Australia’s The 7pm Project has recently posted the following feature on declining shark populations on YouTube.

The video addresses the effects of overfishing and finning on shark populations. Unfortunately, the feature is plagued with the “magic number”, claiming 100 million sharks are killed each year, which is not backed by any solid research (research-backed estimates put the number in 26 million to 73 million range, which is staggering in its own right).

Magic numbers aside, the feature does bring up valid points, including how the media has helped to contribute to misconceptions about the dangers of sharks toward humans. Ian Gordon points out that most people know very little about shark behavior and biology. He also notes that he has been around sharks for 30 years and if sharks were as dangerous as many people believe, he would likely be dead by now.

A California man went head-to-head with a zombie shark and lived to tell about it. Well, not really.

In what can only be likened to the “Balloon Boy” story of shark “news,” a California man has survived, based on his own account, what could only be described as a harrowing encounter with a mako shark. Dale Kobetich told Surfline.com that a mako shark circled him for 20 minutes and charged him at one point. Kobetich even managed to snap several photos of the shark to document his ordeal, including a close-up shot when shark charged him (you can view them at the Surfline.com article by clicking the “next” link at the top of the story).

At first glance, this may seem to be just a run of the mill story about some guy over-exaggerating a harmless encounter with a shark while doing a little underwater photography. However, I can assure that it’s not. You see, what Kobetich does not mention in the original Surfline.com article is that the mako shark featured in his photos is deader than dirt, which can mean only one thing…it’s a ZOMBIE SHARK!!!

Or…it could mean that Kobetich fabricated the whole story after buying the shark from a Newport Beach Pier fisherman for $70 and dragging its carcass out into the water for a photo shoot, as he has since admitted to Surfline.com. Kobetich claims that he did it, so that people could “take it for the art of the photographs” and not for any kind of notoriety or financial gain. Personally, I don’t view photos of dead shark carcass as art, but maybe that’s just me.

While Kobetich’s hoax seems harmless enough on the surface, the reason it rubs me the wrong way is that he played on people’s fears toward sharks, which perpetuates misconceptions that people who are not familiar with sharks may have. Some of the comments accompanying the original Surfline.com article show that at least some of the readers bought into his story hook, line and sinker, as there are people discussing his bravery and courage. Kopetich also suggests in the original article that he was in imminent danger, due to the presence of the mako. This assumption of danger along with the account that the small mako circled him for 20 minutes is a pretty good indication that even an experienced underwater photographer, like Kopetich, can buy into stereotypes about sharks that are largely based on fiction. To me, that’s the most pathetic aspect of this “story.”

Thanks to the Underwater Thrills: Swimming With Sharks blog for pointing out this whopper of a fish story.

An 18′ (5.5m) whale shark (Rhincodon typus) was found by divers off the shores of Tingloy, Batangas with its dorsal and pectoral fins sliced off, according to a news release from the World Wildlife Fund – Philippines. The whale shark, known locally as “butanding,” was still alive when the divers found it on Monday. The shark was towed to calmer waters in Caban Cove, where efforts were made to flank and support the shark, but it inevitably died the next day as a result of its injuries. Obvious knife wounds were observed around the shark’s caudal fin, as well.

Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)

According to the news release, possession or slaughter of whale sharks in the Philippines is prohibited by Republic Act No. 8550 of the Fisheries Administrative Order. Violation of this act is punishable by a maximum fine of P10,000, four years in prison, and revocation of the violator’s fishing license. A GMANews.TV article on the story notes that whale shark meat, known as “tofu meat,” sells for P360 ($8) per kg, while shark fins sell for approximately one hundred times as much at P36,000 ($800) per kg.

The WWF has officially condemned the act and is calling for “enhanced enforcement” and for the responsible parties to be prosecuted.

Last week Cinema Blend ran a story about a Jaws remake (in 3D, no less), which made mention of Tracy Morgan playing the role of Hooper. Based on the Cinema Blend article, I’m assuming that it’s nothing but nonsense. Morgan recently appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show and was asked about the rumors. If the mention of Morgan having a starring role in Jaws isn’t enough to turn you off to the idea of the remake, this video should do the trick.

Tracy Morgan as Hooper is ridiculous. Tracy Morgan as Chief Brody is even more ridiculous. Tracy Morgan as Quint? Yeah, I think it’s safe to go ahead and call shenanigans on the Tracy Morgan and Jaws rumors from Cinema Blend.

