Back on March 27 (a day before the actual segment ran), I ran a post about CBS.com’s preview of the 60 Minutes segment, “The Sharkman,” which featured the well-known cageless diver, Mike Rutzen. The quick preview post (which was later replaced with a transcript of the actual segment at CBS.com but is still available in this repost of “On 60 Minutes Tonight”) referred to the sharks that Rutzen and Anderson Cooper were diving with as “the star of Jaws,” which I made a overtly sarcastic response to, questioning CBS’s journalistic integrity.

While I still stand by the remarks about the “Jaws” references, the actual 60 Minutes segment (seen in the video above) was a great example of how the news media can handle shark-related stories without focusing on baseless stereotypes of sharks (and white sharks, in particular) being mindless killing machines. Sure, Cooper makes a couple of quips in the segment, but the overwhelming theme of the segment focuses on dispelling myths about great white sharks. So, while the author of the quick preview post for this segment was off the mark, in my opinion, I give kudos to the actual Sharkman segment from CBS’s 60 Minutes.

And, yes, this one is “better late than never” at best. I should have followed up on the CBS segment soon after it originally aired, but it fell by the wayside.

The St. Petersburg Times article, “Sharks: Myth vs. reality” is a solid example of responsible reporting when it comes to dealing with the subject of sharks. The article touches the threats of over-fishing on sharks, the odds of being attacked, and myths about shark attacks. Author Terry Tomalin manages to stick to the facts and avoid any unnecessary sensationalism, which often shows up in “news” articles involving sharks. While Tomalin is responsible enough not to ignore that sharks are predatory wild animals and can pose a risk to humans, he also is also objective enough to address the relatively low odds of the risk and dispel some of the myths about shark behavior. Kudos to Mr. Tomalin.

The full article is currently available online at TambaBay.com

Note: As of this writing, the article currently contains what appears to be a typo in the “By the numbers” section which states that the odds of a fatal shark attack on a human is 0 in 264.1 million. I’m assuming this statistic is meant to read 1 in 264.1 million.

This is another one that shouldn’t really need explaining. The photo seen in the video above was purportedly captured by Terry Lynch, while he was observing the live ROV feed of the BP oil spill, according to http://www.bpoilspill.byteland.org/, a site which is registered in Lynch’s name. The site suggests that the oil and disperant chemicals might have caused the shark to go “berserk or crazy.” Lynch’s site then goes on to suggest the possibility that “maybe a crazed shark, sickened by pollutants, chewing upon cables or equipment is what caused the explosion of Deepwater Horizon.”

The image appears to be the result of photo-manipulation. The sharpness of the white shark that has been added to the image is noticeably higher than that of the BP feed image, likely due to the source image of the white shark having a higher resolution than the source image of the BP live feed image. Additionally, refracted rays of sunlight are clearly visible on the shark indicating that the photo was taken near the surface.

The primary motivation behind this hoax image (and YouTube video) seems to be an attempt to draw visitors to Lynch’s BP Oil Spill Animal Rescue site, which offers merchandise featuring numerous anti-BP designs, including the photo-manipulated shark image. According to the site, when items are purchased, a donation is made to the Good Shepherd Dog Animal Rescue (GSDAR), which was founded by Terry Lynch “for the benefit and rescue of homeless animals.” The GSDAR website indicates that the organization is not a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization but describes GSDAR as a “private, grassroots, on-line nonprofit corporation.”

It should be noted that there is no mention of any proceeds from the sale of merchandise on Lynch’s BP Oil Spill Animal Rescue site being earmarked for donations directly to the BP spill clean-up efforts.

Future Games of London recently released a shark-themed game for Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. “Hungry Shark,” by the looks of it, does nothing to dispel the myth that sharks are mindless killing machines, but is this something for conservation-minded shark enthusiasts to get bent out of shape over? After all, it’s just a video game created for mindless fun. There are plenty of video games out there that depict humans/aliens/hedgehogs/etc. going around destroying everything in sight. Personally, I won’t be losing any sleep over a game in which a caricature of shark is going around eating everything in the water and the air, especially when the feeding frenzies are accompanied by comical animated text that looks like something out of the old Adam West Batman television series.

There’s a difference between video game companies (as well as advertising companies, movie studios, and other outlets of fictional entertainment) capitalizing on over-the-top shark sensationalism versus educational-based or news media outlets doing so. The difference being that the target audience typically knows they’re getting a heaping slice of fiction with the former. I doubt that playing Hungry Shark will result in somebody believing that a real shark is going to fly out the water, eat a pelican in mid-air, knock a person out of a boat in the process, and then eat the person. Then again, sometimes I give people too much credit.

In light of all the oil-filled footage that we’ve seen over the past month, I thought it might be refreshing to share some relatively pristine whale shark footage. This video is from YouTube user OceansBelowKohTao and was shot at Koh Tao, Thailand in 2008. It features some exceptional underwater whale shark footage. Happy viewing!

