Nat Geo Television This Week - Squid Invasion

From the RTSea Blog this week another reason to watch television.

It's said that good things are worth the wait. I'm hoping that is the case with an episode of Hooked that airs this Friday on the National Geographic Channel.

It's been just a little over a year ago when I traveled south to Baja, Mexico with my good friend, Scott Cassell, to study and film the Humboldt squid - a predator whose numbers have been exploding in the Sea of Cortez.

Michael Hoff Productions, which produces the series Hooked for Nat Geo, sent a crew down to Baja to document our efforts to film the squid and conduct some important experiments and observations with guide Dale Pearson, boat captain Tom Loomis, and marine biologist Steve Blair that would illustrate the voracious nature of this squid and what that means for marine ecosystems and many commercial fisheries.

The program focuses on Scott, as he has a long history of studying the Humboldt squid up close and in the wild. And that can be dangerous; Scott has had several broken bones and lacerations due to the tremendous force of the squid's formidable beak.

Having not seen the finished program, I am hoping that it clearly presents the issues regarding the expansion of the squid's range without becoming too melodramatic. But having spent some time with these creatures, I can tell you from experience that they are not to be underestimated. In fact, after having spent many years filming large sharks, this was the first time in a long time where my adrenaline was really pumping. Dangling from a steel cable 50 feet down in 250 feet of water, at night wearing anti-shark chain mail and peering through my viewfinder with only the dim glow of red underwater lights, only to have a 5 to 6 foot squid charge you suddenly - well, it's a little disconcerting.

So, shameless promotion: if you're watching cable this Friday night, tune in to the "Squid Invasion" episode of Hooked on the National Geographic Channel (May 13th, 9:00pm).

Southern Fried Science Proof that sex + blogging = crashed servers

Congratulations to the fine folks over at Southern Fried Science who yesterday became the first of the Blue Bloggers to break into the mainstream with pick ups by Gawker, Huff Post, The Daily Beast and now the full court media.

The story?

Florida Senate Outlaws Sex

Unfortunately if you're looking for that article on the SFS site this morning you'll have to wait until the "smoldering ruin" that was once their servers come back online. It would appear that a Gagzillion viewers being pushed from all over the planet has crashed everything, hard.

After a few years in the blogging game, with insightful posts on science, research, and deep ocean critters, it took one off the cuff observation about Floridians, sex, and the legal system to fire up the imagination of millions.

Nicely done!

Hopefully the stat counter on your site was not totally fried so we may all know what the final count was, is there a number bigger than a Gagzillion?

It's Official - Florida Senate Outlaws Sex, Yes They Did!

On October 1, 2010 a new law went into effect in Florida. As with most laws involving sex this one was poorly worded as if the actual paper these worlds were written on might in fact burn though the desks of lawmakers.

It was passed quickly and unanimously.

An act relating to sexual activities involving animals; creating s. 828.126, F.S.; providing definitions; prohibiting knowing sexual conduct or sexual contact with an animal; prohibiting specified related activities; providing penalties; providing that the act does not apply to certain husbandry, conformation judging, and veterinary practices; providing an effective date.

Unfortunately as the fine folks over at the Southern Fried Science Blog pointed out today, the law makes having sex between humans...illegal (see helpful graphic).

As it turns out we humans are by definition animals. But don't tell that to 80% of the religious conservatives that infest Florida's legislature for they clearly do not want to hear it.

Enjoy your next conjugal visit Floridians, as of this year "getting busy" has been redefined to "accepted animal husbandry practices, conformation judging practices, or accepted veterinary medical practices."

Sure makes even the idea of sex awfully bland don't it?

Shark Weekend in Punta Gorda

This weekend the quaint city of Punta Gorda, Florida will be invaded not by sharks, but by shark hunters. On Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15 the second annual Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge will be held at Laishley Park Marina on the banks of the Peace River.

With $15,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs, there should be no shortage of experienced anglers in search of the big one. Thirteen teams of either two or three entrants are already registered. Organizers hope even more will be tempted to join in the search of the Gulf of Mexico and Charlotte Harbor Estuary for the notorious saltwater predators.

Twelve different species of sharks will be targeted by the competitors and each catch must be at least five feet long in order to be eligible for points. This is a catch and release tournament and part of what distinguishes it from others is an emphasis on conservation and scientific research. Each boat will have a trained observer on board to ensure the proper release of captured sharks. Furthermore, these observers will place satellite tags on various types of desired sharks, including tiger sharks, bull sharks, and hammerheads. These devices will enable researchers to follow the travel patterns of the sharks upon their release.

