The Cayman Islands Brewery has recently released a new beer named “White Tip Lager” in conjunction with the Cayman Islands Department of Environment and Marine Conservation International. The beer is being marketed as the “world’s first conservation lager.”

For each can of White Tip sold, 5 cents will be donated to support the Department of Environment’s “Sharks, Whales and Dolphins” program. The program is geared toward the assessment and preservation of the Cayman’s wild shark and cetacean populations.

Underwater cinematographer and professional speaker Annie Crawley recently talked with President Johnson Toribiong about declaring Palau’s waters as a shark sanctuary. President Toribiong discusses how he went about making Palau the world’s first national shark sanctuary. Toribiong also discusses the importance of ocean conservation and the sustainability of marine life. Toribiong also stresses the importance of teaching children to respect the oceans and the environment.

TSVBulletin has posted a video report filmed at Palm Island’s Onion Bay (near Townsville, Queensland, Australia) which documents numerous tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) feeding on the carcass of a young male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). The tiger sharks can be seen reaching their heads well above the surface to feed on the whale’s carcass.

According to Townsville Bulletin reporter Liam Butterworth, the sharks ranged from 3m to 6m in length. It is estimated that the whale had been dead for approximately a week, and that it had been washed in by the tide.

Thanks to Pete Thomas’ Outdoors, Action and Adventure for the heads-up on this video.

Boston’s WHDH reports that swimmers have been warned to stay at least 300′ away from seal colonies. The large seal population in the area is believed to be responsible for the increase in white shark sightings over recent years, as the seals are a natural prey item for the shark.

The warning comes after multiple credible white shark sightings were reported in the area over the past week, as well as reports of seal carcass sightings.

YouTube user SeabearVideo has posted a video which opens with the sub-title “Possible Great White Shark Tries to Attack Surfer” and then goes on to feature some surf footage during which a dark shape can be seen swimming alongside one surfer catching a wave and then underneath another surfer paddling in the opposite direction.

The footage was shot near San Diego, according to the video description, so the presence of a white shark in that area this time of year certainly wouldn’t be unheard of. However, the shadowy shape is fairly indiscernible in the video. So, is this just a shark or other marine animal out for a swim or could it possibly be a white shark attempting to attack one of the surfers? If you’ve got an opinion on it, sound off in the comments.

DuckworthBooks recently released this promotional video for Juliet Eilperin’s new shark book “Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks.”

“Demon Fish,” which was released in June, chronicles Eilperin’s travels around the world as she focuses on how various cultures and individuals relate to sharks. Eilperin investigates topics such as shark fishing for sport, the shark fin market, and shark related ecotourism.

“Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks” is available for purchase at Amazon.

In the second instance (in less than a week span) of a dead shark being found in an unusual location, the Gaston Gazette is reporting that a shark carcass was found in the drain of at a car wash in Charlotte, North Carolina after the area received as much as 6 inches of rain on Friday over the time period of a few hours. While the thought that the flooding could have washed the shark inland might seem like a reasonable explanation, it should be noted that Charlotte is well over 100 miles from the North Carolina coast.

To check the full story along with a photo of the shark, you can head over to the Gaston Gazette.

Swimmer Diana Nyad was forced to abandon her attempted swim from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida, according to an AP report. Nyad had made a point to address that no sharks would be harmed by her team during her swim. Nyad had hired a team of professional divers with many years of experience diving with sharks in order to protect both her and any sharks encountered during the long-distance swim.

CNN reports that Nyad was having trouble with shoulder pain, asthma, and nausea. Nyad faced strong winds and currents in addition to her problematic physical symptoms. Nyad was forced to abandon the swim 29 hours into the journey.

The latest pro-shark video from Blue Sphere Media and WildAid features Richard Branson swimming with whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) off of Mexico’s Isla Mujeres in order to raise awareness about protection of the species. Isla Mujeres has become a well-known aggregation point for whale sharks in the summer months, where hundreds of whale sharks gather each year to feed in the area’s nutrient rich waters.

While Branson refers to whale sharks as an “endangered species,” it should be noted that the IUCN actually list the species as “vulnerable” on the Red List, which is the next category below “endangered.”

Branson also tends to focus on the sharks being the victims of finning. However, the whale shark has been targeted in the past not only for its fins but also its meat and massive internal organs. For example, a recent feature on whale sharks in Kenya noted that the liver from a whale shark is a valuable commodity to fishermen. The IUCN also notes that whale shark populations have been depleted in some areas by harpoon fisheries and unintentional capture (or bycatch) by traditional fisheries.

In some odd shark-related news, CNN and WMUR are reporting that the carcass of a 6-8′ blue shark (Prionace glauca) was found in the woods in Milton, New Hampshire. The dead shark was found discarded approximately 50 miles from the coast. According to WMUR.com, authorities who were called to the scene decided to leave the carcass where it lay and “let nature takes its course.”