WPTV is reporting that an investigation has been launched to determine if the victim of last week’s fatal shark attack off of Stuart, Florida was photographed by hospital employees at Martin Memorial hospital in violation of HIPPA.

Chief marketing communications officer, Miguel Coty, noted that while it is not uncommon for photos to be taken for documentation and educational purposes, the investigation is focused on why and for what purpose the photos were taken. Coty also stated that upon completion of the investigation, if it is determined that a violation of privacy occurred, it would be responded to with “swift and appropriate measures.”

While this isn’t really shark news, it’s still somewhat relevant to the theme of this site, so I figured I’d post it…

DiscoveryNetworks YouTube channel has recently posted a video of a healthy oarfish shot in the mesopelgic zone (depths between 200m-1000m or 650′-3300′). The video was shot in the Gulf of Mexico as part of the SERPENT project during a survey using an ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle). The scene was captured in August of 2008 at a depth of around 460m (approximately 1500′).

While researchers are still trying to estimate the size of the oarfish in the video, Mark Benfield, of LSU’s Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, thinks that it’s somewhere in the range of 5-10m (16-33′), based on comparisons to an oil rig pipe seen in the video. Benfield also says that oarfish seen near the surface may be the origin of sea serpent myths.

As a quick follow-up to today’s earlier story about the great white shark attack that wasn’t, here’s a brief interview with Paul Welsh, the man who was bitten by a wobbegong shark. Interestingly enough, this footage was shot between the time that Welsh was bitten by the wobbegong and the time that he was “rushed” to the hospital, as some media outlets reported. Despite several reports from various media outlets yesterday regarding a white shark attack, at no point does Welsh mention a great white shark, and it almost sounds as if his son mentions something about a “stingray” in the background, which a wobbegong could understandably be confused with (unlike confusing a great white shark with a wobbegong). Cheers to Mr. Welsh for his positive attitude, and here’s to a speedy recovery from his injuries.

After scores of media outlets reported a supposed “great white shark attack” yesterday, just north of Syndey’s Mona Vale Basin, a scientist has ruled out the claims that a white shark was involved and has identified the species involved as a wobbegong (a type of bottom-dwelling carpet shark), according to Australia’s ABC News. Wobbegongs are generally considered harmless toward humans, unless stepped on or antagonized. Paul Welsh was bitten by the wobbegong yesterday. He was treated for lacerations and then discharged from the hospital. A tooth fragment was recovered from his wounds at the hospital, which allowed for the positive identification of the species to be made.

While it doesn’t appear that the victim ever claimed to have been attacked by great white shark, at least one witness, Michael Brown (a “shark spotter”), made the rounds with the media suggesting that a 2m (6.5′) juvenile great white could have attacked the man. According to ABC News, Brown claimed that “the animal that bit Mr Welsh appeared to be a two-metre great white, by the look of its tail.” Brown also told the Herald Sun that Welsh grabbed a rock, he “was hanging on to the rock for grim death.” ABC News reports that Brown has a history of stirring up fears about sharks in Sydney and has accused the NSW Government of ignoring warning signs that shark populations were increasing in the area.

Steve Whan, NSW Primary Industries Minister, has called Brown’s integrity into question regarding his account of the incident and commented that one would not have to know much about sharks to distinguish a wobbegong from a great white.

By the way, this is wobbegong shark…

and this is a great white shark…

YouTube user, OperaJes, has posted a music video to an original song, Deep Blue, (apparently, composed by the YouTube user, aka JesVega) using raw footage of marine life from the European Space Agency’s multimedia library. The ESA and director Jacques Perrin teamed up to film the footage for the movie Oceans, which has already hit theaters in some European markets and will be released in U.S. theaters on April 22. Included in the montage of ESA clips is some excellent footage of a diver gracefully swimming side-by-side with a healthy-sized female great white shark.

Kip Evan’s documentary, Isla Holbox – Whale Shark Island, was recently debuted at the 2010 San Francisco Ocean Film Festival. The film focuses on whale sharks and the effects they’ve had on Isla Holbox as a result of the ecotourism industry created by their presence around the island during the months of June through September. Evans hopes to send a message that whale sharks need to be protected throughout their migration regions, as opposed to just in small marine reserve areas such as Isla Holbox, according to the Ocean Film Fest blog.