While the action is underway on the water, the Ultimate Shark Challenge also promises to provide excitement back on land. The weekend will see a festive atmosphere at Laishley Park in support of the fishing tournament. Here updates and highlights of the fishing competition will be broadcast for interested spectators on a LED screen. The event's numerous sponsors will showcase fun demonstrations and product giveaways. Fishing seminars will be offered for those not bold enough to enter this year's competition. Several attractions will be set up for visitors' amusement, including Mote Marine's popular mobile aquarium, which features a 1200 gallon fish tank and displays on sharks, sea turtles, and shells. Admission is free and live music, food, and refreshments will be available to liven the experience.

Where the Salmon sharks are, now with 20% more research

In 2004 I was fortunate enough to get face to face with the Salmon sharks (Lamna ditropis) of Gravina Bay in Alaska on a private shark diving adventure on board the M/Y Triton that we set up.

These critters are the sporty little cousins of the white sharks and not much is known about them, by sporty I mean jumping out of the water and tearing up local shoals of salmon kind of sporty - fun to watch.

So it was with great interest that I read about regional aggregation sites of these amazing animals in British Columbia in and around Haida Gwaii, in Queen Charlotte Sound this week.

In a paper published last year, and tabled last week with the Cohen Commission in Vancouver, Dr. Williams states an estimated 20,000 blue and salmon sharks gather in a relatively small area each summer.

That's a lot of sharks. Of course there's been some stunning tagging research done on these animals in the region, but you might never know about it because this team does not have a television show, nor do they seek the limelight like a "moth to a flame" as some do in the shark research community.

When it comes to shark researchers we prefer the quiet professionals, they just seem to be more...credible.

Bogus Shark News from the UAE

This came across our desk today.

Since when did a "net caught sharks" menace anyone?

Only in the UAE where the offending animal was summarily beaten to death with sticks.

Crew Fight off Shark

A Policeman has told how he beat a savage shark to death with a stick after it tried to attack him and his crew in UAE waters.

Mustafa Al Hammadi feared he had bitten off more than he could chew, when his hobby turned to horror, as he battled the 8ft-long, 3ft-wide, 300kg beast. “It tried to attack us. All of us had to struggle to control it. It was ferocious,” the 43-year-old Emirati told 7DAYS.

Al Hammadi’s big catch got trapped in his net as he fished with four other amateur anglers in darkness off the coast of Khor Fakkan.

“We had gone to put out the nets and at about 8pm we saw the net was suddenly being pulled down. I did not understand what was going on. When I pulled it up with the help of the others, we found this huge shark inside. I was shocked.”

He said the sharp-toothed creature was thrashing about and started lunging towards them.

The terrified crew grabbed a stick and beat it repeatedly on the head to control it.

Al Hammadi said the shark he fought off is known as Dheeba in Arabic.

“This kind of shark is dangerous. They jump out of the water and attack livestock on board boats. They can even attack humans,” he said.

Mustafa who is a policeman with UAE immigration department, said he had not seen Dheeba sharks in UAE waters before despite having fished the area for the last 12 years.

“They are probably entering UAE water through the Gulf of Oman by following the smaller fish,” he said.

‘RARE CATCH IN UAE’

A marine expert from Dubai Municipality said Dheeba are very rare in the UAE. “They used to be spotted during pearl diving days. They are not seen nowadays and are restricted to Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean,” Mohammed Abdul Rahman Hassan, head of marine environment and wildlife section at Dubai Municipality said. He said they are noctur­nal and dangerous. “They are manhunters and are huge. I have not come across such species in the UAE in recent times,” he said.

Al Hamm­adi sold his big catch for Dhs100 to an Omani man. “No one eats it in the UAE. But people from Oman like them,” he said.

Boosting Tourism by Saving Sharks?

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Malaysian state plans to ban shark fishing in a bid to bolster tourism and conserve a species hunted mainly for fins that are used to create a culinary delicacy, an official said Monday.

Masidi Manjun, tourism, culture and environment minister in eastern Sabah state on Borneo island, said local activists and foreign tourists have complained about cruel shark finning activities by local fishermen.

He said the state government is aiming to impose the ban starting next year. It would make Sabah the first state in Malaysia — one of the world's top shark-catching countries — to impose such a ban.

While there is no official data on the shark population, Masidi estimated only 20 percent of sharks spotted in the state 15 years ago are still in Sabah waters.

"There are only four coastal areas now where sharks can be spotted," he told The Associated Press. "If we don't do something about it, sharks may disappear from our waters completely. We will also lose tourism dollars."

