the Today Show on MSNBC this morning recycling a horrific cage breach video from Isla Guadalupe. This mornings show was watched by 5,998,000 people in the USA alone. Major media is not to blame here. Without the negative images and video we provide them with they cannot skillfully move forward with their well know agenda.

Having a commercial shark diving operation present them with a video now used to promote and highlight anti shark agendas in Australia will lead to the death of sharks. The true horror of negative shark media.

Responsibility for what becomes anti shark media begins and ends with the operator:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Bimini Sands becomes Bahamas' first 'Shark Free Marina'

Bimini Sands is excited to announce that we are officially the first marina in the Bahamas to join the Shark Free Marinas Initiative. The purpose of the initiative is to educate the public about the importance of sharks in our marine eco-systems and promote 'Catch & Release' practices to our guests.

We feel that the harvesting of sharks for photo images or souvenir jaws is not in the best interests of the Bahamian people or the Bahamian tourism industry. By asking vessels not to arrive at our facilities with sharks, we hope to encourage responsible sport fishing, thereby ensuring a lasting and healthy population of sharks in Bahamian waters for future generations.

The decision to support this initiative is not based on sensationalistic media reports, but rather the best available science that proves that sharks play a critical role in balancing the health of the ocean and, in fact, pose very little threat to people.

Brady Barr - Wild Animal Productions Gone Wrong

Brady Barr? You remember him don't you. Perhaps the most amusing Man vs..."what the hell am I doing in this guano encrusted bat cave attached to a wonking great snake" video that we have seen in a while.

In case you missed it here it is again his increasingly frantic screams as an angry snake chomps into his backside makes this an instant classic.

Kind of reminds us of Mustafa in Dr.Evils Flame Pit "I have a very...bad...burn."

These days Brady is taking his expert wildlife persona into the underwater realm as witnessed by his recent exciting encounter with what looks to be a gravid Tiger shark (click image for full horror).

Unfortunately Brady's producer forgot to untie the shark and tilted this image to look like Brady is swimming with the animal instead of clinging to it upside down as his air bubbles float up to the surface. Naturally this image left us wondering...what's the bloody point?

Let us be the first, like the wide eyed child who once shouted with pointed finger, that indeed, the "Emperor had no clothes."

We can do better than this. We have to do better than this!

Shark Conservation Messaging-Home Run

Got this today from Jeremiah Sullivan owner of Neptunic Shark Suits he really needs to get his own blog:

Shark Project is a German shark conservation organization.

They are also brilliant eco messengers. In tandem with Young & Rubicam they have come up with a POS that, in our humble opinion, is flawless.

Once you open this letter you get the following message "congratulations you just finned a shark".

Count us in for a $50.00 donation.

Shark Free Marinas, Bahamas

We are proud to announce the Bimini Sands Resorts participation in the Bahamas Shark Free Marinas Initiative. In the world of shark conservation there are "willing participants" and then there are those rare few who become invested in the success of a conservation endeavor.

Bimini Sands Resort is one of these. Taking the initial proposed sign design and adding some great modifications to it they have produced what we feel is the strongest message a marina can make in the Bahamas region against the killing for sport of sharks. With the spectacular death of a pregnant Tiger last year the timing could not be sooner.

Kudo's to them for this effort. A quick look at their blog tells the whole story this week.

Thanks to Duncan Brake who works at the Bimini Biological Field Station and who re-worked the graphic for the signs.

Shark conservation efforts always start with an "idea" but it take an organic effort to make the necessary changes in any region. Leading the charge in this region is Bimini Sands Resort.

Birch Aquarium: Island of the Great White Shark full house rave reviews

From filmmaker Richard Theiss:

On Tuesday, January 6th, the Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in beautiful La Jolla, CA hosted a screening of Island of the Great White Shark. At the conclusion of the film I had the opportunity to discuss the film with the standing room only audience. The pressing issue of conservation and the value eco-tourism was discussed along with the importance of understanding the shark's role in maintaining a balanced marine ecology.

