NBC’s Today show has been fairly prolific with shark-related features over the past few weeks. The show recently interviewed C.J. Wickersham, a 21-year-old spearfisherman who was bitten by a 9′ bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) off Florida’s Anna Maria Island last month.

Wickersham’s friend Connor Bystrum witnessed the bite and immediately jumped in to assist him back to the boat. Once Wickersham was aboard the boat his friends used a rope as a tourniquet. Wickersham was rushed to shore where paramedics were waiting thanks to 911 call from another of his friends on the boat.

Wickersham’s injuries required multiple surgical procedures at St. Petersburg’s Bayfront Medical Center, according to the Anna Maria Islander. He was released from the trauma center after 6 days and is expected to fully recover.

Earth-Touch recently posted some video footage featuring primarily tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier). There’s also a few shots of some blacktip sharks mixed in. If you’re in the mood to watch a couple of minutes of shark video footage, this one is worth checking out.

SBS World News Australia recently posted the interview above to YouTube, which features retired NBA star Yao Ming. While the interview covers many topics including Ming’s basketball career as a player and now a club owner, it also touches on environmental issues including pollution and shark conservation. Ming has been outspoken in recent years about shark conservation and has encouraged an end to the consumption of shark fin soup.

Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed the California Shark Protection Act into law.

The L.A. Times is reporting that California governor, Jerry Brown, has signed AB 376 (aka “Shark Protection Act”) into law. The newly signed law prohibits the possession, sale, and trade of shark fins in the State of California. The ban will go into effect on January 1, 2012.

NBC’s “Today” recently interview one of who two divers who was left behind by their dive boat in Florida waters. Divers Paul Kline and Fernando Garcia Puerta surfaced from their second dive of the day only to discover their dive boat, an RJ Diving Ventures charter, had left without the them. The divers clung to a buoy, initially believing that the boat had to leave for emergency reasons and would return to pick them up. However, the boat never returned. Fortunately, a passing yacht spotted the divers over two hours after they had surfaced and picked them up.

The story made headlines last week, and Kline recently spoke to the Today show, along with two of his rescuers. While many reports referred to the divers as being left in “shark-infested” waters, Kline said that they did not see any sharks, although he did tell “Today” that the thought of being attacked by a shark was an issue for both divers. From a psychological standpoint, the thought of shark attacks might seem to weigh the heaviest out of all the threats of being left at sea. However, the divers also faced potential life-threatening scenarios in the forms of possible dehydration, hypothermia, and other exposure-related risks. Fortunately, this story had a happy ending thanks to a chance encounter with a passing yacht and its crew.

Robs441 recently shared the video above on YouTube, which features surface footage of dolphins feeding in South Carolina waters. At around 2:40 a small breaching shark stirs up the action a bit with a “cartwheel” as its noted in the video description.

If any of you shark identification experts can i.d. the shark, feel free to share your expertise in the comments.

A new game based on the “Jaws” franchise is now available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod. “Jaws Revenge” was released yesterday and features classic side-scrolling gameplay. Players will control a rampaging great white shark, and it looks like the theme of the game is to eat, crash into, and/or blow-up everything in sight. Players will also be able to “upgrade” their shark, but alas, it does not seem that you can “frickin laser beams” on the shark’s head as an upgrade.

It appears that nothing in the water or the air is safe in this game, including massive yachts and hang-gliding thrill seekers. Fear not, though, this is just a ridiculous videogame, and the behavior of the ginormous rampaging shark in the game is not representative of actual white shark behavior.

“Jaws Revenge” is on sale now at Apple’s iTunes app store for $0.99.

UPDATE Looks like NBC pulled the video. NBC affiliate WLTZ still has print version of the story up. Check out the comments for some reader opinion on the story.

NBC’s Today ran a feature on Noel Tood, a Georgia teen who recently caught a bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) measuring over 8′ in length and weighing 368 lbs. While bull sharks are often targeted by shark fishermen, the reason this story seems to be making headlines is due to the fact that the shark was caught in shallow freshwater. (Bull sharks are well-known for their ability to tolerate freshwater, and there are multiple documented cases of the species traveling great distances up rivers.)

Todd told NBC that he spotted two bull sharks in a shallow pool, and quickly grabbed his gear and hooked one of the sharks and dragged it to shore. Todd said that the shark that “got away” was much larger than the one he caught.

The NBC report mentions a theory that bull sharks are following shrimp boats back into the area, which might explain the presence of the species in what might be considered an abnormal location for them.

The Today Show really pulled out all the stops on this report when it comes to shark clichés. The clip has ominous music, multiple scenes from “Jaws,” and plenty of “man-eater” references. A fair amount of footage of a relatively harmless sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) also finds its way into the report.

Shark Angels has posted a video featuring various species of sharks (as well as rays, whales, and dolphins) to its YouTube channel. The video offers some great imagery of underwater life with the intent of reminding viewers of some of the magnificent inhabitants of the ocean.

Footage used in the video was shot by Paul Wildman in South African waters.

National Geographic reports that the Marshall Islands is now home the world’s largest shark sanctuary. According to the report, the Parliament of the Marshalls unanimously passed legislation that bans commercial shark fishing in the country’s waters, which cover 768,547 square mi (1,990,530 square km).

The new legislation also bans the sale of any sharks and has a “zero retention” stipulation, which requires any sharks that are accidentally caught by commercial vessels to be set free. The legislation also has provisions for enforcement which include large fines for fishing for sharks and possessing sharks or shark products. The law also requires all fishing vessels to land their catch at local ports within the Marshall Islands and bans at-sea transfer.