The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary has recently posted a draft environmental assessment to analyze the impacts of issuing a permit to Dr. Michael Domeier of the Marine Conservation Science Institute, which would allow the tagging of 11 additional great white sharks (3 males, and 8 females) within the marine sanctuary, using the catch and release method that has been featured on National Georgraphic’s Expedition Great White.

Dr. Domeier was issued a 1-year permit in September of 2009. During the 2009 white shark season, he and his team used the catch and release method to tag 2 male white sharks at the Farallones. However, a bit of controversy stirred up when one the tagged sharks was hooked in the esophagus, and the circle hook had to be cut and left in the shark. According to the draft environmental assessment, “the public and members of the other research teams studying white sharks in the region were concerned that the shark had died and that the tagging was being conducted primarily for a National Geographic television program.”

It should be noted that the hooked shark made its normal migration pattern after the incident, according to data supplied from the tag, and that the tag was still reporting normal data 8 months after it was hooked. (see Southern Fried Science’s interview with Dr. Domeier)

Supporters of Dr. Domeier’s SPOT tagging methods argue that this research provides invaluable data, which cannot be gathered using other methods, and that the data could be beneficial to the species. Those who oppose these tagging methods argue that the potential gains simply do not outweigh the risks.

Regardless of which side of the fence you might be on, if you have genuine interest in this topic and are willing to read the environmental assessment draft, the GFMNS is open to your comments. Comments should be submitted to Carliane.Johnson@noaa.gov until October 12, 2010.

Tomorrow night, CBS will be airing an episode of “CSI” with a plot revolving around a “shark attack” in a pool at a Las Vegas casino. That’s right, a shark attack in a swimming pool. No, seriously. At least, the effects in the scene above are a little bit of a step up from some of the efforts that SyFy has been airing, as of late. However, the idea of a shark maneuvering through a shallow swimming pool filled to the brim with people partying and then attacking a bather isn’t much less ridiculous than dinosharks or sharktopuses.

While the depiction of the shark, seen in the clip above, certainly does nothing to dispel the misconception of sharks as “mindless killers,” it’s hard to judge how the episode, as a whole, will portray sharks. The information about the episode provided by CBS notes that the investigators must determine if the “killer is human or shark.” Maybe, the shark was framed.

WAVY.com is reporting that local shark experts “almost certain that it was a shark, maybe even two” that bit surfer Caleb Kauchak, last week.

According to the report, Dr. Jack Music, Professor Emeritus at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) is “certain it was a shark” and is “reasonably sure” that it was either a blacktip or spinner shark involved in the attack. Music has studied sharks for over forty years and has investigated previous attacks in the Virginia Beach area.

Speculation has run rampant in various media reports about what species bit the teen. The most recent WAVY.com report noted that there was speculation that the wounds could have been caused by bluefish, while an earlier WAVY.com report (seen above) mentioned a bull shark or sandbar shark as possible suspects.

So far, eight great white sharks have been successfully tagged in Cape Cod waters this season.

Cape Cod Times is reporting that Dr. Greg Skomal tagged the eighth great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) of the summer, in the Cape Cod area, earlier this month. This season, five white sharks have been tagged with satellite tags and three shark have been tagged with acoustic tags. The tags are expected to provide information about where the white sharks travel, how long they stay in a particular area, and their movement patterns based on seasons and tides.

According WVEC 13 News the species that bit a teen surfer off the Sandbridge area of Virginia Beach has still not been identified. Paramedics believe it was a species of shark that bit Caleb Kauchak on the knee and ankle. However, it seems that confirmation of the attacking species based on bite marks has yet to be made.

Dr. Chip Cotton of the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences was interviewed by 13 News and speculated that the attacking species could have been a spinner shark chasing bait fish. However, it seems that Dr. Cotton was merely being interviewed as a shark expert for the report, as he later states that “whoever is doing the investigation” will be able to distinguish species bites based on the upper and lower bite patterns.

YouTube user matthadlingtonmusic recently posted the above video which is described as a “draft” of the main theme music to a documentary titled “Shiver.” Based on the video description, “Shiver” is an upcoming documentary that focuses on the shark fin trade in Mozambique.

According to Carolina Beach Today a family who caught a “shark encounter” on video are still trying to identify the shark that passed close by them on September 14. A mother and her three children are seen playing in the shallows when the shark passed by. While there is never really a good clear shot of the shark, after strategically pausing the video around 30 seconds and getting a decent look at the dorsal and caudal fins, I’m going to throw my guess out there as the species being a sandbar shark, which are commonly found in the area. I’ve also got a vote for a blacktip shark, which are also common in the area.

UPDATE: I was able to pull the following frames from the video that show the dorsal and caudal fins.

These frames show the best views of the shark filmed at Carolina Beach.

SyFy’s “Sharktopus” premieres tomorrow (September 25) at 9PM EDT. The plot is centered around a bio-engineered half-shark, half-octopus creature that wreaks havoc at a Mexico beach. I know that you’re probably thinking with a cheesy plot like that, why would anybody want to watch “Sharktopus?” Well, did I mention that Eric Roberts is in it?

Based on the trailer above, viewers can expect to be treated to amazing computer generated effects that rival the graphics of video games from the late 1990s. The only things that appear more fake than the actual creature effects are a vast majority of the boobs shown throughout the trailer.

In order to find more cheese than one should expect to find in “Sharktopus,” a trip to Wisconsin would likely be in order. With scenes including a battle between the sharktopus and a great white shark, I have little doubt that “Sharktopus” will go down in history as one of the best shark-octopus hybrid movies of all time…and one of the worst shark-octopus hybrid movies of all time.

WARNING: Video features footage of live sharks being finned.

Wired.com recently featured a report on shark finning, which included the video above. The article does not really offer up anything new on the topic, but perhaps by appearing at Wired.com it brings the subject to an audience that might not be familiar with shark finning. The article also many links to the reader with the intent of supporting anti-finning organizations and legislation.

The video, along with the article, essentially explains the shark finning process, along with the demand for shark fin soup. The socioeconomic issues involved in the shark fin industry are briefly touched upon, as well. Additionally, measures to intended to help curb the demand for shark fins are also briefly covered, including Hawaii’s shark fin ban.

It should be noted that the statistic regarding an estimated 73 million sharks killed annually is derived from the top-end estimate found in a study by Shelley Clarke et al. I have yet to find a reference for the statistic regarding a 90% decline in certain species. If any readers are familiar with the source for this statistic, please let know. Thanks!