My sincere thanks to the Birch Aquarium and its staff for promoting and managing what turned out to be a very successful evening (a special thanks to Lydia Cobb, Marketing Manager and Jessica Crawford, Communications Specialist). After a series of media interviews arranged by the Aquarium, the day of the event arrived and I was treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Aquarium and had a chance to sit down and discuss shark research with several of Scripps top shark research grad students. It was very encouraging to hear about their efforts to learn more about these amazing animals so that we can take the proper steps to ensure their survival.

The Birch Aquarium plays a unique and vital role as a conduit through which the Scripps Institution of Oceanography can enlighten the public to many of the important marine issues being studied by this world renowned research organization - from climate change to marine wildlife conservation. The institution was established in 1903 and became a part of the University of California, San Diego a few years later. With a fleet of research vessels and state-of-the-art research facilities, the institution is one of the leaders in its field and has produced generations of accomplished research scientists and educators across a wide range of oceanographic disciplines.

Again, my thanks to the Birch Aquarium. If you are traveling in the San Diego area, carve out a few hours and stop by for a visit. It will be time well spent.

Ranting for a reason-Smiling at "Da Passion"

The gents over at Beqa Adventure Divers (Da Shark!) are never short on words when it comes to those who do questionable things with sharks. We also wondered about the merits of this brand of "shark science" having seen it as a stable "go-to experiment" on almost every shark show since the days of the "Flying Sharks":

Sharks have weak bites, say scientists. And who gives a damn, says I.

I've ranted about it before, it just pisses me off to see rare and valuable scientific resources, and brainpower, squandered on such trivia! Does it get any more useless, wasteful and stupid than this?

Cui bono?

Is this going to save a single Shark from Extinction?

Because, and I shall never tire to repeat it, in 2009, the only possible justification for any Biological Research is Conservation. Funding is extremely scarce and hard to come by and just cannot be squandered on such frivolous and unnecessary projects, full stop!

Plus, I cannot even begin to try and fathom the ethics of "knocking out" big and threatened Sharks to then electronically stimulate their jaws - for Nothing! Guys, for crying out loud!!! What would you say if somebody traveled to China and did the same thing to an effing Panda???

Huh?

Shame on you!

Taobao.com-Alibaba.com Shark Fin Solution

Last month online sharks fin trader Alibaba.com and parent company Taobao.com put out a press release stating "Taobao.com announced to its 400 million online members that all shark fin products will be banned from trade on Taobao.com starting 1, January 2009."

Full release here.

As we have reported this week we attempted to purchase sharks fin from the Alibaba.com web portal to test the effectiveness and real world reality of that press release.

After 7 days and less than 30 minutes of time spent we were able to source over 80,000lbs of dried sharks fin from sellers worldwide. Clearly this represents a massive roll out failure on the part of Alibaba.com and parent company Taobao.com

Here are our observations concerning areas that "with little effort" Taobao.com and Alibaba.com can make improvements-drastically reducing the sales of sharks fin and educating the public at the same time. Education would represent a big win for Taobao.com and Alibaba.com

Taking the lead in educating seller and consumer on their web portals would represent a worthy and admirable leadership stance. We would be the first to commend them.

Purchase Side Changes

1. When doing a search for "sharks fin" or any variations thereof Alibaba.com could initiate a pop up with the rules and regulations regarding sharks fin sales. We will suggest they build a "Red Site", listing "by section" items that are banned from sale or trade.

2. When signing up as a buyer Alibaba.com can use this process to direct the buyer to their "Red Site" using consumer drill down sales models they have identified internally.

Sales Side Changes

1. Sellers of all shark products and seafood products should receive warnings that are posted to each sellers site on Alibaba.com automatically. For example if you arrive at seller X's sea product site there's a link to the new "Red Site" with a warning about sharks fin sales.

2. Sellers are given a one strike policy. If sales of "Red Site" items happen and are verified they (seller) are banned forever.

These are a few positive and lasting changes that would have an immediate effect. Taobao.com and Alibaba.com could, if serious about banning the sale and trade of sharks fin, make these simple and industry leading changes within the month.