Tens of millions of sharks are killed across the globe every year, mainly for their fins. Activists say finning is inhumane and a threat to the ocean ecosystem because fishermen slice the fins off the shark and toss the fish back into the water to die.

Shark fin soup, widely sold across Asia, can sell for more than $80 a bowl and is often served at weddings and banquets as a symbol of wealth.

Restaurant operators in Sabah oppose the ban, saying that sharks are also harvested for their flesh, skin and bones, which can be made into soup.

"We conserve our sharks here, but then they swim out to the South China Sea and get caught by Chinese or Vietnamese fishermen instead. What is the point?" said Sabah Restaurant Association chairman Lim Vun Chen.

Masidi said the state would not ban the importation and sale of shark fins for now but would educate consumers on the cruelty of shark finning. Sabah's government has already taken shark fin soup off the menu for official functions, he said.

Tourism is a major revenue earner for Sabah, which is famed for the rich biodiversity in its rain forests and dive sites teeming with coral reefs and marine life.

Traffic, a wildlife trade monitoring network, says up to 73 million sharks are killed annually. Malaysia ranks among the world's top 10 shark-catching countries, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

When the "Architects" leave the shark conservation movement

The last two years have been banner years for shark conservation.

What used to be a few small and impassioned voices out in the wilderness has turned into a veritable tsunami of groups, Facebook petitions, and thousands of individuals calling for shark protections worldwide.

That's the good news.

On the heels of this movement have come the "sharkitarians" those whose personal agendas and misguided passion have created a subculture of angry infighting, ugly assertions, and a new sideways conservation paradigm of "anything for the sharks".

This has included, but not limited to, stealing shark conservation ideas, concepts, websites, names, slander, tribal groupings, and personal attack efforts unrelated to sharks or conservation in anyway.

We have been at the center of this unhappy storm of discontent, and seen it happening over the past two years to many others. It has become so pervasive, so absolutely non-productive and toxic, that many of shark conservations "true architects" have been leaving for the exits as fast as they can.

These are the real innovators, the website designers, the conservation concept developers, and the outside-the-box thinkers.

Left behind is a growing eco-chamber of circular thought. Where ideas and media quotes like, "if we kill all the earths sharks we'll run out of oxygen to breathe" go unchallenged. To be repeated without any critical thought or real conversation about the impact of this particularly moronic statement on policy makers.

Folks, this is a crises, you may not see it now, but it is happening and the exits are reeling with the onslaught of departing bodies.

It has happened again this week and the loss was acute and a blow to the shark conservation movement, let's all take a moment to mourn the loss of Mark Thorpe.

Are we going to continue with this loss of the best and brightest?

Hopefully not, because there's 73 million important reasons we can think of to change the way we're doing business with each other right now.

From Da Shark in Fiji on Mark Thorpe.

Shark Diving - Guarding a Global Industry

Unfortunately there are those who would use our global $400 million dollar industry for their own ends.

Some are well known shark experts based in Florida, whose Pavlovian response to cameras pushed into their face is to spout anti-shark diving rhetoric ad nauseam - without any empirical data to back them up.

Others are media based hatchet men, who use fear, industry images and soundtracks to boost ratings, trolling the basest of human emotions to slander operations without providing balance, nuance, and research (yes research) to highlight our industry.

Against these seasonal onslaughts of Shakespearean intrigue towards a thriving global industry stand a few blogs who take to task the failings of these few well voiced and misguided individuals, and we ask that you take a stand as well.

Collectively we have the horsepower to push back against those who might seek to harm our industry. The media consistently calls upon a few outside our community for quotes about shark diving because no one else has stood up to be heard.

In a media vacuum the small minded will always work from the nearest "shark contact rolodex" and it is high time we changed that, as the current rolodex is filled with misinformation, slander, and moronic statements.

It is also high time we started pushing back when we see stories like those that appeared out from the primordial ooze last week in Australia. Fashioned by a 1970's era media hack by the name of Anthony Hoy Media who's entire "shark diving research department" came from a dog eared copy of Jaws he found in a rubbish bin at the back of a bar he had been frequenting last month.

Fortunately there's Mike aka Da Shark, or as we like to call him "The Shark Diving Industries Rottweiler," who is more than happy to lead by example and take to task those who would seek to use the hard work and dedication of many within our industry for their own sad ends.

Well done.

Mike on Anthony Hoy's Expose.

Industry Under Siege - Gotcha Reporting from Australia?

And the award for "Garbage Driven, Lowest Common Denominator Gotcha Media" goes go...Anthony Hoy Media, for his two part expose on the shark diving industry this week.

Here we go again, when some like Mr.Media Hoy decide to cover our industry nothing good comes of it because folks like Mr.Hoy are ratings driven, not fact driven.

