WCBV-TV’s article, Diver Narrowly Escapes Shark off Cape Cod, along with an accompanying video segment, in which the anchor describes the event as "so frightening," report on an incident in which a diver was in the water recovering a satellite tag, while a great white shark was spotted swimming toward the diver from "a quarter-mile away." by spotter pilot. Without the ability to read a shark’s mind, it would be hard to say just what the diver "narrowly escaped," if anything. While it’s certainly possible that the shark could have had predatory intentions, there isn’t really any way of knowing one way or the other.

The shark sightings near Chatham, and the tagging events are exciting news, on their own. There is no need to drum up headlines that imply would-be attacks. The same story could have been reported based simply on the facts…

A diver was in the water, when a spotter pilot noticed one of the sharks moving swiftly in the direction of the diver. As a precautionary measure the diver was promptly alerted and exited the water without incident.

The story itself is reported fairly objectively in the article. It’s the headline that comes off as a bit over-the-top. I guess a headline of "Diver Safely Exits Water After Shark Warning" simply doesn’t draw as much attention as a headline about "narrowly escaping" a shark.

According the AP, three more great white sharks were tagged yesterday (09/08/09) off of Monomoy Island near Chatham, Massachusetts. This brings the total number of white sharks tagged to five, in the past week (two great white sharks were tagged in the area on Saturday). Several Chatham beaches continued to remain closed due to the presence of the great white sharks in the area.

CBS news also reported on this story, but they apparently could not resist the temptation to play up the "Jaws" angle, as seen in the video segment below.

From a shark research standpoint, the tagging of five white sharks in the Atlantic is exciting news. Hopefully, the data acquired as a result of the taggings will lead to more insight into migratory behaviors of Atlantic-bound great white sharks.

Variety reports that actress Halle Berry is in talks to play a dive instructor who survives a near-fatal great white shark attack in the upcoming film, "Dark Tide." The article does not mention whether the shark angle is a central part of the plot or not. No word on whether or not a gigantic, fake, rubberized, mechanical shark will be used in the film, which, in turn, could then be used as a pop-culture reference in any news story involving the mention of sharks.

In the "Why is this even considered newsworthy?" story of the week, former Knight Rider, Baywatch, and YouTube video star, David Hasselhof, was reported to have a supposedly "close call" with a tiger shark while filming a shark-related television series for the Underwater Channel, according to the Houston Chronicle According to the article, Hasselhoff was given a scare when a 10′ (3m) female tiger shark began swimming toward him with her mouth open. According to Hasselhoff, he "held out the bait, hoping that would keep her happy." The shark took the bait and then "retreated."

If I didn’t know any better, based on Hasselfhoff’s account, it would seem as though the shark was reacting to the "bait" that he was holding rather than Hasselhoff, himself. The last time I checked, "bait" is used to lure and entice, so I’m not sure why it’s news that baiting a tiger shark would result in the tiger shark responding accordingly to the situation.

And the winner (or is it loser?) is…ContactMusic." Why is Contact Music reporting a story about sharks in the first place?" you might ask. Well, it’s Steven Spielberg related news, of course. He directed that shark movie back in ’75. What was it called again? Oh yes, “Jaws.” That’s the one. Hence, any story regarding great white sharks should automatically be associated with Spielberg (in the eyes of some media outlets, at least).

ContactMusic’s article, “Jaws sightings close Massachusetts Beaches,” is about as utterly ridiculous as they come. Just to clarify the headline, multiple sightings of great white sharks near the coastline are what prompted the closing of several Chatham beaches, not sightings of the movie Jaws. The article goes so far as to say that the recent white shark sightings near Chatham, Massachusetts are "terrifying residents of nearby Martha’s Vineyard" (where Jaws was filmed). Say what? Was there any reporting done to substantiate the terror has fallen upon the residents of Martha’s Vineyard? It seems that the good people of Martha’s Vineyard wouldn’t be too fazed by white shark sightings, considering that there have been white sharks reported around the Vineyard repeatedly in recent years. I guess the white sharks around Chatham are more fear-inducing than the ones that were in closer proximity to Martha’s Vineyard in the past.