Humane Society International-Loophole closure

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society
International issued a statement today applauding Guam Delegate
Madeleine Bordallo for introducing legislation that would close a
loophole on shark finning.

Bordallo introduced the Shark Conservation Act, H.R. 81, which
provides increased protection for vulnerable shark species from the
disgusting practices of “finning” and overfishing.
“Each year, tens of millions of sharks worldwide have their fins
cruelly cut off at sea and are then thrown back overboard to die a
lingering, painful death,” said Patricia Forkan, president of Humane
Society International. “Shark finning threatens the survival of
essential marine species, and we commend Congresswoman Bordallo for
addressing this cruel and wasteful practice.”

Although shark finning was banned in the U.S. by the Shark Finning
Prohibition Act of 2000, enforcement is complex and a major loophole
allows circumvention of the law. Last summer, the U.S. Department of
Commerce implemented regulations in the U.S. Atlantic Ocean and Gulf
of Mexico requiring that sharks be landed with fins attached to their
bodies, to prevent shark finning. However, the Pacific Ocean has no
comparable regulation, leaving these expansive waters wide open to
abuse.

Last year, the previous version of the Shark Conservation Act (H.R.
5741) passed the House in the 110th Congress, but did not advance in
the Senate before the session was adjourned. The new legislation
contains the same language closing a loophole that currently permits a
vessel to transport fins that were obtained illegally as long as the
sharks were not finned aboard that vessel. The act also requires that
all sharks be landed with their fins naturally attached to their
bodies, creating a clear enforcement mandate applicable in both
oceans.

Dr. Lark.com: Discontinuing use of shark squalane

From RTSea's Blog this week:

Back in August, I posted information about Dr. Susan Lark, an online entrepreneur engaged in selling moisturizers that contained shark squalane (see previous post). Oceana.org took the lead in putting pressure on Dr. Lark and her organization to opt for a substitute squalane derived from olives.

Here's some good news I received today from Elizabeth Griffin, Marine Wildlife Scientist at Oceana.org:
"It's taken nearly a year of constant pressure, but we've finally convinced Dr. Susan Lark to sell cosmetic products containing squalene derived from olives rather than deep sea sharks. More than 15,000 of you contacted Lark, telling her it was unconscionable to sacrifice already at-risk shark populations for the sake of beauty.

First she claimed her product was okay because the sharks used were bycatch of the orange roughy fishery. When we pointed out the error in this logic, she then claimed the source was "sustainably fished" sharks from the Mediterranean. When it became clear that we weren't buying her excuses, or her beauty products, she finally agreed to change her product line. We are happy to report that the first new product is currently in development."

Kudos to Oceana for their dedication, to all those who sent email messages, and to the Dr. Susan Lark organization for finally seeing the light by placing species endangerment ahead of personal beauty.

One step at a time, folks. But we're moving forward.

The shark tourism industry: An examination of the shark tourist and the role of education and interpretation in Fiji.

Still waiting on the findings if anyone out there has them please pass them on:

Rob Altobelli
New Zealand Tourism Research Institute
Auckland University of Technology
New Zealand
Date: 24 August, 2007

Related Files:
Shark tourism in Fiji: An examination of education and interpretation.

Details:
This PhD research will examine the shark tourism industry (including shark diving/watching) in Fiji with specific attention being paid to the ‘shark tourist’ (individuals who pursue this tourist activity) and the role of education and interpretation as a management and experience enhancing tool. The thesis adopts two theories/models related directly to education and interpretation, including the concept of Mindfulness and Orams’ Interpretation Model. These two theories/models will form the backbone of the research and will be supplemented by literature in the following areas: Marine Ecotourism, Marine Tourism, Wildlife Tourism, and Marine Wildlife Tourism. Data will be collected using a triangulation (mixed methods) approach at selected dive/shark watching sites throughout Fiji. The main methodological tools being used include a combination of observation/conversation (with shark tourists), survey questionnaires (of shark tourists), and interviews (of shark tourism operators). The anticipated period for data collection in Fiji is around March to May 2008.