Of course there's no mention by Mr.Hoy of any of the pro-industry research studies about commercial shark diving in this two part bacchanalia of moronic quotes and broad based assumptions concerning sharks, shark behavior, and the global shark diving industry.

In fact not one current study cited at all, and this is what passes for journalism in Australia?

Could we expect anything less from a paunchy over-the-hill reporter attempting to make a name for himself as his career flat lines?

Anthony Hoy, reporting from the Neptune Islands, off Port Lincoln, South Australia, shows graphic Great White Shark footage that brings into question whether cage shark diving operations are training Great Whites to associate boating activity and related noise with feeding, and are therefore increasing the incidence of shark attack.

Favorite Anthony Hoy Reporter Quote: "Are your bait-and-trained sharks more dangerous, more antagonistic, and more likely to attack when not fed?"

Note: Anthony Hoy contacted us today demanding that we post the second part of his two part expose. We declined, citing the fact we thought his work was absolute trash and refused to give him or his attempts at gotcha media any more attention than it already had.

Anthony Hoy's Response?

"I'll do my own posts, pointing out what a half-baked operation you run. You talk about balance, you halfwit....there's plenty of balance in the piece I've referred to, which you're too biased to run."

Really classy reporter, so glad he's in the media.

For the industry members he slandered this week we're pretty sure they're not so pleased.

Big Whites Down South - New Video

If you want to know where to find white sharks always ask the local fishermen, in this case a sizable animal makes an appearance in the Southern hemisphere last week:

White Sharks with a Sibilant "S"

Thanks for Greg Grivetto for the video find. Yes, even folks with speech impediments love white sharks...perhaps a bit too much:

Gulf of the Farallones Tagging Disaster - No Fault?

Was this image leak a set up?

Was Dr.Domeier the target of nefarious and truly dark individuals seeking to tar and feather him with public opinion?

Is Dr.Domeier completely free of blame for the current condition of Junior, a white shark with 2.6 lbs of hook left in his esophagus in 2009?

According to David Shiffman who has acquired the 1.17 second tape all of us were seeking, the answer is yes to all three questions.

After wading through this "sewage of a debate" and watching the main accusations unfold by less than credible spokespersons for the California research community, I am dead certain of a few things in regards to Junior.

1. Someone (not so intelligent) did in fact send these images of Junior out to select blogs to create some noise. Ours was one of them.

2. The intent was to make the case that the hook used to capture Junior in 2009 by Dr.Domeiers team caused this wound. A case we did not agree with. This was never about what caused this wound and our blog coverage and statements online will back that up.

The end result, no so surprisingly, is a complete and utter vindication of Dr.Domeier and Chris Fischer for the current state of Junior once the 1.17 seconds of live video came to light (congratulations to David for the acquisition). Even though this is an animal that is no longer in any kind of breeding condition, and is an animal that is seriously underweight.

The main accusation against Domeier and Chris Fischer (such as it was) was framed in absolutes when wildlife is far more nuanced than that. Cause and effect may trigger unintended consequences, all of which should have be discussed and carefully reviewed - but never was.

For the nefarious and truly dark individuals who brought this image and half-witted accusation to light, add to that moronic, I would suggest that you forget about this animal, forget any further attempts at your moral shock at this animals condition, and forget any attempts at getting Sanctuary Manager Maria Brown to change the way she conducts business within a National Marine Sanctuary.

That dog won't bark anymore.

You have fired your only shot, and missed the mark, and completely lost the moral high ground.

In fact, it is over.

The debate and discussion over Juniors current state should have been about the following:

1. Hybrid shark film and television research within a National Marine Sanctuary and the causes that lead to a very bad mistake with a white shark being hooked in the throat.

2. The continuation of said research after a tagging disaster and subsequent media gaffs, cover ups, and flat out cover-your-assery that boggled the imagination.

3. The overall current diminished condition of an animal that was hooked in the esophagus with 98% of the hook left in the esophagus in 2009.

If I sound a bit put off, the fact is, I am.

What should have been all about a protected white shark within a National Marine Sanctuary devolved into a sideshow of lies, bullshit, titanic egos, moronic assumptions, and one very big vendetta that has now backfired on those who set it loose.

For Junior, all this land based "much ado about nothing" will not help his condition and thanks to this half assed side show we'll never get any serious minded discussion about the state of this animal.

The real tragedy here is about one shark. Not pricked egos, television shows, ratings, or someones next research paper.

Is this the best we can do? Apparently so.

