UPDATE: This video is actually over 3 years old and was shot in the Gulf of Mexico according to YouTube user sharkyjones who posted the video in May, 2007. The shark is indeed a Greenland shark (Somniosis microcephalus), according to the video information.

YouTube user mmoo490 recently posted this video which is listed as “A Transocean video of a shark passing in front of a BOP stack-up.” Unlike some of the ridiculous hoax photos of sharks supposedly spotted on ROV cameras as of late, this one looks like legitimate footage. The information about the video is sparse and does not indicate where the BOP (blowout preventer) stack is, at what depth the camera was at, etc. Based on the video the dorsal fin appears to be almost non-existent on this shark. Anybody have an idea on what species this is? Greenland shark, maybe?

Live Science has an interesting read on how the movie “Jaws,” the Jersey Shore attacks of 1916, and World War II accounts of shark attacks have altered the public perception of sharks over the past century. The article quotes George Burress as saying

“At the turn of the 20th century, there was this perception that sharks had never attacked a human being. There was even a reward offered if someone could prove they were bitten by a shark — money that was never collected.”

The article goes on to note that after “Jaws” was released shark-hunting tournaments began to gain popularity on the East Coast of the U.S. According to Burress, the shark-hunting trend “dramatically reduced nearly all shark species over the following decades.”

The article also goes on to mention an “inadvertent benefit” that came about as a result of declining shark populations. Scientist became more conscious of the need learn more about sharks which resulted in an increase in funding for shark research.

Visit Live Science to see the full article, How ‘Jaws’ Forever Changed Our View of Great White Sharks.

Wild Aid has recently posted several animal conservation PSA videos to their YouTube Channel, including an English version of a shark conservation PSA above, which features 1984 Olympic gold medalist (10m platform diving), Zhou Jihong. The original version (posted a few years ago) of this PSA was in Mandarin and focused on the “duty” of humans to protect sharks and the world’s ocean ecosystems. Wild Aid has produced several shark conservation PSA videos featuring prominent Chinese athletes aimed at curbing demand in the Chinese shark fin soup market.

Tracking data from “Sammy” the female whale shark that was reportedly released from Dubai’s Atlantis, The Palm on March 18 has been retrieved by Mote Marine Laboratory, according to a gulfnews.com article. The whale shark was tagged with a pop-up satellite tracking tag upon her release. The tag was expected to record data for approximately 3 months, but it popped up after one month. It is unknown why the tag detached early, but data retrieved from the tracking tag indicated what Dr. Robert Hueter, Director of Mote’s Center for Shark Research described as “normal behavior similar to what we’ve observed in other whale sharks.”

Not long after the reported release of the whale shark, some animal rights groups were requesting evidence that the shark had actually been released, calling into question the “secretive” nature of The Palm’s release of “Sammy” back into the wild. The data retrieved by Mote Marine Laboratory provides scientific evidence that the whale was not only released but exhibited normal behavior for at least 33 days after her release.

Mote has posted a map of the released whale shark’s tracking data.

Discovery’s new promotional video for “Ultimate Air Jaws” follows Chris Fallows as he attempts to understand why white sharks are coming in close to shore of the coast of Mossel Bay.

If this video is an indication of what we can expect from the network this year as far as promotional material for Shark Week 2010 goes, then I’d say they’ve made leaps and bounds in the right direction compared to last year’s marketing campaign. The promo video features some amazing slow-motion breach footage and seems to be more focused on information and education versus trying to drum up fear. Hopefully, we’ll see more of these types of promotional videos from Discovery leading up to this year’s Shark Week.

MyFox Boston is reporting that the presence of great white sharks is expected again around Chatham, Massachusetts this year. The presence of several white sharks in the vicinity of Lighthouse Beach caused the closing of the beach last year. While tourists and the tourism industry might not exactly be welcoming the return of the great white sharks, researchers are expected to take advantage of their presence in hopes of learning more about the species.