Profile:

Rob Altobelli is a PhD candidate and Research Assistant at the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute (NZTRI) at AUT University. Originally from Canada, Rob recently graduated from Brock University’s (St. Catharines, Canada) Honours Bachelor of Tourism Studies programme. He arrived in New Zealand in 2006 to further his research interests in marine-based tourism under the supervision of Dr Michael Lück.

Alibaba.com-Selling sharks fin 5000 kilos a week

Last month online sharks fin trader Alibaba.com and parent company Taobao.com put out a press release stating "Taobao.com announced to its 400 million online members that all shark fin products will be banned from trade on Taobao.com starting 1, January 2009."

Full release here.

This release was heralded by the conservation community as an exciting development. Net the fact Yahoo! was still heavily invested in Alibaba.com and had never disavowed the rampant sale of sharks fin via a web portal they had invested billions in. In many cases sellers were producing and selling 5000-10,000 kilos of sharks fin per week-1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds.

While we are cautiously optimistic about this announcement we decided to run with the old adage "trust but verify". Unfortunately over the past 7 days of verification we have come across a 98% continuing sales rate of sharks fin at Alibaba.com.

The problem is "window dressing". While Alibaba.com has stopped all overt sales of sharks fin via web searches, they have not stopped buyers from asking the sellers of sea products directly for sharks fin. Over the past 7 days we have posed as three different buyers asking for 5000 kilos a week (11,000 pounds) of product from various sellers.

We posed this question to eleven sellers. Nine answered positively, we did not get a response from two others. The aggregate total of sharks fin we were able to source in just 7 days from Alibaba.com, was a staggering 40,000 kilo or 88,000 lbs.

Here is one example from just one inquiry:

From:Mr XXX XXX
Date:Mon, Jan 05 2009 01:14:24 (GMT)

Dear Mr. XXX XXX,

Thank you very much for your message.

As per your requirement we can supply you good quality product Shark Fin's from XXX at reasonable price.

Kindly mail us.

Yours sincerely,
XXX XXX

XXX,
XXX, Bangladesh.
Mobile :XXX
Fax: XXX
E-mail: XXX
MSN: XXX

Message IP Address:123.xx.xx.*
Message Origin:Bangladesh

Alibaba.com aims to provide you with accurate Sender Details, we are not able to fully guarantee the accuracy of every Sender's IP information.

Note: The final legal wording on this email "Alibaba.com is neither responsible nor liable for any of the above information."

Top 10 Found Inside Sharks-Times Online

We normally steer away from stories like these but the Times reporter did such a great job we had to re-post this. "Found" inside of sharks:

1. It just eats money
The first piece I could find dates from 1821, headed Singular Circumstance: a bored sailor, with more money than sense, decided to use dollars (coins presumably) as bait. He chucked one over the side then, finding bait and hook missing, tried another, and another. All with the same result. Four days and 300 miles later, someone else on the same boat caught a shark “which contained two of the hooks baited with two of the dollars. In about fifteen minutes after, a dolphin was caught, which contained the other hook and dollar.”

2. Plat du jour
1823 was a bit of a bumper year. First report was a news in brief, treating the shark’s contents as a nicely balanced dinner menu: "He was found to contain a sheep, a calf's head and feet, a horse foot (marine animal), a sea-owl, and several articles to serve as trimmings"

What on earth is a sea-owl - anyone know?

3. He’s not heavy ... any more
Next up, in the same year, was a macabre story from the West Indies, “Curious facts”: "On opening the shark the instrument struck upon an impenetrable hard substance in his stomach, which, upon digging out, they found to be a six pound cannon ball"

Fair enough, but why would he have eaten it? The report speculates that the cannon ball had been attached to a human body, to make it sink, and that the body had been digested.

4. Ship's papers
A deeply bizarre story, dating from the American War of Independence: sailors on a British ship caught a shark with a lump of pork. The thrifty captain ordered them to save the pork to use again, and when they opened up the shark they found a bundle of papers relating to an American brig, the Nancy, which was masquerading as a neutral vessel. Read the original – it’s straight out of Patrick O’Brien.

