Shark Alley

Wow, I didn’t  think I would ever get to use dolphin and artificial shark uterus in the same sentence.  To be honest I never thought I would ever type the phrase, “artificial shark uterus!”

Anyhow here are two feel good stories….sort of….well, maybe one is, the other is sort of odd.

1. Nari the dolphin is recovering just fine! A 12 year old dolphin,  popular with Moreton Island tourists in south-east Queensland, is recovering at Sea World after being attacked by a shark.  The operation took about an hour.

2.  I just want to say, this isn’t a joke……Scientists are developing an artificial uterus in a race against time to save the endangered grey nurse shark.    Check out the article.  You will also get to see a video grey nurse sharks eating each other in the womb. 

Just a note, I’m a fan of sharks, duh.  I think it’s great that money has been put into saving the numbers of grey nurse sharks, but hey, here is a thought, STOP hunting sharks for fins, STOP polluting everything around us, STOP using the damn nets.  START fining people who hunt sharks, START educating people as to why we need them in our Eco-system.  Just my two cents.

Europe’s fishing commissioner has launched a plan to save the dwindling numbers of Europe’s sharks, which are under threat from over fishing and hunting. Joe Borg, the European commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, pledged yesterday to tighten hunting controls on sharks.

His proposals – to limit shark catches, tighten rules on fishing tackle and reduce the number of days when trawlers can hunt for sharks in sensitive areas – will be considered by Europe’s ministers later this year. Borg also called for a ban on discards – sharks that are caught as a by-catch with other species and thrown back into the sea, where they are unlikely to survive. Figures published last year by the International Union for Conservation of Nature showed that nearly one-third (26%) of sharks and rays in the north-east Atlantic face extinction through the effects of over fishing. Seven percent are classed as critically endangered and one-fifth are now regarded as “near threatened”. It should be noted that Shark fishing in Europe has never been managed systematically.

Since the mid-1980s, sharks have been under increasingly intense fishing pressure due to higher demand for shark products (meat, fins, skin, cartilage, etc.), especially in Asian markets. This over exploitation affects populations that are generally fragile and is leading some species to the brink of extinction. The European Commission’s Action plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks aims to address these very issues.

The European plan is based on the International Action plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA SHARKS) adopted by the FAO in 1999. The international plan aims to ensure the conservation and management of sharks and their sustainable use at global level. It is voluntary but all the States concerned are encouraged to implement it.

Here is a great Q & A about the EU’s shark action plan.  You should check it out.  It’s nice to see other agencies getting in on the protection and conservation of sharks.

Okay, maybe I’m just a skeptic or maybe I’m a surfer who just doesn’t want to believe it, but it seams that the Pacific Coast Sharks, (and I’m not talking the ones who play hockey in San Jose) are invading.   I’ve been out here ten years now and maybe once or twice have I heard of a shark report from San Clemente, CA, however,  “Hold the press!” Apparently they have been enjoying the San Onofre reactor so much as of late, they’ve decided to show themselves. 

The surfers, always whisper about how the reactor attracts them, and I’m usually the only one on  my board saying, “Really?  You don’t think its the seals?”   I won’t get into that debate because I’m sure there is some electrical wave that the reactor puts out, but I”m sticking to my guns that mainly it’s the seal population that brings them in.  Anyhoo, there have been three reports in less than a week of shark sightings down there.   Two of the reports were by stand-up paddle surfers who sounded calm, cool and collected about it, the third was a surfer who sounds like it may be a few weeks until he ventures back out. 

If you would like to read about the reports check out the Shark Research Committee.  This organization was founded in 1962 and it’s  primary goal was to assist Leonard P. Schultz of the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) in documenting shark attacks from the Pacific Coast of North America.   This initial objective was soon broadened to include conducting original research on the general biology, behavior and ecology of sharks indigenous to waters off the Pacific Coast, with particular emphasis on potentially dangerous species.

In layman’s terms, it’s the organization us left coasters call when we spot a shark or to report an attack.

A joint venture of the Gujarat Forest Department, Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) and Wildlife Trust of India – International Fund for Animal Welfare (WTI-IFAW), the campaign had converted the species, whose existence was not known even to most people living near the shoreline frequented by it, into an icon. The fish is now ‘a daughter returning home to give birth,’ a belief perpetuated by the spiritual leader Morari Bapu, who launched the campaign in January 2004. Among the campaign’s successes was the adoption of Whale shark as a mascot by six towns in Gujarat including Porbandar and a non-coastal city, Ahmedabad, establishing the growing popularity of the species. The fish now has a fan following even among young children.