Last year, five great white sharks were tagged in the waters around Chatham. Their migrations were tracked as far Florida. According to the satellite tag data, at least one of the sharks was recorded in water as cold as 44° F. However, the sharks spent 80% of the time in water temperatures in the 59°-70° F range, according to the Cape Cod Times.

Warning: Video contains somewhat graphic footage of shark finning and brief shots of white shark predation on a seal.

KQED aired the educational/information themed video “Great White Shark: The Man in the Gray Suit” back in April of this year. For a downloadable HD version of the video and more information, please visit the Quest website.

The video includes footage of white sharks at both the Farallon Islands and Isla de Guadalupe (although Guadalupe is never mentioned by name). The feature touches on topics including shark attacks and the “mistaken identity” theory, shark finning, migration patterns, shark behavior, and tagging programs.

Thanks to The Best Shark Dive in the World! blog for the heads-up on this video!

Shark nets in Queensland will be fitted with “pingers” designed to alert migrating whales to the presence of shark nets, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The move marks an attempt to help prevent whales from becoming entangled in the nets. In 2009, six whales were trapped in the shark nets, which have stirred up controversy in the past. All six of the whales trapped last year were successfully freed.

The shark nets are already equipped with pingers designed to alert dolphins. The whale pingers will a “longer and louder noise” as compared to the dolphin pingers, according to Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin, who went on to note that the pingers are designed only to alert the whales of the presence of the nets not to scare them away.

Multiple prototypes will be fitted to the nets this week as a test run. The goal is to have the alarms on all the shark nets by August when younger whales are more likely to come in close proximity to the nets.

National Geographic’s Expedition Great White premieres tonight at 9pm on the National Geographic Channel. However, you don’t have to wait tonight to get a sneak peek. National Geographic has made the episode “First Bites” available on Expedition Great White YouTube page (the episode is embedded below).

Expedition Great White focuses on a research team, headed by researcher Dr. Michael Domeier, whose goal is to gather tracking data on great white sharks at Isla de Guadalupe (filmed in the fall of 2008). Domeier’s team uses a catch-and-release technique to SPOT (Smart Position or Temperature Transmitting) tag great white sharks in order to provide researchers with real-time tracking information. After hooking and bringing in a white shark using a rod and reel, the shark is then brought onto a platform and raised out of the water in order to have a satellite tag attached to the shark’s dorsal fin. In addition to attaching the SPOT tag to the white shark, samples were also taken from the shark for research efforts.

Unlike traditional pop-up tags that report data after detaching from the shark and surfacing, the tags that Domeier’s team uses in Expedition Great White reports real-time data whenever a tagged white shark surfaces. The tags are expected to be able to transmit for six years.

Domeier’s catch and release method drew some criticism last year after an incident at the Farallon Islands, in which a hook was stuck in the mouth of a captured great white shark, requiring that the hook be cut with part of the left stuck in the shark’s mouth. However, Domeier’s team has since reported that the shark’s tag is still reporting data, and the shark is in good health.

While elements of Domeier’s methods may seem questionable to some, the results of his efforts in terms of producing real-time data could prove invaluable in terms of gaining knowledge about white shark behavior. Personally, I can find merit with both sides of the argument. I expect that the airing of the Great White Expedition series will drum up the debate once, again, and it will likely bring up interesting arguments both for and against Domeier’s techniques.

Updated tracking data from Domeier’s tagging efforts can be viewed at MarineCSI.org (click on the small map image for a larger view).

Update:As you can probably tell, the video, at this time, seems to have been removed from KTLA’s website. You can still see an image of one of the breaching sharks at KTLA.com.

KTLA.com is reporting that surfer Randy Wright has caught footage of white sharks breaching at Will Rodgers State Beach (Pacific Palisades, CA). Wright’s video footage can be seen in the KTLA feature above. According to KTLA report, Wright has captured two white sharks on video in the past week. Wright is no stranger to filming breaching sharks, in October of last year, he captured a photograph of what was believed to be a breaching white shark off of Sunset Beach.