5. Best bib and tucker
This graphic report, from New Orleans in 1856, more or less says it all on this subject: "We have read many fish stories, and they are generally of that tenour that the very name inclines one to disbelieve them."
But of course, having said that, here is one story that absolutely can be vouched for:

Some days ago, the captain of a ship at anchor outside the Pass threw overboard a shark hook baited, not expecting in the least, as the captain himself says, to catch anything of the fish tribe. There was hooked, however, a shark of the spotted kind, and, as it afterwards proved, a regular 'man-eater' … His size and weight may be imagined from the fact that it took 11 men to hoist him in, with a double lift on the mainyard. The monster … had seven rows of teeth, three of the rows being almost hidden in the upper gums ... In his paunch was found the body of a man in a half decomposed state. So far as could be judged, the corpse was that of a well-dressed man, of medium size - shirt white, with pearl buttons, coarse silk undershirt, cotton socks, and shoes nearly new, of the Congress gaiter kind. The shark had also in his stomach several pieces of old canvass, such as are used by vessels on their rigging.

6. So good, they ate it twice
OK, now we’re in the realms of the seriously silly: the steamer Jutland, of Hull, was caught in a storm and a goose, belonging to the second engineer, Mr Tate, was washed overboard. The goose, of course, had a label tied round one of its legs carrying its owner’s name and address, so when it was subsequently found inside a shark by the captain of a fishing smack, it could be returned. Mr Tate was delighted, and had it cooked up for his dinner the next day.

7. Catching crabs
More mundanely, this monster specimen from the South Pacific, caught in Moreton Bay, Brisbane, contained a miscellaneous collection of eats, “among which may be mentioned a sheep skin and an unusually large crab”

8. Made for swallowing
This rather bald report just records, Shark caught at Fiume: "The stomach contained a pair of human feet with boots on them"

9. Turtle soup, nearly
Great story from 1922 about a giant turtle which, amazingly, survived being swallowed and was rescued and taken to the New York Aquarium where, “recovering from cuts and shock”, he was christened Jonah

10. Fingerprints still legible
Back to the macabre, in fact could this be the only murder evidence retrieved from inside a shark? A shark was caught in Sydney harbour and transported, alive, to an aquarium whereupon it was sick, quite reasonably. One thing that came up was a tattooed human arm: "From tattoo marks and finger prints, the arm was identified as belonging to James Smith who, police believe, was murdered and thrown in the sea"

That’s ten, but here’s a bonus, a proper old sailor’s yarn:
1922: A shark and The Times "The shark, 14 feet long, was hauled on board, and on cutting it open a copy of The Times was found in its stomach". The explanation was that a "mail steamer had passed a few hours before, someone had thrown overboard his Times, and a shark following the ship had swallowed it"

And you could still read it. No smudgy ink in those days

When Animals Attack-Discovery Channel

Recently Discovery Channel Networks ran afoul of the Bear People in Alaska.

Note: The Bear People are serious contenders in Alaska, you do not want to kick that beehive.

Seems that taking human dummies and enticing Grizzlies to attack them is both disrespectful to bears and a disservice to the general public who's impression of bears is diminished after watching the show. As the story unfolds the production company responsible for the shoot "staged the event" with caged bears...they failed to let the public know this was the case much to the networks chagrin.

Story here Kudo's to MSNBC for breaking this story.

Which leads us to an ongoing problem with Discovery Channel and shark programming. Last year a similar stunt was done with Tiger sharks at Tiger Beach, Bahamas. A dummy was dressed up in full dive gear and the sharks were enticed to attack the dummy. Where does this end?

It begins and ends with the operations that do business with the production companies, who in turn do business with Discovery networks. As operators who take productions companies to find and shoot sharks we have an obligation to inform and help direct the production company into quality pro shark programming. That's a tall order, and sometimes it cannot be done, but the far end of that spectrum is a dummy being attacked by a Tiger shark.