Thanks for spreading unnecessary fear, ContactMusic. Now, back to reality.

According to ABC, a swimming ban was put into effect at multiple Chatham beaches after multiple great white shark sightings were confirmed in the area. According to WCBV-TV three white sharks were spotted Saturday evening. Chatham officials have placed the no-swimming ban in effect until at least mid-week for all east-side beaches. The good news is that researchers were able to tag two of the sharks, one of which was tagged within 75 yards of the coastline.

Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts’ Division of Marine Wildlife, along with a team of fishermen, were able to tag two of the great white sharks with satellite tracking devices. Skomal described the tagging of the two white sharks as being “fantastic,” from a scientific perspective.The event marked the first time that great white sharks had been tagged in the Atlantic, according to a WCBV video feature. Update: Multiple news sources are now saying that this weekend’s taggings of two great white sharks mark the second and third time white sharks have been tagged in the Atlantic.

It is also worth pointing out that the WCBV video feature makes note that at least one aspect of tourism in the area has received a bit of boost, due to the shark sightings. An interest in excursions to attempt to view the great whites has increased business for at least one excursion operator who typically runs trips to view seals.

Both the ABC report and the WCBV-TV reports managed to do a decent job of objectively reporting the story, without throwing in the typical hype. Hopefully, the tagging of the sharks will provide information that will help lead to a better understanding of a species that is often misrepresented and misunderstood.

Five shark sightings near Monomy Island have drawn media attention to the Chatham, Massachusetts area once again. (Possible white shark sightings near Chatham drew media attention last month, as well.) According to NECN, at least one of the sharks spotted was confirmed as a great white shark. Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries says that seal populations are the likely cause of the presence of sharks. While Skomal encourages beach-goers to pay attention whenever they enter the ocean, when asked if it was safe to go back in the water, he said, “I’d go swimming.” As common sense would dictate, swimmers are being warned to avoid areas with large seal congregations, since seals are a natural food source for large sharks.

The video footage above is not without its share of cliche sensationalism and comes complete with the obligatory Jaws reference, a ridiculously facetious “fish story,” and a reporter suggesting to a child that being in the water with sharks might result in the child being eaten. While white sharks are not uncommon in the New England area, particularly around this time of year, the last recorded fatal shark attack in Massachusetts waters occurred in 1936.

The Tribune of San Luis Obispo serves up some sensationlism in the article, ,13-foot shark slashes seal while boaters watch off Cambria; After fishing and diving off Cambria, North County trio gets a chilling, up-close look at a feeding great white. The story details the account of three divers who witnessed a white shark feeding on a seal off the coast of Cambria, Ca. The divers witnessed the event while aboard a Zodiac. While the article itself remains fairly objective and is well-written, the headline and secondary title take a natural feeding event and turn it into a “chilling” encounter for the witnesses, as the shark “slashes” through the seal. Can’t a white shark just eat a meal without it being likened to a scene from a horror movie? I’m glad my meals aren’t documented by the media, I can see the headline now…

According to the article Chinese belly-gods warn: Eating shark fins to have ecological, health consequences, not only does the shark fin market pose a devastating risk to marine ecosystems, it may also pose a health risk to its consumers. Steve Trent of Wild Aid is pushing for promoting awareness about dangers of shark fin consumption in China, the world’s largest consumer of shark fins. Part of this awareness campaign includes Public Service Announcements like the one below (Warning: contains brief finning imagery)

According to Trent,

"Research shows they contain heavy metals such as mercury, which can cause damage to the nervous system and male infertility."

According to the article, Trent said that most Chinese shark fin consumers were not aware of the ecological effects of the shark fin industry. He also noted that many consumers did not even that shark fin delicacies actually contained the fins. This is due to the literal translation of &quotyu chi" meaning "fish fin". Due to this confusion, some consumers assumed they were eating highly nutritional domestic fish. Trent encourages responsible fishing practices and goes on to say that the "hunting of sharks should be carried out in a sustainable way, restraint should be exercised in consumption of the cartilaginous fish, and the practice of hunting sharks merely for fins should be banned."