Fin-free "shark fin" soup

According to an article from The New Yorker, San Franciso chef Corey Lee has created his version of “shark fin soup” that doesn’t use shark fins in the recipe. Lee worked with food scientists to develop an alternative method to create the “shark fin texture” The method involves using hydrocolloids in the broth to achieve the desired texture which Lee described as being “gelatinous and brittle” at the same time.

Lee’s version of the soup, which is served at his Benu restaurant, received approval from renown chef Cecelia Chiang. The New Yorker reports that Chiang, who is credited with bringing Northern Chinese cooking to America, had no idea that the soup was not made with shark fins.

You can check out the full story at The New Yorker’s Culture Desk.

The ITN News YouTube channel recently posted amateur video featuring a killer whale (Orcinus orca) attacking what appear to be broadnose sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus). The video was shot off the coast of New Zealand’s Blue Cliffs Beach, Tuatapere. One of the sharks beached itself, presumably to escape the orca.

Clinton Duffy, a marine scientist interviewed by ITN News, said that he expected that more orcas were present further from the shore and that the orca in the surf was likely trying to flush fish off shore for the other killer whales.

Central Coast News (KION 46) recently interviewed shark attack survivor Eric Tarantino about his encounter with a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) while surfing off California’s Marina State Beach on October 29, 2011. Tarantino’s injuries from the shark bite have healed, and he plans to head back into the water before the end of the year, according to the interview with Central Coast News.

In addition to setting up a foundation to help Tarantino cover his medical expenses, Vernor Surfboards will be giving Tarantino a new surfboard and wetsuit to help get him back in the water.

CBS News has a feature on Anderson Cooper’s most recent “swimming with sharks” endeavor, which took place in the waters off of Cuba. Cooper enjoys the company of reef sharks throughout the video footage.

Mike Gerken recently posted a video that features a large gathering of sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) on the wreck of the USS Schurz off the North Carolina coast. The sand tiger shark footage begins at about 1:25 into the video. The video was shot on November 20, 2011.

WARNING: video contains language that some may find offensive.

Matt Garrett captured the video above of an adult white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) spotted about 25 miles southeast of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. According to an NBC report Garrett, from Boston, was fishing with friends when the shark showed up and began circling the boat. Garrett says the shark stayed in the area for about 20 minutes.

While white shark sightings off of the coast of North Carolina are not unheard of, it is fairly rare for sightings in the area to be documented on video. Tracking data indicates that the waters off North Carolina are along Atlantic white sharks migratory routes. In the spring and summer months white sharks have been documented traveling north along the East Coast from Florida waters to the cooler waters off New England, and then returning south in the fall and winter months.

David Shiffman (WhySharksMatter) of the Southern Fried Science blog has been named a finalist in the 2011 Blogging Scholarship. If he wins the scholarship it will provide him with $10,000 of funding for his dissertation research which focuses on the ecological importance of sharks to coral reefs.

If you want to help support David and his research, you can vote for him at the 2011 Blogging Scholarship voting page.

Forbes has an article about The Peninsula Hotel chain’s recent announcement that shark fin soup will be removed from the menus of all eight of its luxury hotels on January 1, 2012. The chain includes locations in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. According to the article other hotels in the region are “reviewing policies” on the dish, but the article notes that it appears that few others appear ready to drop the dish from the menu.

You can check out the entire article at Forbes.

NatGeo Wild’s “Shark Attack Experiment: Live” premieres on Friday November 25 at 9pm EST, 6pm PST. The two-hour live event will reportedly investigate if “sharks are out to get you” and will feature divers and conservationists interacting with sharks in South Africa’s waters. According to the NatGeo site, the team of experts will attempt to “separate shark attack myths from realities.”

“Shark Attack Experiment: Live” will cap off NatGeo Wild’s “Sharkathon” which will feature 9 hours of shark programming shot at various locations around the globe.