Without revealing who was responsible for that particular shoot, the blow back from it had serious and continuing repercussions for others who use this site:

1. The Bahamian Tourism Ministry were very upset with this shoot. The Bahamas relies on water based tourism and the depiction of Tigers attacking divers is not what they want to see in their waters. Furthermore, when it was discovered that this shoot was done by a US based company the anger grew. The Bahamas are currently wrestling with what they perceive are US based commercial dive interests who give very little back to the Bahamian economy and are doing "bad things" in Bahamian waters. After watching that show you can see why.

2. The Bahamas Film Commission also voiced serious concern for this site and continued filming here.

Often the net result or blow back of "When Animals Attack" programming is seen months or perhaps years after the shoot. Operators need to take the lead here. The reason why programming like this exists is built on the backs of the last 10 production companies who delivered it to Discovery. We can not only break the chain-but we can also show production companies new and better programming that cost less, delivers more, and keep the audience engaged.

It can be done. Great programming with sharks that delivers thrills takes time and dedication and thought. It's not rocket science.

White Shark Autopsy Two-The Live Version

If it's an animal autopsy streamed live on the Internet, we're there. Last year we watched the Giant Squid autopsy with fascination and this year it's the Great White shark:

In a broadcast reminiscent of a scene in Jaws, where Richard Dreyfuss cuts open a shark to discover a car licence plate and a crushed tin, scientists will carry out the two hour operation on a 10ft great white shark.

The live dissection will be carried out at an amphitheatre outside Aukland Museum on Thursday.The operation is expected to be watched by an estimated 1,000 people at the museum and streamed live on its website (www.aucklandmuseum.com) to millions more.

Scientists from the museum hope the operation will help add to their limited knowledge of one of the ocean's most feared animals. During the operation, scientists will examine stomach content, measure internal organs and record all their findings for international shark research.

Editors Note: We will be out of the office Thursday-let the science begin!

Shark Conservation-Kristie Knowles

There are many passionate shark advocates out there. What's missing in many cases is "conservation eloquence". The innate ability to distill down complex eco problems and present them in a manner where ordinary people want to take action.

For conservationist Kristie Knowles, getting the message across is par for the course:

Kirstie Knowles: Human predators driving sharks to the brink of extinction

Full story

Sharks are monsters of the ocean - creatures of myth and movie. Or so they say. In reality, they are the victims of the horror stories, not the perpetrators, as shark populations worldwide decline.

Sharks are not the top ocean predators - humans in fishing boats command that spot. A total of 112 species of shark are found in New Zealand waters, 70 of which are caught in our fisheries.

Of these, 28 are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of species threatened with extinction.

Only one threatened species - the great white shark - is protected in New Zealand. It is ironic that this species, which was portrayed in the Jaws films as a relentless human killer, is now at risk of extinction largely at the hands of humans.

Fishers work under the Quota Management System but there's so little information about shark populations - with good information on only three of the 70 species caught in our fisheries - that it is hard to know if present catch levels are sustainable.

Great White Sharks-Another Look

The simple, elegant beauty that is the Great White Shark. We never get tired of video's like these:

Bull Shark CSI-The Guys in Fiji

Like to discover new shark sites? Look no further than the Beqa Adventure Divers Blog. This week they "uncovered" Bull Sharks in Thailand:

Ever heard of Chumphon Pinnacle?

Me neither, until a very pink website announced that it was Thailand's new hotspot for Bull Sharks. I must admit that at first glance, I was rather skeptical.

The first pics showed smallish Sharks with a very distinct dark rim to their tail fin, something that I had never seen in Fiji. Bull Sharks have a closely allied species, the Java or Pigeye Shark (Carcharhinus amboinensis) and my gut feeling was that it could be that species, which would have been a great find in its own right.

As more and more images began populating the site, I however started seeing Sharks that were very much the same as our own sub-adults. Must be that the "rimmed" Sharks were either smaller than even our smallest animals, or that they were displaying some typical Thai color pattern, not at all impossible per se. We know that from Grey Reefies where local populations have a white rim on the first dorsal fin, prompting some splitters to try and describe them as an own species (which they are not).

Having alerted "our" expert Juerg, he confirms the original diagnosis. You can read his conclusions here.