Fishermen, who in the past brutally hunted the whale shark for liver oil used in waterproofing boats and meat for export, began voluntary release of the fish accidentally trapped in their nets, within a year of the campaign’s launch. The trend continues despite the inevitable damage to nets during these rescues, with the number of voluntarily released whale sharks counting to over 100. The Forest Department has provided compensation checks to fishermen who have lost their nets while releasing trapped whale sharks, an initiative to encourage more voluntary releases. Attempting to extend this success story, the Gujarat Forest Department, TCL and WTI-IFAW are now venturing into scientific research of whale shark conservation in a hope to enhance chances of survival of this species. The study also aims to promote whale shark tourism to benefit the local coastal communities which have played and will continue to play a major role in the long-term conservation of the whale shark.

Some facts:

• A WTI survey reveals that in 2000, over 500 whale sharks were hunted by fishermen on the Saurashtra Coast
• A 2000 documentary, Shores of Silence, plays a key role in convincing the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in banning the fishing of whale shark in Indian water.
• In 2004, the WTI and IFAW launch the ‘Save Whale Shark’ campaign.
• Local activists and businessmen join the campaign. Ramayana Kathakar Morari Bapu is appointed the ambassador of the campaign.
• The state Government grants monetary incentives to local fishermen for damage to boats and nets.
• So far the fishermen on the Saurashtra coast have saved 100 whale sharks.

To learn more about this effort, check out the Wildlife Trust of India and read this great article found in India Today.

Here is another great Spinner shark video that I found. I think it’s great that someone took the time to help this shark out. Score one for the conservation of sharks and one for the guy who was brave enough to help out!

By now I’m sure all of you have seen this great video of a large Spinner shark jumping out of the water.  If not you need to check it out.  As I posted earlier, the sharks are schooling off the coast of Florida, chasing bait fish.  In case you are wondering what the shark is doing, well, it is feeding.  Spinner sharks torpedo towards a group of fish with it’s mouth open and often breach the surface due to the fact that most of the fish they are after are near the surface.   I’m sure by watching the video you can understand why it’s call a Spinner shark.

Just some great odds and ends that I found.   A new mini-docmentary by David McGuire, called “City of the Shark” is being previewed at the Aquarium of the Bay.  It Highlights Aquarium of the Bay’s Landmark Sevengill Shark Research Program. 

It’s Chinese New Year, check out why Humane Society International is targeting Chinese restaurants and diners in major cities across North America this week with its campaign against shark finning.

Last but not least, here is a great story about one of only two shark attacks ever reported in San Clemente, California.   This guy literally steped off his surf board and right into the sharks mouth!

 Natal Sharks Board head researcher, Geremy Cliff,  told the local newspaper that a Zambezi shark, also known as a Bull shark,  was responsible for attacking and killing a Port St Johns lifeguard a few days ago.  He said warm waters along the Eastern Cape coast in summer attracted the sharks.  The lifeguard, Sikhanyiso Bangilizwe, He was bitten on the shoulder, right arm, back and buttocks.   Cliff said an examination of Bangilizwe‘s body had established that a Zambezi (bull) shark had attacked him.   The popular belief around the area is that the spillage of untreated sewage in the water, attracked fish in which the shark feeds on.  There may also have been raw meat in the water as a result of traditional healers making a sacrifice.

When the lifeguard lifted Bangilizwe into the dingy he said, “He was already dead and all I could see was just red meat and blood on his body.”  Pictures of Bangilizwe’s mutilated body could not be published, but were used to identify the type of shark implicated in the attack. The lifeguard had massive injuries, with a bite from his right thigh and his back sliced open by the shark’s razor sharp teeth.  His right hand was bitten off just above the wrist.   “Looking at the bites (on Bangilizwe’s body) it was a tiger shark,” Buffalo City Municipality chief marine services officer Siani Tinley said.

Locals say one possible reason for the sudden arrival of sharks was the problem of sewage flowing into the ocean and the lack of toilet facilities around the beach.  The first attack in the area happened two years ago when another lifeguard was attacked and killed by a tiger shark at Second Beach.  According to the local newspaper, it was the first proven shark attack in the area.   The lifeguard’s body was never recovered, only his torn flipper was found washed up on the beach with bite marks all over it.  A Natal Sharks Board spokesperson was quoted by the local newspaper, at the time saying the bite marks resembled those of a tiger shark, one of the most aggressive of the species.