I really like the second half of the video clip above from NatGeo Wild. It’s actually rich with information about how sharks locate meals. It also educates the audience about ampullae of Lorenzini, and the hammerhead shark’s unique head shape.

Unfortunately, the first half of the video contains ominous warnings about humans and hammerheads being on a “collision course,” because they happen to occupy the same body of water. This is followed by some relatively graphic “attack” footage that seems to be forced into the segment, as it really has nothing to do with the narrator’s discussion of the hammerhead shark. In fact, not long after the second instance of faux shark attack footage, the narrator asserts that the scalloped hammerhead sharks in question “don’t appear to look upon humans as a potential meal.”

The video does go on to redeem itself after the unnecessary “attack” footage, but it makes me wonder why the clip has scenes of panicking victims and bloody water, in the first place. I also question why the information describing the video refers to the hammerhead as a “vicious shark” who “never lets a human get between it and a tasty meal,” when the main theme of the video speaks to the contrary.

I’ve enjoyed National Geographic’s offerings ever since I can remember, and it was a National Geographic feature on white sharks that first piqued my interest in sharks when I was barely old enough to read. It makes me wonder if a young child were watching this clip whether they would be more likely to remember the worthwhile information in the second half of the clip or the scenes of an implied shark attack.

Adventurer, Wave Vidmar, hopes to gather data on white sharks during his solo row from the U.S. to Europe.

In an update to yesterday’s post about Atlantic white sharks following row boats, solo rower Wave Vidmar was kind enough to elaborate on the statement from the press release regarding his upcoming solo ocean row. Vidmar said that during the journeys of the four people who have successfully rowed solo from North America to Europe, similar experiences occurred involving white sharks following their boats for hours to days and that some of the boats were “attacked” by the sharks, in the sense that the sharks mouthed/bit the boats.

While this behavior may not be “typical,” per se, of Atlantic white shark behavior, Vidmar says that it does appear to be a typical behavior observed by solo ocean rowers making the journey from North America to Europe.

Mr. Vidmar believes in the importance of research and has done a great deal of research not only in preparation for this journey but also for other conservation projects along the Pacific Coast. According to the press release about Vidmar’s upcoming trek, he hopes to be equipped with a “shark tag” in the event that he encounters a great white shark, in order to tag the animal and potentially provide researchers with more insight into their behavior in the wild.

You can follow Vidmar’s upcoming ocean row adventure at Ocean Row Solo.

Do Atlantic Great White Sharks typically follow row boats for "hours to days" only to eventually attack them?

According to then I-Newswire press release, “Explorer welcomes attacks by Great White Sharks,” professional explorer Wave Vidmar is planning a solo ocean row from the USA to Europe for “science, research, education, and of course the adventure of it all.” Vidmar’s boat will feature Kevlar in its construction for “shark protection.”

The press release goes on to make the claim that…

“Typically Atlantic Great White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) will follow the tiny ocean row boats for hours to days, then attack by biting the backs of the boats.”

If anybody can direct me to any research or evidence that supports this claim, I’d appreciate it. I have never come across anything that seems to indicate this is “typical” of Atlantic white sharks.

Update: Solo ocean rower, Wave Vidmar, has provided some more information regarding white sharks following the boats of solo ocean rowers across the Atlantic.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Discovery Channel was planning to include a re-enactment of the shark attack that took the life of Stuart, Florida kite-boarder earlier this year. The TC Palm has since reported that Discovery has pulled the re-enactment from their Shark Week 2010 programming.

Lindsay Schimer, an associate producer with the company behind “Day of the Shark III” had originally announced that the Stuart, Florida attack would not only be featured on the show but would also include a re-enactment of the attack. In an about-face, Schimer announced last Wednesday that the segment “will not be part of our show this year.” According to the TC Palm, Schimer did not give a reason why the segment had been pulled, and phone and email messages left with a publicist for the Discovery Channel went were not returned.

Stephanie Forsberg, a long-time friend of the victim, believes that a “bombardment” of phone calls and emails from the victim’s friends and family members is what led to the segment being pulled. The TC Palm quoted Forsberg as saying…

“It’s cool to hear that our voices were heard. A lot of companies wouldn’t care; they’d just go for the ratings. It’s good that we spoke up, that (the show’s producers) heard us and they have a heart.”

Forsberg also went on to say that she had spoken with the victim’s mother, who “very happy” that the segment had been pulled.

It’s good to hear that somebody involved with Discovery’s Shark Week is listening and has put the concerns of the victim’s friends and family ahead of ratings.

Thanks to Patric at SharkDiver for the heads-up on this story.

There are actually some fairly impressive kite boarding videos on YouTube. Unfortunately, this is not one of them. According to the title and the video information, the video above purports to show a great white shark attack a kite surfer, when in reality it’s just a garbled mix of surface and underwater shots with a couple of snippets of white shark footage spliced in. Throw in some really bad acting and “blood” in the water, and you’ve got your supposed shark attack video. To the video creator’s credit, the transitions into and out of the white shark footage are fairly smooth.