Kudos to DJL (yes: Davy Jones' Locker, of all things...) on Koh Tao for their find and correct identification of the Sharks.

By the way: that would be just down the road from Ko Pha Ngan's Full Moon Party and just around the corner from The Beach - epic!

Island of The Great White Shark-Documentary

Richard Theiss producer of the documentary Island of the Great White Shark will be at the Birch Aquarium (Scripps) tomorrow night screening his new film to an almost sold out audience.

For the past few days he's been on television talking about his film. Tomorrow morning he'll be on Fox News 5 in San Diego.

You can find his recent interviews with:

San Diego 6
KUSI San Diego

Always a passionate advocate for sharks and the oceans. His documentary remains one of the few in depth looks into the secret world of great white shark without the hype.

When Saying "Bad Shark!" Just Won't Do

We got the following email last month and sat on it a while. In the world of shark diving and on site protection from sharks there's a growing group of inventors and existing products out there. We have tested most of them from rare earth magnets, to Killer Whale sounds over the years.

This latest one need may need further testing...maybe Tiger Beach?

Hi Shark Diver,

I discovered your site through a link from sharkdivers.blogspot.com.
It's a great website quite with brilliant content. As true shark experts I'd love to know what you think of my product, it's a mask strap that can help you avoid a shark attack.

It might sound bizarre but it is based on scientific evidence, there's a link to this 'evidence' below. The idea was inspired by a report I read about Tiger attacks in the jungles of India. My website was launched last week and I'm really excited about it as I've been obsessed with sharks since a kid. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Warm regards,

XXX XXX

P.S. A product for surfers will be out next week based on the same principles.

White Shark Scoop-Swim At Your Own Risk

The fine folks over the the Swim At Your Own Risk Blog got the scoop on another shark autopsy in New Zealand this week with biologist Clinton Duffy presiding.

Note:The pro drumline and net propaganda in the back of this image. Worldwide this 1950's solution to shark management is killing sharks at an unprecedented rate and is a major agenda item for pro shark conservation efforts:

If you happen to be in New Zealand this week, the Auckland Museum will be performing a public autopsy on a 9 ft great white shark on Thursday, January 8, in hopes to raise shark awareness.

The autopsy, or necropsy as it’s officially known, will be carried out by Clinton Duffy of the Department of Conservation Marine Conservation Section and Tom Trnski, Marine Curator of the Auckland Museum.

The operation will examine the shark’s stomach contents, as well as take measurements of organs. The public are invited to view the autopsy and come face to face with the shark from 11am-1pm in the loading dock at the south-eastern corner of the Museum.

I’d wait for lunch.

Sea Shepherd-Wagging The Conservation Dog

We blogged about the "shot that never was" a few months ago.

A lie sent forth by Sea Shepherd so egregious, so fantastical, that we were pretty sure people would see through it's blatant transparencies and demand action.

Alas, as Shakespeare once pointed out, "all the world's a stage and we are merely players". It would seem that Paul Watson's media people read Shakespeare.

As Sea Shepherd flounders around in the Southern ocean (once again) searching desperately for television ratings under the guise of saving whales let's pause for a moment and perhaps listen to the other side of this issue. The points they bring up are important.

Real conservation is goal and result oriented. What Sea Shepherd is doing with the hard earned millions of well meaning eco donors is tantamount to creating a floating version of the Moulin Rouge...except at the end of this bacchanalia of poor judgement, made up press releases, and missed opportunities there remains next years whale hunt.

Sea Shepherd is as ineffectual this year as it has been for the past ten when it comes to stopping the hunting of whales. The addition of a 24/7 film crew from Discovery Channel's Animal Planet adds to the dangers and unnecessary hubris that is Wagging The Conservation Dog.

Press Release JWA

“Last season in the Antarctic, the presence of the Animal Plant film crew pushed the Sea Shepherd extremists into committing more and more dangerous actions, all for the benefit of the camera,” said the President of the JWA, Mr Keiichi Nakajima.

“Paul Watson even orchestrated a fake event to make it look like he was shot, all of which was aimed at denigrating Japan and boosting the ratings of the Animal Planet un-reality TV series.”

