The Shreveport Times is reporting that two men from Texas have been arrested for violating shark fishing regulations in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

The bodies of 11 whole sharks along with over 2,000 shark fins were found aboard the "Lady Lyanna." The men were booked on the charges and jailed. The fins were determined to represent over 500 sharks. The men were fine to be 496 sharks over the Louisiana daily limit of 33 sharks per vessel. The men were charged with exceeding the limit, as well as violating shark finning laws, and intentional concealment of illegal catch.

For the full story, check out the Shreveport Times.

Some photos of a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) being tied up and “surfed” upon have been drumming up quite a bit of controversy on Facebook for over a week, now. Some major media outlets including the BBC recently picked up the story, as calls for better protection of the species have arisen due to the controversy.

According to the Cebu Daily News, the events took place in the waters of the barangay of North Granada, Cebu, Philippines. The whale shark had apparently become tangled in the nets of some local fishermen, who dragged the animal close to shore to untangle it. Before the shark was released several people posed with shark for photos, while it had a rope tied to its tail. An 18-year-old woman was photographed posing on top of the shark. The photographs were then posted to Facebook, where the online controversy ensued.

According to the Cebu Daily News article, those involved in posing with the shark did not know that they were doing anything wrong and did not think they were doing anything that could harm the shark. Those involved could face a penalty of 3 to 6 months in jail along with fines for mistreating an endangered species under Republic Act 9147.

Hawaii’s KHON2 reported that surfer Joshua Holley was released from the hospital after receiving 42 stitches in his foot. Holley was surfing on Hawaii’s North Shore when he was bitten on his left foot by what was believed to be a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier).

Holley told KHON2 that he punched the shark on the nose, and the shark swam away. Two fellow surfers helped Holley to shore, after the attack. While Holley has a surgical procedure ahead of him to re-attach two severed tendons, he said he will “definitely” be getting back in the water.

Australia’s ABC News reports that beach closure signs, warning of sharks, have been stolen from a beach near Busselton, the site of a recent fatal shark attack. Warning signs have also been reported stolen from the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River (south of Busselton). The signs are used to warn the public of beach closures due to recent shark sightings.

A representative of the Department of Fisheries’ Shark Response Unit told ABC News that the signs were important resources for the public and said that the theft of the signs was “unacceptable.”

For the full story, head on over to ABC News.

YouTube user DolphinWhaleSafari recently shared video footage of a 24-hour rescue effort involving a gray whale that had become entangled in what was estimated to be 50′ of netting, according to the accompanying video information. The distressed whale was discovered off California’s Laguna Beach.

Captain Dave Anderson and his wife Gisele along with members of their crew received permission from the NMFS to help untangle the whale from the net and set out last Friday evening to rescue the whale. The rescue effort involved tracking the whale overnight and spending the following day disentangling the whale from the netting. The effort was eventually a success and the whale, nicknamed “Bart,” was swimming freely once again.

The video information also reported that the carcasses of a sea lion, two angel sharks, a leopard shark, and various other fish, rays, and crabs were found in the net that the whale had been towing.

For the whole story, check out the video along with its accompanying information at YouTube.

BBC News reports that an autograph book containing a shark sketch by Damien Hirst has sold for £4,664 (approximately $7,400 USD) at an autograph auction in London.

One of Hirst’s better-known works, “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living,” consists of the carcass of a tiger shark suspended in formaldehyde sealed in a display case. You can check out a photo of the sketch over at BBC News.

This authentic white shark sketch (by me) could be yours! On sale, now!

In unrelated news, the sketch seen above, by yours truly, is available for sale. Let the bidding start at $3,000 or a nice underwater housing for my 5D Mark II. Note that this over a $4,000 discount when compared to Hirst’s sketch, since I’m neither famous nor an artist. My sketch also includes scribbled “sound effects” at no additional charge! Don’t let this bargain pass you by!

According to his Twitter feed, James Cameron has safely returned from his submersible trip to the Marian Trench’s Challenger Deep. Cameron tweeted from the “ocean’s deepest pt” at around 6PM (EST) yesterday.

A National Geographic story reported that Cameron’s sub returned to the surface around 10PM (EST) last night (local time of 12PM).

For more information about the dive check out the full story at National Geographic.

A press release from the Nova Southeastern University suggests that a newly identified species of hammerhead shark that is a “look-alike” of the endangered scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) may make conservation efforts of both species difficult. Incorrect identification of each species as a result of the similarities between the two could result in difficulties monitoring the population status of both species, according to the release.

An article on the discovery of the new species appears in the April edition of “Marine Biology.”

For more information, check out the press release.

The Washington Post reports that the nations of the European Union (EU) backed a proposal that would ban all shark finning in EU waters, requiring that all harvested sharks be landed with their fins attached. Additionally, all EU-registered boats would be banned from finning sharks anywhere in the world.

In order to be signed as law, the proposal must now be approved by the European Parliament.

Those zany animators over at Next Media Animation News Direct have created a digitally animated re-creation of last week’s shark attacks off New Smyrna Beach. I’m guessing it’s safe to assume that the shark is not necessarily drawn to scale.