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!

File this one under “that just seems like common sense.” According to Australia’s ABC News, swimmers and surfers are being warned to keep a safe distance from a juvenile beached humpback whale that washed up at Sandon Point, New South Wales.

Wendy McFarlane of Organisation Cetacea (ORCA) said that it is likely that scavenging sharks (she mentions tiger sharks, in particular) will be attracted to the carcass and the general surrounding area. She warned swimmers and surfers to keep a safe distance after there were reports of surfers swimming “quite near” the whale carcass.

Schoolteacher Michael Maguire spotted what is believed to be a 3m bull shark in Norman Creek in Brisbane, Australia, according to a Courier Mail report. Maguire estimated the bull shark at 3-4m in length. However, according to the Ten News report above “marine experts” doubt the estimation in the shark’s size.

While Maguire said that bull sharks were common in the Brisbane River, he was quite surprised at the sight of the shark in Norman Creek. While Maguire expressed concern over children playing in and around the creek, he said he would return to kayaking in the water within a few days.

Trevor Long of SeaWorld points out that sharks are not out there looking for humans, rather bull sharks and other marine species often travel upstream to give birth.

BBC Earth recently added the above video to their YouTube channel that features a “field test” of sorts of a shark repellent derived from dead shark tissue. The logic behind the repellent is that the scent of rotting shark meat will drive sharks away from an area, according to the video’s narrator. Based on what you see in the video, releasing the repellent certainly seems to result in the Caribbean reef sharks and blacktip sharks leaving the area.

Unfortunately, there is little mention of any of the controls involved in this “experiment.” While the repellent seemingly appears to work on these particular species of sharks, at least based on what we are shown the video, it is unclear how effective it might be on other species.

While the video features some nice imagery, the extent to which Philippe Cousteau Jr and Tooni Mahto play up the event for the cameras seems a little bit overdone.

White shark attacks on sea otters along the central coast of California hit record numbers for the month of August, this year, according to a 760KFBM.com report. The average number of shark attacks on sea otters for the month of August over a ten-year period is seven. In August of this year, scientists recovered 19 otters with apparent shark bite wounds.

Typically, when a white shark attack does occur on a sea otter, the shark will bite and then release the sea otter upon realizing that it a preferred prey item, according to Mike Harris of the California Department of Fish and Game. Harris goes on to note that unfortunately most of these attacks still prove fatal. Due to the nature of the severity of the bites and the anatomy of the sea otters, even an exploratory bite or a bite of “mistaken identity” can result in injuries that the sea otters cannot recover from.

The 760KFMB article notes that some researchers are speculating that unusually mild summer temperatures in the area might explain the increase in the incidences involving white sharks attacking sea otters, as the cooler ocean temperatures make area waters preferable to white sharks.

In addition to the shark attacks on sea otters, a New York Times article is reporting that a University of California, Santa Cruz report has linked sea otter deaths in California to a freshwater toxin. The toxin microcystin is produced by blue-green algae, and the report suggests that the toxin has leaked into the Pacific. Researchers involved in the study say that least 21 sea otter deaths were linked to the toxin.

Both sea otters and white sharks are listed as threatened species on the IUCN red list. Sea otters are classified as “endangered,” while great white sharks are currently classified as “vulnerable.”