Mike "Da Shark" in Fiji has an excellent wrap, and yes I agree, if the identity of EcoShark1 ever comes to light you'll know we'll be writing about it.

Industry Member Craig Ferreira Pens New Book - Got Yours?

Patrick Williams an investigatory journalist, finds himself on a twisting path of mysterious and bloodcurdling events as he delves deeper into a story of a honeymoon couple's mysterious disappearance from the sleepy town of Gans Bay, situated only 100 km from the southernmost tip of the African continent.

The remote fishing village has of late, become the centre of a burgeoning great white shark cage dive industry, and against logic and rational judgment , he is drawn into a tangle of incidences where the reality facing him is more grim than he could have ever anticipated in his wildest dreams.

Down in the deep, propelling her heavy spindled shaped body though the frigid waters of the Cape, is the Submarine, the legendary Great White Shark everyone thought was long dead and gone…….

Frank Boon, a Great White Shark scientist, avid shark conservationist and diver, finds himself caught between trying to protect the shark or possibly having to kill it due to public pressure. A witch- hunt of what's said to be "largest shark ever sighted" is staged after a horrific incident off a beach in Hermanus, not far from Cape Town.

Fear grips all involved as the obscured reality of death and malevolence slowly unravel to a showdown between man and beast.

Heart stopping, fast paced and real. It felt like the shark was about to swim right out of the pages. Jytte Fredholm – International Wildlife Photojournalist.

I have known Craig Ferreira personally and professionally for many years. Passionate, intense and full of surprises, Craig has found a new way to channel his immense creative energies by writing a debut novel about the world that he knows best – great white sharks. “The Shark” is crime fiction that’s heart pounding, testosterone-driven, unique and as unpredictable as the subject of the title. - Mark Kaczmarczyk, Documentary Filmmaker

Craig Ferreira is synonymous with sharks, even though he has seen more white sharks than the rest of the world; he still acts, as it's his first time when he spots one. He lives and breathes white sharks. - Fredrik Öström, Captain – Swedish Military Intelligence

A fascinating and exciting story – just keep writing. - Peter Benchley, author of Jaws and The Deep.

Get book here.

Shark Diving - Tourisms New Dolphin Encounter?

PARIS (AFP) – A single reef shark can be worth nearly two million dollars in tourism revenue over its lifetime, according to a study released Monday by researchers in Australia.

The analysis from the Pacific island nation of Palau shows that sharks -- hunted worldwide for their fins, a Chinese delicacy -- are worth many times more to some local economies alive than dead.

"Sharks can literally be a 'million-dollar' species and a significant economic driver," said lead author Mark Meekan, a scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

"Our study shows that these animals can contribute far more as a tourism resource than as a catch target," he said in a statement.

Sharks have reigned at the top of the ocean food chain for hundreds of millions of years.

But because they mature slowly and produce few offspring, the consummate marine predators have proven vulnerable to industrial-scale fishing.

Tens of millions of the coastal and open-water sharks are harvested every year to supply a burgeoning appetite for meat and especially shark-fin soup.

The researchers found that the annual value to the Palau tourism industry of an individual reef shark at one of the country's major scuba-diving sites is 179,000 dollars (121,000 euros) a year, or about 1.9 million dollars (1.3 million euros) over the animal's lifetime.

Shark diving accounts for about eight percent of the tiny country's GDP and 14 percent of its business tax base. It also generates more than a million dollars annually in salaries.

In 2009, Palau became the first country in the world to declare all of its territorial waters to be a shark sanctuary, followed last year by Honduras and The Maldives.

The US state of Hawaii, the territories of Guam and the Northern Marianas, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands have all banned the possession, sale or distribution of shark fins.

"Shark tourism can be a viable economic engine," said Matt Rand, a shark expert at the Washington-based Pew Environment Group, which commissioned the research.

"This study provides a compelling case that can convince more countries to embrace these animals for their benefit to the ocean and their value to a country's financial well-being."

About a third of open-water sharks face extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Regional studies have shown that when shark populations crash the impact cascades down through the food chain, often in unpredictable and deleterious ways.

At the Intersection of Science and Shark Tourism - Pure Poetry

One of the reasons we read the Deep Sea News blog almost religiously is because of reports from the field like the following.

Penned with passion, colorful description, and a deep scientific understanding this is about as good as it gets.

Read Inside the Outside this weekend. It's a first person report on incredible whale shark gatherings (400 animals) at the Afuera in Mexico a site only recently discovered by teams of researchers from Project Domino, Georgia Aquarium, the Smithsonian and Mote Marine Lab

You'll soon find yourself wanting to join the ranks of researchers or booking a flight to Isla Mujeres to make your way there.