Mr Nakajima said JWA was even more concerned this season because there is now the added expectation that the Sea Shepherd-Animal Planet crew will take even greater risks and perform even more serious criminal acts for the second series for Animal Planet.

Note: Whaling has no place in today's oceans, we have always said this. But profiting from the death of whales as Sea Shepherd and Animal Planet are doing with their new show Whales Wars is, in our opinion, worse.

When Shark Tourism Works-SharkDiver.com

We got a nice surprise last week in the form of a USA Today travel article on sharks featuring a shark diver from many years ago Jupp Kerckerinck zur Borg and his daughter Philipa. They both joined us in 2003 at our Isla Guadalupe white shark dive site.

Jupp has gone on to become a world class shark diver with over 120 shark dives to his credit and is the driving force behind his own shark conservation website.

Done right, commercial shark diving inspires others to raise awareness about sharks and conservation. Thanks Jupp!

He was in over his head — and loving it

I learned scuba diving at the request of my daughter Philipa when I was 60 years old and fell in love with it. As a thank you, I invited her on a cage dive to see great white sharks at the Pacific island of Guadalupe, Mexico, with sharkdiver.com. Standing in the cage, I saw my first shark swimming by, so close that I could almost touch him. I was 64 years then and I never imagined how this trip would give my life a totally different direction.

When I sold my ranch in upstate New York a couple years later, I started to book dive trips where sharks were included. My first shark dive without a cage was in the Bahamas. Jumping into the ocean, knowing that there were at least a dozen Caribbean reef sharks down there, was a bit weird. But I jumped in anyway.

The sharks were inquisitive but never aggressive. I fell in love with those beautiful, amazing and highly developed animals. I started to read every book I could find and started my own website, sharkprotect.com. I am now an avid shark protector and am now on the Board of Trustees of the Shark Research Institute in Princeton, N.J. I give presentations about sharks in schools and colleges to tell as many young people about the importance of sharks in our oceans.

After 120 shark dives, I am still in love with sharks and take every opportunity I get to dive with them.

— Jupp Kerckerinck zur Borg, Millbrook, N.Y

Documentary tackles threats facing sharks

Birch Aquarium at Scripps hosts screening, "Island of the Great White Shark " with Filmmaker Richard Theiss

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009
6-8 p.m., $8 per ticket
RSVP: 858-534-4109
Video Trailer: Click here

The great white shark, one of the world's most amazing predators, is facing unprecedented threats to its survival. Join filmmaker Richard Theiss for a special screening and discussion of his award-winning documentary, "Island of the Great White Shark," from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego.

In his film, Theiss takes viewers 200 miles south of San Diego to Isla Guadalupe, one of nature's dwindling sanctuaries for the great white shark. In a race against time, marine researchers and eco-tourists have forged a unique alliance to study and protect these animals from potential slaughter. Through dramatic underwater close-ups and expert interviews, the 43-minute documentary captures the true nature of these magnificent predators and chronicles the efforts of conservationists and scientists working to understand and protect the sharks before it is too late.

Worldwide, more than 100 million sharks are killed each year, either as accidental bycatch or as a source of fins for the Asian delicacy, shark fin soup. In contrast to their undeserved reputation as malevolent man-eaters, these animals serve a critical role in the health of ocean ecosystems.

Theiss, whose work has been utilized by National Geographic, PBS and Animal Planet, was inspired to create his documentary following a diving trip to Isla Guadalupe nearly five years ago. He recognized an important story in the successful relationship between scientists and eco-tourism operators as well as the need to present the majestic great white shark in a more accurate context.

"I wanted to enlighten audiences as to the importance of these powerful apex predators and the perilous fate that they, and all sharks in general, are now facing," Theiss said. "Like so many environmental issues today, we need to act now; to delay any further would be tragic."

"Island of the Great White Shark" DVDs will be available for purchase in the aquarium bookshop until 6:30 p.m. and can be signed by the filmmaker.

RSVP: 858-534-4109
Location: Birch Aquarium at Scripps, 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla