According to a release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) the harvest of tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier), great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran), scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini), and smooth hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna zygaena) will be prohibited in state waters. The measure, which was voted on today, will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2012.

The measure will also prohibit the “possession, sale and exchange” of any of the four species that are taken from state waters. However, the species may still be caught on a catch and release basis. The measure applies only to state waters and does not prohibit the harvest of these four species in adjacent federal waters.

Western Australia officials have ruled out the culling of white sharks.

The Australian is reporting that Fisheries Minister Norman Moore has ruled out any cull of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in response to three fatal shark attacks in Western Australia. Instead a newly formed response unit will look examine the effectiveness of shark nets, correlations between weather conditions and shark attacks, and whether or not protection laws have resulted in an increase in the number of the species.

Moore said that his department is trying to balance protecting the species and providing as much information about the probability of shark attacks when they go swimming. Additionally, the response unit will assess the effectiveness of the SMS shark alert system.

Wildlife artist Frank Newmyer has added another video featuring more photos of his breaching white shark sculpture. The latest video features plenty of close-up shots that show off the level detail in the piece.

YouTube user sharkwatcharabia recently added the above video which features a pair of zebra sharks being “hatched” at Dubai’s Burj Al Arab aquarium. There’s no mention in the video description of why the shark’s are being assisted with the hatching process.

YouTube user bqnbarb13 recently uploaded the video above which, according to the video description, features two humpback whales surfacing in close proximity to a surfer and a couple of kayakers. The video was shot by Barb Roettger off of Santa Cruz, California. While the video title “Surfer Almost Swallowed by Whale” is a bit over-the-top, it’s still some impressive footage.

A juvenile male white shark recently released by the Monterey Bay Aquarium has died, according to a report from the aquarium. The white shark (seen in the video above) had been on display at the aquarium from August 31 until late October of this year. The shark was released on October 25. Data from a pop-up tracking tag, attached to the shark prior to his release, revealed that the he died “shortly after he was released.”

The report from the aquarium’s Sea Notes blog, goes on to say that the white shark team will review its procedures and protocols in order to see if changes to the program are necessary.

This marks the second time that tracking tags have revealed the death of a white shark released from the aquarium. A juvenile female white shark that was released in November of 2009 showed up dead in a fisherman’s gill-net in early 2010. After a tracking tag attached to the shark started reporting data on land, a Mexican researcher traced the tag movements to the home of a the fisherman who acknowledged having caught the shark.

The Californian is reporting that a California shark attack survivor was released from the hospital yesterday. Eric Tarantino was surfing off California’s Marina State Beach on Saturday when he was bitten by what is believed to be a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Tarantino suffered injuries to his arm and neck.

While Tarantino is expected to make a full recovery, a spokesperson for San Jose Regional Medical Center said that Tartino suffered a “potentially life-threatening injury” due to the close proximity of bite marks to the carotid artery.

The shark left bite marks on Tarantino’s surfboard that measured 19″ in width. Based on the bite marks, the shark’s estimated length was approximately 14′, according The Californian report

Wildlife artist Frank Newmyer recently shared the video above on YouTube which features his sculpture of a breaching white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in pursuit of what appear to be sea lions. The video doesn’t really show off the level detail that went into this work, but you can check out some photos of the piece on the “Splashes” section of Newmyer’s website.

The Toronto City Council has approved a ban on shark fins.

The New York Times is reporting that Toronto City Council has voted to ban the sale, possession and consumption of shark fin and shark fin products within the city. The motion was approved by a 38-4 vote.

According to the by-law the consumption of shark fin “may have an adverse impact on the health, safety and well-being of persons, and on the economic, social and environmental well-being of the City of Toronto.”

Violators of the new law will face fines up to $5,000 (CAD) for a first time offense, $25,000 for a second offense, and $100,000 for a third or subsequent offense. The ban will go into effect September 1, 2012.

From the folks at Woodhead Entertainment comes the next great shark attack movie “Shark Pool.” Party-goers are helpless to stop a man-eating shark who has found its way into the pool and attacks anything that enters water. If only there were some way to stop the carnage…

(Okay, it’s actually just a spoof trailer parodying the recently released “Shark Night.”)