Kudos to Para Sight for the article, like we said, this is as good as it gets.

USVI Shark Bite Charters - It Gets Worse

Thanks to Dan Holstein on Facebook who uncovered the true horror of local dive shop/shark hunter Shark Bite Charters out of St.Johns USVI.

It would seem the gregarious local owner has discovered the mother load of regional Tiger sharks off the shores of the USVI and is now in the process of killing as many as he can get his hands on, then proudly posting videos of his conquests online.

In the many years I was diving in the USVI we never saw a Tiger shark, if this is a newer phenomenon or not, either way it is shocking.

While the rest of the planet moves in lockstep to try and save dwindling shark populations with the Bahamas serving as a prime example of first rate shark management and tourism opportunities with sharks, the discovery of an operation like this is both disheartening and tragic.

Let's see if there's some local dive shops who can do something about this ongoing slaughter.

Update: Don't try posting anything on their Facebook page, to date over 300 posters have made their opinions known, Shark Bite Charters is deleting any post that is critical of their operation.

USVI Tiger Kill - Rare and Sad

Having lived in and been diving the USVI (US Virgin Islands) and BVI for many years I can attest that sharks are just not part of the eco system in this Lesser Antilles chain as elsewhere in the world.

Finding a juvenile Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) in these waters is an exceptional and very rare event. Which makes the following video so sad to watch.

As a commercial shark diving operator I am frankly stunned at the treatment of this animal and the 1970's approach to filming and documenting sharks underwater. The death of this animal was unnecessary, ignorant, and a stark waste of a magnificent resource.

Ironically on exactly the same day this animal was being killed I was in the Bahamas with a Brazilian film crew (without cages) documenting the Tigers of Tiger Beach for an upcoming documentary about these wonderful animals.

We still have a long way to go to change minds and attitudes towards sharks:

Sharks and DNA Zip Codes - Hope?

An international team of scientists, led by the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University, has used DNA to determine that groups of dusky sharks (Carcharhinus obscurus) and copper sharks (Carcharhinus brachyurus) living in different coastal regions across the globe are separate populations of each species. Both are large apex predators that are heavily exploited for the shark fin trade, which claims tens of millions of animals every year to produce the Asian delicacy, shark fin soup.

Many of these species are declining as a result of this fishing pressure for their fins.

DNA research projects were conducted by a collaborative international team of scientists from the United States, Australia, South America, Asia, New Zealand and southern Africa. The scientists collectively analyzed part of the mitochondrial DNA in nearly 400 sharks sampled from all over the globe.

This research was funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts through a grant to the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University. Sequence data were collected in the Field Museum's Pritzker Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Evolution, operated with support from the Pritzker Foundation. Additional sequence data were collected at the Guy Harvey Research Institute with operational funds and a grant from the Save Our Seas Foundation. Funding was also provided by the Turner Fellowship Program and the Tinker Foundation.

For more information on "Global phylogeography of the dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus: implications for fisheries management and monitoring the shark fin trade," visit here.

For more information on "Phylogeography of the copper shark (Carcharhinus brachyurus) in the southern hemisphere: implications for the conservation of a coastal apex predator," visit here.

Tiger Beach Shark Expeditions 2011 - Trip Report

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

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

As Magnus wrote this week:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Image by Josh Friedman

Hey We're Famous...and Being Ripped Off!

The worlds largest shark jaw goes on auction in a few weeks, and the good folks over at Heritage Auctions decided to "troll the internet" for images featuring sharks for their sales PSA.

One of those images belongs to writer and photographer Jim Cornfield, who shot an amazing two shot of our divers in 2009 with the vessel Horizon in the foreground at Isla Guadalupe.

A closer look reveals the background video shot by Richard Theiss from RTSea Productions who spent almost four years with Shark Diver at Isla Guadalupe carefully documenting the sharks here for his award winning documentary Island of the Great White Sharks.

Sigh.

Fijian divers urge for stop of shark finning - Well done!

When Mike, aka Da Shark, dives into the news he doesn't not bother with "small things," he swims right into the middle of "epic issues."

Case in point an article that made nationwide news in China this week, taking the message to the people:

Fijian Divers have called for stopping shark finning in the island nation to save the reefs, local media FijiLive website reported here Tuesday.

Mike Neuman, Director of the Beqa Adventures Divers made the call after conservationists found that local fishermen are engaging in the illegal practice of shark finning, says the report.

"Like our mangroves, the reefs protect our coastline and their demise will lead to coastal erosion and flooding, especially during cyclones but also as the sea level rises due to Global warming," Neuman was quoted as saying.

Neuman said sharks play important roles in local marine ecosystems and were worth more alive than dead. "As an example, it has been observed that where there are reef sharks, the parrot fish that feed on coral cannot stay in one location for long but need to remain on the move. This prevents them from over- exploiting the corals."

The principal reason why tourists visit Fiji is because of Fiji's intact marine habitats, Neuman further explained, adding "be it for simply enjoying our beaches or for engaging in a plethora of water activities. If we destroy our oceans we risk loosing countless jobs and 55 percent of our GDP."

"This is simply not a risk the country can afford" and there have been instances in which local fishermen had targeted sharks specifically for their fins, he stressed. "Finning is just a particular harvesting technique that consists in cutting off the fins, often while the shark is still alive, and discarding the carcasses."

According to Neuman, fish stocks can recover if the reefs are being subsequently protected but sharks are very slow breeders and stocks will very likely not recover once they have been wiped out.

"As to the value of sharks for dive tourism, we have calculated that a single shark on our shark dive contributes 30,000 Fiji dollars (16,600 U.S. dollars) to the local economy annually, or 600,000 Fiji dollars (330,000 U.S. dollars) during its lifetime this compares to a few hundred dollars for its value when dead," he said.

A report by Pacific Scoop in 2009 stated that shark fins in Fiji can only fetch 50 U.S. dollars for 500 grams, while elsewhere the shark fins can cost 400 to 800 U.S. dollars a kilo depending on the size and species of the shark.

Article here.

The Creepy World of Necrotic Dissemination

Ever wonder what happens to your mortal remains when you perish at sea?

For a team of researchers nothing but a several ton dead whale could answer that gruesome question. For the record we'll stay with the option of bring frozen in Corbonite and leave all the squishy, bitey, and flat out horrific deep sea critters behind.

Hat Tip Deep Sea News for the video find:

Punta Gorda, Florida, lands 2011 Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Tournament and Festival

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - The Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Tournament and Festival returns to Southwest Florida by making its Punta Gorda, Fla., debut May 13 - 15, 2011, at Laishley Park. The tournament, hosted by Laishley Crab House (www.laishleycrabhouse.com), combines the allure of competitive big-game sport fishing with cutting-edge science, practical conservation principles and informative entertainment. It is quickly becoming an industry leader and model for the next generation of shark-release tournaments. Teams will be competing for $15,000 in cash and prizes as they fish Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Ultimate Shark Challenge festival at Laishley Park on Saturday and Sunday will complement the competition by broadcasting highlights on digital displays. Event sponsors will conduct product demonstrations and giveaways and a wide variety of merchant vendors and unique attractions, such as Mote's Mobile Aquarium, will be on display, along with shark-centric exhibits, interactive demonstrations and delicious food and cold beverages.

Admission into this family-friendly festival is free.

Guy Harvey, world-renowned marine artist, conservationist and tournament partner, will make a personal appearance during the weekend to meet with fans and promote the tournament's shared mission.

"The Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Tournament and Festival will be a uniquely exciting event for participants, spectators and everyone who cares about the future of our oceans," Harvey said.

Teams will have the option of entering a two-day elimination competition with either two or three anglers. A dozen shark species are eligible for points, but finding and catching them aren't the only challenges teams will face. To qualify, eligible sharks must meet a minimum total length of five feet.

Sharks will be measured in the water using a device custom-designed and provided by the USC before they are research tagged by the team and released back to the wild. In some cases, candidate specimens may be outfitted with a satellite tracking tag. An observer professionally trained and certified by USC staff and the Mote Center for Shark Research in species identification, tournament rules and proper tagging and release procedures will also be placed on board each team vessel.

Mote Marine Laboratory's Center for Shark Research staff is USC's chief science and research partner, and will oversee those aspects of the tournament, including all tagging operations. Hammerhead and bull sharks will be the focus of the satellite tagging efforts, but other species, such as tiger sharks, may be tagged. Tags are designed to transmit location and other valuable information about the shark's travels. Once satellite tags are deployed, the public will be able to follow these sharks' travels online.

Additional information about the 2011 Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Tournament and Festival including team registration, sponsorship opportunities and festival vendor inquiries, can be found on the event's website www.UltimateSharkChallenge.com.

Oxygen Depletion and Sharks - The Myth

Like Da Shark I recently watched a series of shark conservation videos featuring filmmaker Jonathan Ali Khan in Sharkquest Arabia.

Great stuff for the most part and compelling watching, except for one glaring factoid that gets pasted into the film and almost ruins the message.

Folks, if we lose all the oceans sharks we will not run out of the worlds Oxygen.

