Sand tiger sharks are one of the species affected by new Delaware fishing rules.

Delaware Online is reporting that an angler who caught and released a sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) was cited and fined for “failing to release the fish in the water as quickly as possible.” The new rules require that protected species not be removed from the water.

Kevin Schultze ended up paying $269 in fines and court fees after landing the shark on the beach at Cape Henlopen, according to the report. Schultze took photos of the shark on the beach and then released. Despite the fact that the shark was released, under the new rules Schultze was fined for bring the shark up on the shore instead of releasing it in the water. He said he was unaware of the new rules but will “live and learn” from the fine.

From YouTube user davidwlitchfield comes a video featuring a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) getting briefly stuck in the lower opening of a surface cage. After bumping into the boat, the shark quickly turns and gets his nose in between the bars of the cage. The diver in the cage is able to push the shark back using his camera allowing the shark to freely swim away.

The video description doesn’t indicate where this encounter took place, but given the time of year (assuming the video was shot recently) and the visibility, my guess would be South Australia.

Lucy Mangum, the 6-year-old girl who was bitten by a shark off Ocracoke Island last week, appeared with her mother and father (Jordan and Craig Mangum) on The Early Show this morning. According to CBS News, Lucy is getting ready to leave the hospital after sustaining injuries to her foot and calf. Injuries to Lucy’s Achilles tendon are expected to take 6 to 8 weeks to recover, according to the report.

While 6-year-old Lucy didn’t seem particularly eager to talk to The Early Show anchor, her mother said that she expects her daughter to return to the water after her injuries are healed. She also noted that Lucy “loves the beach.” Here’s to a full and speedy recovery for Lucy!

I’ve found some more information about the flying great white sharks that were seen at San Diego’s Comic Con over the weekend. The sharks are part of a line called Air Swimmers and were displayed at the New York Toy Fair this past February.

The Air Swimmers website currently only offers a “coming soon” message, but hopefully more information will be available there in the near future.

KTVU.com is reporting that Dr. Michael Domeier is seeking a permit to tag 11 female great white sharks over a period of four years at the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The report addresses the somewhat recent controversy regarding “Junior” and the SPOT tagging program, which KTVU reports was brought about by researchers who oppose the tagging techniques employed by Domeier.

An earlier report from MSNBC.com quoted Domeier as saying he had voluntarily stopped using the SPOT tags. The article went on to note that Domeier was working on a new tagging technique. There was no mention in the KTVU.com report of whether this no technique would be employed should the Farallones permit request be approved.

In addition to the KTVU article, there is also video report which includes interviews with Dr. Domeier and FNMS Superintendent Maria Brown. You can check out the article and video at KTVU.com.

YouTube user oahusquid recently posted the above video which documents a close encounter with a healthy-sized tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). According to the video description, the footage was shot off of Hapuna Beach, Hawaii. The inquisitive tiger shark comes in for a close look before swimming off.

YouTube user TheKraken21 posted the above video featuring a flying remote controlled great white shark balloon seen at San Diego’s 2011 Comic Con. According to another YouTube video, the flying shark was part of Discovery’s “Shark Week” promotion.

DiscoveryTV’s YouTube channel recently added this “Shark Crossing” promo clip from Bear Gryll’s series “Born Survivor” (UK). The clip features Grylls crossing from one island to the next through “shark infested waters.”

The scene is played up with plenty of ominous music and shots of fins breaking the surface, which makes for some good television drama, if nothing else.

“Born Survivor” airs in the UK at 9pm on the Discovery Chanel.

Mike Gerken recently added the above video to his EvolutionUnderwater, which features footage of what the video description identifies as multiple Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) at the wreck of the “Papoose” about 30 miles off the coast of Morehead City, NC. While the wrecks in this area are well-known for their sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) populations, it is considered rare for Caribbean reef sharks to be as far north as the waters off of North Carolina.

Kudos to Mike for capturing this encounter on video. For more information check out Mike’s Evolution Underwater website and Evolution Underwater blog

ABC News recently ran the above featured, inspired by recent shark attacks on children in North Carolina waters. While the feature covers several topics, I think the most worthwhile aspect of this report is the advice that parents should always accompany their children and be aware of risks of swimming in the ocean.

While the feature brings up the often used statistic that one is more likely to be struck by lightning than to be attacked by a shark, it fails to mention some of the other potential risks of swimming in the ocean. In particular, the ABC report does not even bring up the risk of drowning. In the past month alone, North Carolina beaches have unfortunately been the sites of multiple drownings.

Having visited North Carolina beaches on a fairly regular basis for many years of my life, I appreciate what NC beaches have to offer. However, there are inherent risks involved in swimming in the ocean, and when children are a part of the equation some of these risks become even greater. While it is important that beach goers are aware that sharks (as well as other predatory fish and potentially dangerous ocean life) are in the water, people should also be aware of the other potential dangers.

In the cases of the two recent North Carolina shark attacks, reports seem to indicate that there was proper parental supervision in both incidents. While even the most watchful parents can’t always prevent an unseen event such as a shark attack, proper supervision can certainly help to cut down some of the other risks involved with a day at the beach.