Seriously.

How this factoid ever got into the broad based conservation messaging for sharks remains a mystery. Call it a case of too many shark centric people wanting to save sharks and not checking in with their facts or even bothering to question the obvious.

But check we must, otherwise those who regurgitate said factoids look like conservation village idiots when up against those in power who can effect change and who may be slightly more informed.

Let's do away with this unsupported line of reason as the facts about shark conservation are horrific and compelling enough without the addition of Fox News style gotcha shark headlines:

With 92% of our living biosphere being aquatic, almost 80% of our planet’s air is generated by the algae and microscopic phytoplankton that are found in the sea. Many thousands of fish species and other marine organisms feed on phytoplankton and algae. Sharks on the other hand prey on the fish that feed on plankton; right up through to the top of the food chain. So if we remove the sharks, as we are systematically doing at an unsustainable rate of over 70 million sharks a year, then it leaves the plankton feeders free of predation and free to gobble up the main source of our planet’s main oxygen supply!

Therefore, it is in our interest to maintain a healthy source of oxygen and air, if we want to keep on breathing!

And watch this film, like we said aside from this small part, it is a tribute to sharks and the entire team should be congratulated:

At Large with Nat Geo - Scott Cassel, Richard Theiss, and Steve Blair

Three of the smartest natural history guys on television right now tackle the Humbolt Squids of Baja on National Geograhic Television this week:

It's a Wrap - Bahamas and Beyond 2011

We're done with filming, productions, lights, action, and sharks this month.

For now it's time to sit back and enjoy a few frosty beers, feel the sand between our toes and get back to the office to plan the next round of challenging shark projects.

Blogging on this space will commence soon. A quick look around the shark-o-sphere reveals that we have missed much, who knew the Farallones would be such a hot topic?

Here's looking forward to getting back to strong Internet and daily news. Not looking forward to wearing shoes or clothes without salt and sand in them, part of this lifestyle is the beachy-ness of it all.

Is that even a word?

Bah - pass the Kalik boys, here's to a successful few weeks in the company of some fine people!

Too busy to blog? Fear and Pestilence next?

For many, not having a daily dose of Underwater Thrills is one of the sure signs of the oncoming Apocalypse and to you we say thanks.

You, loyal fan, are one of 27,000+ who join us each week to celebrate all things sharky. And it is because of you we have blogged from remote places, airplanes, bus depots, and even the back of camper vans in New Zealand in an effort to keep the flow of pithy shark news coming.

It's been a lot of fun knowing that because of technology we could keep doing what we do and keep you informed.

A source of pride really.

Sadly, this is one of those rare times where technology, time, and distance will prohibit us from bringing you the world of sharks, news, science and re-posts from our merry band of Blue Bloggers.

Which is where we will send you over the next many days as we get "too busy to blog". But fear not readers, we will recap all of what was missed in a stunning orgy of blogging "recapping-ness" when we get back from some of our long awaited special projects with sharks.

For your consideration while we're gone:

UnderwaterTimes.com - The Grandaddy of underwater news

Southern Fried Science - Upstart ocean science cornucopia daily, and now 30% better!

OceanicDreams - Wolf's private site for grumps, bumps, and great shark images

Deep Sea News - You like cephalopods? Well, do ya?

Outdoors, action and adventure - One mans voyage from mainstream into cool stream media

The Dorsal Fin - Shark News without the sensationalism - Sez it all right there don't it?

The Best Shark Dive in the World! - Warning, extreme, well thought views and news only

RTSea Blog: keeping an eye on Nature - What the hell? He's out too?

See you all when we get back, and stay informed.

Sunburnt Redneck and Sharks - Bad Combo? Always

Thanks to Dorsal Fin Blog for the video find this week. Sadly the shark had to endure this beer fueled miscreants unwanted advances, fortunately the shark got the last mouthful:

New 640,728 gallon oil spill in the Gulf?

During the Gulf Oil Spill last year one media source was on target and on the numbers, and that was the blog site Sky Truth.

While NOAA was still towing the BP corporate line of 5000 barrels a day, it was Sky Truth and their dedicated team who first estimated the flow rate was many time higher than that.

This week Sky Truth took a look at a mysterious oil spill near Grand Isle L.A, one that regional oil experts from Anglo-Suisse said was a minor event with just 4 gallons spilled.

After analysing NASA/MODIS satellite imagry Sky Truth estimates this spill to be an astonishing 640,728 gallons.

If we were betting folks in a contest between the government, who should be minding oil in the Gulf, and Sky Truth we would go with Sky Truth, the question now is, who's going to clean all this oil up?